[AshleyBhagwanani]

Curious, do you have a Blackberry? If so, it's WAY more productive to schedule and communicate (email) on your Blackberry versus using the Playbook or any tablet. The fact the Playbook is only a good tablet without a Blackberry to pair it with - I knew when I bought it.

I prefer to email, bbm, memos, notes on my BB. Surf, read, games, video on my PB.

And that is great for you No argument there, But, as Ive posted countless times, the Playbook was NOT marketed as an accessory to the Blackberry. It was marketed as a standalone tablet. Look at the commercials-the main one being this:



Can you see a blackberry anywhere? I am not saying that RIM tried to deceive us, but come on eh? Why the heck there cannot be a native PIM for all those who do not have a Blackberry or for those of us who want to keep our work separate(like me)? It was not marketed to business-the commercial above was most definitely NOT business oriented!

And here is the thing, for all those who are entirely happy with it (a minority), that is just not enough of a volume to continue RIM's support and evolution of this tablet. They had better satisfy the mass market if they want the money to roll in.

[gwanstarr]

And that is great for you No argument there, But, as Ive posted countless times, the Playbook was NOT marketed as an accessory to the Blackberry. It was marketed as a standalone tablet. Look at the commercials-the main one being this:



Can you see a blackberry anywhere? I am not saying that RIM tried to deceive us, but come on eh? Why the heck there cannot be a native PIM for all those who do not have a Blackberry or for those of us who want to keep our work separate(like me)? It was not marketed to business-the commercial above was most definitely NOT business oriented!

I still fail to understand why an email app is the make or break for the Playbook or any tablet? Personally, I have not used an email client like outlook on my computer ever since webmail came about. I can understand why some would want a native email client, but I don't know anyone who personally uses email clients anymore (except at work and even Lotus notes etc have webmail access). I use gmail and it works perfectly fine on my Playbook in the browser the same way I use it on my computer and the only difference is I use the HTML instead of the desktop version which is no biggie.

Here is another commercial that sells the bridge feature - hence requiring a Blackberry -- I bet you own a Blackberry like most (just a guess) own a Blackberry that bought a Playbook.

And here is the thing, for all those who are entirely happy with it (a minority), that is just not enough of a volume to continue RIM's support and evolution of this tablet. They had better satisfy the mass market if they want the money to roll in.

You surveyed the 1/2 million Playbook owners to gauge their happiness?

[MPLexus301]

A few comments:

- As a BB phone user, I am largely "unaffected" by the negative direct effects of the delayed 2.0 release. I have calendar, contacts, BBM, memos, etc. That said, I have family members who own iPhones/Androids and they are certainly frustrated that their PlayBooks have very limited functionality. I certainly feel guilty about this, as it was my recommendation that led to their purchase.

- The worst effect on me, as a BB phone user, will probably be how app development will slow down or stop since RIM is doing nothing to increase the PlayBook's attractiveness in the market between now and "February". No email or calendar means continually low/lower sales, which means there is no "draw" for developrs since the ecosystem is on ice. Just adding an email and calendar now, and BBM/Android later would be the smart thing to do. Alas, RIM doesn't really make smart decisions so that won't happen.

- As much as I despise RIM right now, I still love my PlayBook. I love the size, the feel, the internet browser, high screen resolution, functionality with my 9930, and especially the 7digital store. One main reason that I will not switch to Apple is that they do not support HD Audio. There is a very noticeable difference between 256k and 320k, and it's hard to ever go back IMO.

- At this point, I don't see how RIM can possibly NOT relaunch the PlayBook - "PlayBook2" or something similar. From a marketing standpoint, it would be suicide to try to promote a product that is the laughingstock of the tablet world as-is. Will this include a hardware change? I am not sure, but I definitely expect some type of new strategy or new iteration for the relaunch.

- Launching in February (more realistically probably April/May), completely defeats the purpose of the Android player, which was intended as a quick fix to get more apps running on QNX. I personally feel like app development on the PB has picked up in recent weeks and there are some good ones in AppWorld now. I'd rather forego the Android name and memory drag, and see RIM try to continue to develop their own ecosystem natively.

This situation shows how truly stupid RIM is. Now that they've promised the Android player, they have to deliver it in some shape or form. The whole point was to get apps onto PlayBook quickly, but that part of it is now blown. They would have been better off to inspire more development of their own platform - they look better by not needing Android products, the apps run smoother, RIM has more control, etc. It's really lose-lose for RIM now.

With so many of us feeling taken advantage of and lied to, I would personally like to see the PlayBook team hold some type of open Q&A with CB where we can try to get more answers. For example, why CAN'T you add a calenar and native email now and then focus on Android/BBM later?

Mike's idea of holding all updates until 2.0 was ok when the release was supposed to be a month away. Now it's four+ months away, which means they need to do something to support and better this product between now and February.

[BlackBerry Guy]

I still fail to understand why an email app is the make or break for the Playbook or any tablet?

