In my opinion, worth that and way more!! This is the most underrated device I have ever had the opportunity to own. Even without the coming updated OS it more than meets my needs. To date, I have purchased 4 of them for various family members.
For the hardware, the price is unbeatable. Software is another story; but, so long as you are happy with the apps it has, you'll be fine. Playbook lacks a native Kindle reader; but, with OS2 Beta, the Android Kindle app works reasonably well.
I bought one a couple of days before Christmas when they first dropped to �169. I was originally planning to wait and drop �500 on a Transformer Prime in January but this was too good to pass up. My thoughts so far:
Pro
- The screen is great, very clear and crisp
- I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality
- BBC iPlayer works fine; SD quality looks good in full screen. 4OD keeps hanging.
Cons
- Lack of 'major' apps - no Skype, no Kindle, no Netflix (they're coming to the UK next year). RIM should swallow their pride and pay for these to be developed for the PlayBook
- App prices are �1 = $1 although there are ways around this.
- No local network browsing, so I can't browse my NAS.
It's worth �169 but probably not a lot more as it stands; I'm hoping that RIM come good with OS2. I have, however, learnt that for me a 10" tablet would be too big and the 7" screen is perfect for my needs, so I have effectively saved myself �330.
You folks outside of north america are kinda getting screwed by the exchange rate. 169 quid is $267 CAD, quite a bit more than the $199 CAD that its selling for over here.
Anything over 126 quid is extra profit for RIM (minus any extra selling costs involved in selling the PB in the UK versus North America)
Cons
- Lack of 'major' apps - no Skype, no Kindle, no Netflix (they're coming to the UK next year). RIM should swallow their pride and pay for these to be developed for the PlayBook
- App prices are �1 = $1 although there are ways around this.
- No local network browsing, so I can't browse my NAS.
As for Skype, you might want to use your browser and go to imo.im.
Check it out, as other posters here have mentioned this works for them.
As for Kindle, true it is not on the PB at this time, and I use Kobo once in a while. BUT you can use Amazon web site if you already have Kindle books purchased, and use their cloud services thru the website, I believe.
As for Netflix, it is not available for PB at this time. BUT surfing through the websites, there are other sites you can watch movies.
I happen to watch movies from the Amazon website, and have enjoyed the crisp screen and smooth streaming.
The �169 is the final price... still more expensive than N.America, but the cheapest over here.
It is a great price plus the EU PlayBooks come with the more expensive Universal charger with the removable plugs, so country specific plugs can be fitted. In North America, we get the Premium charger.
I paid 249 british pounds before xmas from pcworld and slightly gutted that i cud of got a 32gb one for 200, two weeks later.
any how buy one! amazing as a stand alone unit for web browsing and watching webs. i wasnt expecting much after reading reveiws on here but its amazing. My girlfriend has a ipad and we both agree this is better!
Well, �169 for the 16Gb is a lot less than the original �400 so it is very tempting for me.
At this price you really can't go wrong. I've picked up three of them since X-mas here in New York. I'm not that frugal, I've paid more for jeans than one of these things and I'm sure, come what may, it'll be more useful.
I have a Droid. You can add the Android Market and get some applications that you're familiar with if you're also using an Android phone.
As for Skype, you might want to use your browser and go to imo.im.
Check it out, as other posters here have mentioned this works for them.
As for Kindle, true it is not on the PB at this time, and I use Kobo once in a while. BUT you can use Amazon web site if you already have Kindle books purchased, and use their cloud services thru the website, I believe.
As for Netflix, it is not available for PB at this time. BUT surfing through the websites, there are other sites you can watch movies.
I happen to watch movies from the Amazon website, and have enjoyed the crisp screen and smooth streaming.
Hope this helps some!
The Poster is in the UK, so Android, and iPhone Also don't have Netflix as far as I know, so that point doesn't matter
