The Verge's 'Worst Gadgets We've Ever Touched'

Hey, a mention in 2021!

https://www.theverge.com/22727322/wo...e-first-decade

Can't say I've frequented that site often (or ever). The entire article seems like an attempt to just fill the page and publish "something".

It was, what it was.... an overpriced accessory for your smartphone.

At full price and with 1.0 software is was a disappointment - as the company I was with at the time came to learn (glad I had not pushed that initiative). With billion dollar write off and 2.0 software it was somewhat selectively usable. But it couldn't touch the iPads of the day on functionality.

In the end I think the PlayBook pushed more companies to allow iOS on their networks... for the iPad, but opened the door for iPhones as well.

Originally Posted by Dunt Dunt Dunt

It was, what it was.... an overpriced accessory for your smartphone.

At full price and with 1.0 software is was a disappointment - as the company I was with at the time came to learn (glad I had not pushed that initiative). With billion dollar write off and 2.0 software it was somewhat selectively usable. But it couldn't touch the iPads of the day on functionality.

In the end I think the PlayBook pushed more companies to allow iOS on their networks... for the iPad, but opened the door for iPhones as well.

The fact that it wouldn't even do email unless tethered to a BlackBerry phone in its original software iteration is what doomed it to failure.

Originally Posted by Laura Knotek

The fact that it wouldn't even do email unless tethered to a BlackBerry phone in its original software iteration is what doomed it to failure.

That was a big problem for sure but they were doomed either way. There is no world where the iPad was going to lose that battle.

But at the same time, let's not forget that the PlayBook was specifically designed, marketed, and sold as a companion device to a BlackBerry smartphone. The email thing wasn't an issue in that scenario.

Originally Posted by conite

That was a big problem for sure but they were doomed either way. There is no world where the iPad was not going to lose that battle.

But at the same time, let's not forget that the PlayBook was specifically designed, marketed, and sold as a companion device to a BlackBerry smartphone. The email thing wasn't an issue in that scenario.

But a case of do I spend $500 on a device that can stand alone. Or $500 on an accessory?

Maybe if BlackBerry had released the PlayBook as a $199 accessory, it might have been.... nah never would have flown. Company I was with needed to use them to open and use PDF drawings on it. But the GPU wasn't nearly as powerful as the iPad was. iPad could open those up and allow you to pinch zoom or move around... while the PlayBook would checkerboard and struggle. The email was a puzzle, but not a deal breaker as everyone had a BlackBerry.

This only proves that the Verge sometimes mindlessly throws valuable things into the dumpster. I had a playbook and an associate had an ipad. The playbook did lots of things better than the ipad of that time. Considerably better. Not everything, but lots. And soon enough he had to go and buy another ipad with some updated features, and then another one. Android tablets at that time, and considerably after, on the other hand were hellish, not just a dumpster fire. Maybe the android tablet manufacturers should have given up on Android, and adopted the Playbook OS for a better tablet experience. They were just so gosh darned tied into Android, I guess they couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

Originally Posted by i_plod_an_dr_void

This only proves that the Verge sometimes mindlessly throws valuable things into the dumpster. I had a playbook and an associate had an ipad. The playbook did lots of things better than the ipad of that time. Considerably better. Not everything, but lots. And soon enough he had to go and buy another ipad with some updated features, and then another one. Android tablets at that time, and considerably after, on the other hand were hellish, not just a dumpster fire.

But the iPad had access to the ecosystem that people actually wanted.

The iPad was an app/media platform, and the PlayBook was an enterprise smartphone companion. Different raison d'être.

Originally Posted by conite

But the iPad had access to the ecosystem that people actually wanted.

The iPad was an app/media platform, and the PlayBook was an enterprise smartphone companion. Different raison d'être.

The playbook was both an app/media platform and an enterprise smartphone companion - but if you didn't need the enterprise part the playbook was still an eminently useable tablet, far better than the Androids. The game graphics and graphics on the Playbook were amazingly sharp detailed and brilliant. But yes the ecosystem hadn't flourished out by the time it launched as Apple's had (derived from its PC and ipod touch platform experience) though I don't think the ipad had an amazing ecosystem at launch. The Ipad had no multitasking, something that the original BlackBerry Playbook had executed excellently. But the same could be said of Android at its beginning little useful 3rd party apps, in its ecosystem, and yet it still had a terrible tablets.

I remember, (wow over 10 yrs ago now) selling lots of playbooks to Air Canada pilots - they specifically wanted them to view their flight manuals and other PDF documents.

mostly I think, they wanted a Canadian product to feel proud and stand behind.

