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As someone who has gifted 6 Playbooks, I'm personally gratified none of the recipients posted an ungrateful thread like this on a public forum.01-12-13 08:03 PMLike 6 - I have 6 Playbooks in my household for 5 people. I guess the extra one is for the cat to use. I agree that there is perhaps a shortage of apps, but really, I don't quite understand the obsession with apps. I would say that 50% of my usage is internet browsing, and bridged with my phone I can do that pretty much anywhere. My 3 kids where fighting so much for possession of the one we had for them we had to get one for each one. Would have had to sell my car to get them iPads, and they would probably have broken those oversized, flimsy things by now.
I think it was a brilliant move by RIM to develop their QNX based OS on the Playbook. I believe they knew they were in a bit of a difficult spot with their current OS in that it would not be possible to carry on with it much further into the future. But how do you develop an entirely new OS and test it? To attempt to launch a new family of phones based on QNX would be foolish. Sure they didn't make any money with the Playbook, but I believe they turned it into a relatively large scale beta test. I for one think the testing worked out pretty well. I look forward to see how Apple is going to do the same, because they haven't brought new to the game for quite some time. Eventually people will realize the Cool-Aid is tasting a bit dodgy.01-12-13 08:14 PMLike 7 - Like many others out here, I recognize the PlayBook isn't perfect.....but I'd be lost without mine. I ended up buying 5 others for various family members and they all love their PB for various reasons....not to mention we can all video chat. For those are ripping on the PB for lack of apps, I have almost 150 games and apps in my PlayBook (both native and sideloaded Android) and can't really think of anything I'm missing that area. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to BB10, the peek and flow...and the native BBM with integrated video chat and screen share.mzceetee likes this.01-12-13 08:23 PMLike 1
- Actually the cat doesn't use the extra Playbook much. It has become the kitchen Playbook. Sits on a rapid charger dock, always ready to go. Great for looking up recipes, and a pretty darn good music player coupled with a Blackberry Music Gateway and a Bose Wave.mzceetee likes this.01-12-13 08:49 PMLike 1
- I must be missing something here OP, had mines since the released every update is getting better and better can't wait to BB10 update drop. I use my Playbook daily right along bridge to my 9850 keeps me well organized for every day to day tasks.kozmo68 and mnhockeycoach99 like this.01-12-13 09:48 PMLike 2
- It is amazing how I have gone so long without my playbook! I bought mine in September and it is the best $157 I have ever spent. I use it for everything including Web surfing, reading books, playing music (best audio on any tablet!), shopping, CRACKBERRY, emailing and playing awesome games. I am so far from being disappointed. I am only disappointed in myself for not buying it sooner!!!01-12-13 09:50 PMLike 5
- For the OP, I'll be honest, I can kinda understand at first glance how you'd be disappointed with the playbook initially. It was incorrect of the person selling the device to the people who purchased it for you to tell them that it was Android Compatible (I'd hope that wasn't a common error) and things like that, but I hope that it has served some purposes for you. The BBM thing sadly was kinda unavoidable, and I'll be honest the device actually gains significantly increased capabilities against other devices when paired with a BlackBerry phone... any BlackBerry phone that supports the bridge capability.
If I may make the suggestion, rather than sell it, keep it for now while you check out other tablets. I think you may be a bit surprised in the fact that despite the massive selection of apps (and having dealt with both the PlayBook as well as an Android Tablet and owning an Android Phone), the PlayBook is an incredibly capable device. For web experiences, it displays the web as well as or better than devices from Android and iOS, especially when it comes to Flash (which may or may not still be available post Android 4.2 if I recall correctly?). Even HTML5 works incredibly well on the platform. It's an amazing web device from my experiences.
The ONLY disappointments I've come across since getting my PlayBook (which I've simply accepted for now and am alright with) are a lack of Skype - which may mean I am cancelling my Skype services if they don't launch with BlackBerry 10, especially with the disappearance of MSN come March; and a significant drop in how long my BlackBerry phone's battery lasts if I opt to leave my PlayBook bridged to it all day while wandering about :P. I blame Skype for no PlayBook support, not RIM for no Skype support. Developer support grew as more PlayBook devices shipped, stability of the device itself increased with OS updates, and with BlackBerry 10 just around the corner there is a growing wealth of apps that will be coming to not just the new BlackBerry 10 devices, but also the Playbook itself.
