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Just picked up my 3rd playbook for the house. A 64gb with the sweet deals at best buy with $50 accessory pack for a total of $320 bucks. Now my wife and I will have 64 gigs to play with and my daughter's (age 10 and 12) get her 16gb.
The unit is just too sweet for Internet, gps, email, organizer, games, apps, movies and music... You absolutely can't go wrong at that price. If you think otherwise you're way to picky!
I'm setting it up this weekend.08-19-12 03:10 PM - One word: marketing.Just picked up my third PB. 150.00 for the 16GB. This one will be my app builder/tester.
be nice to have one to test things on, instead of the simulator, or crashing up my 64GB.
at 150.00 why would they not just fly off the shelves, esp, BB10 coming for them..
No one knows about the PB or if they do they only know it by the the horror stories they read about. The retail stores aren't pushing it and the only tablet marketing I have seen is for the iPad 3 and the Nexus. RIM's only marketing of the product is here on CB by us. But obviously, the masses don't even know about CB and in general are not as enthusiastic about tech as we are.
Dollar for dollar, there is not a better deal on any piece of technology on the market today. Just feel good you yourself got a steal of a deal.08-19-12 07:15 PM - I own a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 Plus. I love this device as a media and entertainment tablet. Over the last month, however, I have become sold on the Playbook being a serious professional tablet and decided to go ahead and buy one. The price was just too good to pass up ($220 for 32 GB model).
This device has exceeded my expectations for the overall quality of the product. The build is solid and the OS is an entirely different creature compared to the standard mobile OS of both Apple and Google.
The multitasking in this OS (2.0) is for real and is an absolute pleasure, as I have discovered when seamlessly switching between apps with the finger swipes. Android Honeycomb on my Samsung Tab won't rock your world, but it has been entirely serviceable. In contradistinction to Android, I find the user experience on the Playbook OS to be refreshingly intuitive and this really shows when using the browser, native email, and an MS Office compatible suite I purchased.
The sole headscratcher is that the Playbook does take a long time to boot, odd. I don't like that. Of course, the OS is on a different level of capability compared to Android and iOS, which I believe to be the underlying reason.
My thoughts after one week of usage of the Playbook and browsing the App store on the Blackberry website are as follows:
1. This tablet really is meant to be used as a productivity tool. The stability of the OS combined with the way the software is designed to interact with the user allow me to concentrate entirely of the task at hand, whereas Honeycomb on my Samsung Tab always intrudes on my user experience through certain UI-shall we say-shortcomings. Totally different with the Playbook.
As an example, as a business software student at a vocational school, I find a serious need for a mobile MS Office compatible solution and the tablet form-factor is the perfect answer. There are good apps available for Android and I have some of those installed on my Galaxy Tab. The Honeycomb OS, while fine for simple things like blasting music or basic web surfing, immediately becomes a distraction while running task heavy apps (or browsing the web intensely on the stock browser).
The Playbook OS, OTOH, does not distract me while running a spreadsheet or word-processor app. Obviously, heavy work is performed on the laptop, but it's great to have a tablet to do the more basic stuff while simultaneously enjoying non minding bending tasks. ;0)
2. RIM missed the mark when introducing the Playbook by focusing on the general consumer market where the business, private, and govt. sectors should have been the initial focus.
The clearest example here is the app ecosystem, or lack thereof. I knew what I was-and was not-getting when I purchased this tablet. Best in class UI, limited apps. But here the potential consumer should take a closer look at the apps currently available. Quantity and variety is minuscule, yes; but there are high quality apps available to complement and improve upon all the core capabilities of both the hardware and OS components of the Playbook.
Of course, there must be more variety in the selection of apps and there must be more development overall to allow for the playbook to be a viable option in the genral consumer market. This must be a tablet that can meet the needs of any and all potential consumers. My Galaxy Tab pales in comparison to Apples iOS owing to the relative lack of apps. Still, I have a suit of language programs, dictionaries, and other assorted oddball apps (in addition to multiple language versions of the Bible, including original language editions) installed on that particular device that are not currently available for the Playbook.
Sure, user base determines apps. RIM is still in a position to market this tablet, even at this late date.
3. This product promises to keep on delivering and only get better. I am impressed by RIM's commitment to the Playbook in addition to developing BB 10. Again, while I love my Galaxy Tab for what it does, I have no illusions about the limitations of the OS and Samsung's objectives with such devices. Quality product, but a purchase that rapidly has to be supplemented beacuse the stock Android OS rapidly becomes abandoned and the fact that Samsung, as with all other Android providers, just doesn't do much in the way of OS support. A consumer limitation of using Android OS. Unfortunate, but tolerable.
In comparison, RIM's "slow updates" for Playbook,which are endlessly mocked, actually exist. Want the latest Android OS? Well, you're most likely going to have to purchase a new device....and immediately beging hunting for yet another one.
4. I LOVE showing off this device and it's capabilities. The Apple users in my circles grudgingly acknowledge their respect for the OS. They continue to snicker...but I got 'em with the "tip of the hat"!
5. I admire Apple's products, I'm not a fanboy. But seriosly, for the same reason I own Samsung Galaxy devices, I purchased this Blackberry device-there has to be consumer choice other than Apple. Apple just fleeces the consumer with harware limitation and outrageous pricing.Last edited by JGoodard; 08-20-12 at 02:38 AM.
08-19-12 11:49 PM