I bought over a dozen of Playbooks, some for presents, others were resold with a small profit. With updated OS and after the price cut it was liked by buyers and by my relatives, except one young lady, - she was too much in everything "Apple-style". But a couple of years later the lack of apps forced everyone to get rid of Playbooks. Except for one which I still use. Surprisingly, the battery did not die yet.

Originally Posted by dmlis

I bought over a dozen of Playbooks, some for presents, others were resold with a small profit. With updated OS and after the price cut it was liked by buyers and by my relatives, except one young lady, - she was too much in everything "Apple-style". But a couple of years later the lack of apps forced everyone to get rid of Playbooks. Except for one which I still use. Surprisingly, the battery did not die yet.

I don't know how you sold them a a small profit.... as the price continued to drop till you could get them for under $100. Work provided on was at the full $500, I bought one at some point after 2.0 for $200 for a 16GB version and then about a year later got a 64GB for $150 as local office supply had them clearanced. And 16GB wasn't really good for very much - thing needed an SD Card.

Originally Posted by Dunt Dunt Dunt

I don't know how you sold them a a small profit.... as the price continued to drop till you could get them for under $100. Work provided on was at the full $500, I bought one at some point after 2.0 for $200 for a 16GB version and then about a year later got a 64GB for $150 as local office supply had them clearanced. And 16GB wasn't really good for very much - thing needed an SD Card.

Prices continued to drop on eBay and remained high in the country of my residence. I don't remember all figures today but $50-$70 profit per tablet was possible.

I certainly sold off my playbook at a profit. Purchased at a bestbuy mobile for something like $50 on clearance. 32gb Wi-Fi - then sold on kijiji for $100 without the charger (as it was a very rapid charger, kept for my brand new priv at the time).

My coworkers bought the rest. plan was to hook up the playbook via HDMI mini to the TV, and use the Q10 as a remote and mouse pad.

Originally Posted by Phillip st

I certainly sold off my playbook at a profit. Purchased at a bestbuy mobile for something like $50 on clearance. 32gb Wi-Fi - then sold on kijiji for $100 without the charger (as it was a very rapid charger, kept for my brand new priv at the time).

My coworkers bought the rest. plan was to hook up the playbook via HDMI mini to the TV, and use the Q10 as a remote and mouse pad.

It even had that movie rental store initially....long gone now of course.

Like the later BB10 phones, the PlayBook was conceived as a device for corporate IT departments who liked the BlackBerry ecosystem and were only going to issue them to people who already had BlackBerry phones.

Then, it was repositioned for consumers, without really meeting their needs or expectations.

That's why it was designed the way it was, and why it ultimately failed hard.

Posted via CB10

I use mine all the time as a stand alone video and audio player. Still one of the best at it's current price with it's built in Wolfson DAC and stereo speakers for portable near field listening. This little video inspired me to use it a music/video player next to my computer. I download favorite youtube video clips from "Darryl's House" convert and play them as video white noise while i work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzaq...el=DinoMendoza

I used one of my Playbooks with Maranz receiver and Mirage acoustics for a couple of years.
The last Playbook I have is my "desk" music player which I connect sometimes to the amplifier or to Bluetooth acoustics. Neutron and StereoTube apps. The latter has no access to YT anymore, but I created a lot of playlists when it was still possible.

Originally Posted by bb10adopter111

Like the later BB10 phones, the PlayBook was conceived as a device for corporate IT departments who liked the BlackBerry ecosystem and were only going to issue them to people who already had BlackBerry phones.

Then, it was repositioned for consumers, without really meeting their needs or expectations.

That's why it was designed the way it was, and why it ultimately failed hard.

Posted via CB10

I still wonder if it could succeed if it was promoted differently. As a multimedia device plus business capability, for example. With the focus on sound quality, HDMI connection, good (for that time) display. "Toys and tools", instead of "tools not toys".
On the other hand, it was not a perfect "toy" from the start with those "checkerboard" issues with the browser.

Originally Posted by dmlis

I still wonder if it could succeed if it was promoted differently. As a multimedia device plus business capability, for example. With the focus on sound quality, HDMI connection, good (for that time) display. "Toys and tools", instead of "tools not toys".
On the other hand, it was not a perfect "toy" from the start with those "checkerboard" issues with the browser.

It could have been marketed as something that prints money and it wouldn't have helped in the least bit.

Originally Posted by conite

It could have been marketed as something that prints money and it wouldn't have helped in the least bit.

Thing is if the PlayBook had been a kickstarter and everyone that owned one had the option of the 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage at $499, $599 and $699 respectively. No body would be asking about what it would take to make it a sucess... it never would have happened.

Folks here like to dis on Apple's prices... but truth is BlackBerry was just a premium, but without the ecosystem.