Again, OP, sorry to hear you're disappointed... but the grass isn't 100% greener on the other sides of the fences. Every ecosystem has its perks and its pitfalls. I suggest waiting for BB10 to launch. If it improves your playbook significantly, great! It will have been a good thing to wait for and you'll reap the benefits. If it doesn't, and you're still disappointed, the option becomes to sell the device you have and pick up your next choice in tablet (or follow my other suggestion and try tablets while keeping the PlayBook).ta2hallm likes this.01-12-13 09:55 PMLike 1 - I didn't root/jailbreak my Playbook and while certain apps like Netflix or Skype would be nice, overall its an excellent tablet. I use Amazon Prime for video streaming, enough people I know now have Playbooks so I use their own video chat, but its rare I really use it or Skype on the PC.
The PB browser is still excellent for a tablet and I love its size. Also you can get a 64 gig model on Amazon now for just over 200 bucks, great deal. It has many good games like a bunch of different versions of Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies (although I would like to see it updated), Spiderman, Switch, Jetpack Joyride, etc.
Not disappointed love the PB, but when many people see me using it, the lack of Netflix is often a dealbreaker. I just don't get how nearly 2 years after its launch RIM and Netflix couldn't get together and create an app for it? Its absolutely mind boggling...01-12-13 09:56 PMLike 0 - No, never disappointed in it
so .............
Attachment 130943
I think the real issue with the PlayBook is that people don't understand it.
The PlayBook was designed to be a business based tablet with maybe the best security out there and it just happens to let the user play games.
People are buying them with one thing in mind .......... playing games .......... after all it is call playbook.01-12-13 11:26 PMLike 0 - Been a PlayBook user since Day 1 (bought one on launch day!). It's an incomplete product, but I bought it knowing that. BB10's only 3 weeks away and BB10 on PlayBook will arrive soon. Having seen what BB10 can do on the dev alpha, BB10 on the PlayBook should be damn awesome.
Can't wait till PlayBook is updated to BB10!HafeezAkmal and mnhockeycoach99 like this.01-13-13 01:24 AMLike 2 - Been a PlayBook user since Day 1 (bought one on launch day!). It's an incomplete product, but I bought it knowing that. BB10's only 3 weeks away and BB10 on PlayBook will arrive soon. Having seen what BB10 can do on the dev alpha, BB10 on the PlayBook should be damn awesome.
Can't wait till PlayBook is updated to BB10!01-13-13 01:46 AMLike 0 - I've got the iPad4 with sim slot and I love it! Long battery life and tons of apps. My PB 64GB is seldomly used. But I don't think it's a bad device. It might just be the software that can't run on it. If BB10 came to the PB things could change pretty soon in my opinion.
The killer app I'm waiting for would be Skype. Love the calendar and the way communication is handled on it. Will start an experiment and start using it at work for my studies.01-13-13 06:53 AMLike 0 - Although I love my PB, for the most part I think it makes an ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE GIFT---unless the recipient specifically hints that they truly want one, which in turn suggests that they fully understand all its strengths and shortcomings. I cringe whenever I read something like "I gave six PBs as gifts" because one's choice of tablet is very personal. It would be like "Honey, look at this great car I chose for you".01-13-13 09:08 AMLike 3
- KalemSoft Media Player has had better compatibility/performance for me than any other iOS or Android app I've tried. Very happy with it.greatwiseone and randall2580 like this.01-13-13 09:43 AMLike 2
- Although I love my PB, for the most part I think it makes an ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE GIFT---unless the recipient specifically hints that they truly want one, which in turn suggests that they fully understand all its strengths and shortcomings. I cringe whenever I read something like "I gave six PBs as gifts" because one's choice of tablet is very personal. It would be like "Honey, look at this great car I chose for you".01-13-13 10:11 AMLike 0
- Haven't read every post but there are a couple of things that come to mind.
If Android compatible was of such importance, why not buy an android to start with? What feature of the playbook made the relatives choose it in the first place? Does show how researching higher cost items such as tech related is very important, as what is important to one person is not important to someone else.
But for the still bargain price the playbook was bought for, you have received (without downloading any apps):
An e-reader
A 1080p video camera
Music Player
Video Player
Web browser
Gaming machine
Email
A tablet that can bridge to your phone
Create and edit word, presentations and spreadsheets in docs to go
Calendar
Clock
Alarm Clock
Stopwatch
Timer
Calculator
These are just the basic things.
With just the free apps I have downloaded on my playbook I:
Check the cost of gas with Point at the local gas stations before I buy so I can be sure to get the best price going
Play a zillion games, but mostly Pixelated, Sudoku, Gems XXL and many others
Listen to commercial free radio
Check the weather (I use weather eye, like it better than the one that comes with the playbook)
Moves files back and forth over wifi between my playbooks to the computer, laptop, or other people's playbooks, computers or laptops
These are the things I can do without having to spend a nickel on any other app.
With my paid apps I:
Have an absolutely excellent e-reader
Use Magellan for GPS navigation
Stream video with Kalemsoft and Streaming Now
Keep excellent track of my files with Files and Folders (also use the sideshow feature with this app)
Play games such as Angry Birds, Bejewelled, Bubble Birds Premium (there is a free one too) and Word Zig Zag and lots more.
Splashtop for running my desktop with my playbook (I like to do this to spook my husband while he is on the desktop)
These are just the few ways I use my playbook. Other people do a whole pile of other stuff.
For its money, you just can't beat it.
Overall with any tablet, I think you will find there are about 10-15 apps you use all the time, and the rest hardly get used. Everyone has a different purpose for theirs. My son uses the voice recorder for recording lectures at college. My sister does a lot of photo editing of her pics with hers.
Really, even if it isn't the exact one you wanted, it is still a great tool to use for so many purposes.
The main thing I found was that I had to wait a month from the time I ordered mine (through RIM employee) till I got it, so I found this site. Learned a lot before I even got my playbook, and since I have discovered more and more things I didn't even realize my playbook could do.
Sites like this will let you discover all the hidden talents of your playbook, and all the cool apps you maybe didn't know were out there.01-13-13 11:16 AMLike 3 - > I agree with you, but in my case I only gave Playbooks to family members who couldn't keep their hands off MY Playbook.
Didn't mean to single you out, as lots of others here have gifted PBs. In many cases, the recipients knew what they were getting and the gift was appropriate, but in other cases---like the OP's---they were obviously unappreciative, and took it out on US
Still, variety is the spice of life, and different tablets provide different experiences. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. So after buying an extra PB or two, I think I would try adding a different one into the household mix, just to run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes. My aunt loves her Nexus 7 and looks at my PB as if it has two heads!01-13-13 11:17 AMLike 0 - LOL at "two heads"...if you have a Blackberry phone paired to your playbook then it definitely will have two heads
Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using Tapatalk01-13-13 12:23 PMLike 0 - New to the Playbook and very first Post.
I got my Playbook as a Christmas present, after my wife observed my enjoyment setting up the one we got for our Son. In my eyes it is a fantastic piece of equipment, very well made and looks like a quality item. I am nowhere near discovering its full potential but already feel it is a valuable tool, whether for personal or business purposes. OK it does not have access to the same number of apps as the android or Ipad tablets, but lets face it, most of them are the same or pointless (Just my opinion), I find that the apps available to me at present meet my needs (although cross platform video chat that actually works would be nice but not that important)
I usually just read over the posts to get tips but on this occasion I felt compelled to comment as for �129 for a 64gb tablet of this quality is a steal. so much so we now have 3 in the house.
FantasticBanco and BlackStormRising like this.01-13-13 12:26 PMLike 2 - Some days my body doesn't meet my expections and I eagerly await BODY2.0 but still acknowledge it is a biological wonder. Have 2 PBs (16 & 64) and they are in constant use. I am typing this on the mini keyboard. The PB has changed how I do business plus brings a lot of personal enjoyment.
In fairness, the OP did make it clear in his 2nd post his tone was never meant as an attack. And as a gift he might not have been in on the research before purchase (and hopefully has not shared his disappointment with his benefactor). I do believe it was an open, honest attempt at discussion. My hackles went up a little but that really isn't called for. After all, we all have things we are waiting for BB10 to improve. For me it is to synch with Outlook. But we wait for improvements on virtually all technology. The big deal for us is that RIM will give us new tabs thru BB10 rather than making us buy new devices as most companies have. I think RIM owed us 2.1, but not BB10. They also know we will be a powerful advertising force.
I haven't spent enough time on our sister sites to know ... Are the members of the other nations loyal to the degree we are?BlackStormRising and russ2903 like this.01-13-13 12:30 PMLike 2 - Some days my body doesn't meet my expections and I eagerly await BODY2.0 but still acknowledge it is a biological wonder. Have 2 PBs (16 & 64) and they are in constant use. I am typing this on the mini keyboard. The PB has changed how I do business plus brings a lot of personal enjoyment.
In fairness, the OP did make it clear in his 2nd post his tone was never meant as an attack. And as a gift he might not have been in on the research before purchase (and hopefully has not shared his disappointment with his benefactor). I do believe it was an open, honest attempt at discussion. My hackles went up a little but that really isn't called for. After all, we all have things we are waiting for BB10 to improve. For me it is to synch with Outlook. But we wait for improvements on virtually all technology. The big deal for us is that RIM will give us new tabs thru BB10 rather than making us buy new devices as most companies have. I think RIM owed us 2.1, but not BB10. They also know we will be a powerful advertising force.
I haven't spent enough time on our sister sites to know ... Are the members of the other nations loyal to the degree we are?
I'm not sure the surgeon is equipped to install bb10 in my hip but who knows what's next!!!Techno-Emigre and GooseberryFool like this.01-13-13 12:49 PMLike 2
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