I think the biggest disappointment for most people, aside from the missed dates, is the fact that we paid the same price for the PlayBook as some of its higher end competitors, yet are only getting 3/4 of the functionality they have. What other tablet out there doesn't have a native email client or pim?!? We've paid full price for a half baked product, which will continue to be so until 2.0 is released to the masses - which(we hope) at this point, is a full 10 months after its original release.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[void11]

I still fail to understand why an email app is the make or break for the Playbook or any tablet? Personally, I have not used an email client like outlook on my computer ever since webmail came about. I can understand why some would want a native email client, but I don't know anyone who personally uses email clients anymore (except at work and even Lotus notes etc have webmail access). I use gmail and it works perfectly fine on my Playbook in the browser the same way I use it on my computer and the only difference is I use the HTML instead of the desktop version which is no biggie.

There are still a lot of people who prefer to use an email app (myself included), especially on a 7" tablet. Trying to use webmail on the PB feels like a pain with the small buttons and having to pinch zoom. What about people who want to access their messages offline? There must be someone using native email apps since every other tablet has one.

[zank]

Curious, do you have a Blackberry? If so, it's WAY more productive to schedule and communicate (email) on your Blackberry versus using the Playbook or any tablet. The fact the Playbook is only a good tablet without a Blackberry to pair it with - I knew when I bought it.

I prefer to email, bbm, memos, notes on my BB. Surf, read, games, video on my PB.

really? the playbok can link up to a blackberry or something? dangnabit i didn't know that!! how could i have had this glass slab for 6 months now without realizing this.

This whole bridge concept is well and good for people that are happy with it. I ave no problems with it, but stop shoving it down everyones throat. Maybe you guys are living in the past, but why oh why would i want to bridge my pb and bb, dran two batteries at the same time, when i can have the bloody thing natively. maybe i have a different email address for pb and different for work. you know what else kicks bridge ***? MS exchange, or gmail cal or whatever. All my work appointments automatically go into a calendar which is shared on my outlook, gmail, iphone and ipad. And you know what else? i dont need to sync every time i need to check an appointment or email. Its there automatically. delete from one place and poof, its gone everywhere. update in one place, and it automagically shows up everywhere else. Worried about your wife husband bf gf or the thief getting hold of your pb checking your claendar or email? password protection at start!!!

I'm glad all of you are happy with bridge, but it just doesnt cut it anymore.

[zank]

Regarding the half baked software bit, the correct way to do it is to not release half baked software, yes, i agree. But once you've released something, which people have paid money for, then you can no longer suddenly get on your CEO level high horse and tell your consumers you will never ever release half baked software, in effect leaving all those people that bought the half baked product scratching their head cos theyd like to see that product improve. No, the right way to do it is to fix your balf baked software asap, fix the product, and THEN learn a lesson for your next product release to not release half baked products.

The reason people are angry isnt because RIM has been talking about releasing a PB for ages and just have't done it. The reason people are angry is because they paid good money for a product that isnt working as promised. If this was a 200$ kindle fire, or a 7 inch android tablet made in china knockoff, i would not write a single word of complaint, since no matter what, $200 is what i paid and thats what i know ill get. But when you pay 500$ for the base model, which is the same bloody price is your competitor, and consumers still still get shafted? well that just leads to pissed off consumers.

I hear you and can understand. Lack of delivery and execution is totally valid.

After Devcon, there are signs of change that hopefully shows that RIM has learned something about their mistakes. The main lesson I take from OS 2.0 not being released is they're not willing to release half baked software which is the main critique about the Playbook. RIM is at a major crux and only time will tell if they can turn around and start delivering and executing. Hopefully in a years time all this will be looked back on as growing pains. Only time will tell.

Perhaps you should do a clean wipe and reinstall the OS if you haven't already? I find with all devices, a clean install can shake some of the bugs out and run faster and smoother.

[zank]

There are still a lot of people who prefer to use an email app (myself included), especially on a 7" tablet. Trying to use webmail on the PB feels like a pain with the small buttons and having to pinch zoom. What about people who want to access their messages offline? There must be someone using native email apps since every other tablet has one.

I sometimes think people that dont see the value of native email just haven't used it ever. Using webmail/webpage vs a native program is so much more different. With native email, you click on something, it opens up, loading is faster, the only thing that needs to download is email. I've tried using webmail for a bunch of different services, including online exchange, and its a pain. click, load, scroll, wont scroll? hmmm...click, reload, ok compose. write out an email. wait for the damn thing to finish sending and reloading before i can do anything else. its a pain.

[gwanstarr]

really? the playbok can link up to a blackberry or something? dangnabit i didn't know that!! how could i have had this glass slab for 6 months now without realizing this.

This whole bridge concept is well and good for people that are happy with it. I ave no problems with it, but stop shoving it down everyones throat. Maybe you guys are living in the past, but why oh why would i want to bridge my pb and bb, dran two batteries at the same time, when i can have the bloody thing natively. maybe i have a different email address for pb and different for work. you know what else kicks bridge ***? MS exchange, or gmail cal or whatever. All my work appointments automatically go into a calendar which is shared on my outlook, gmail, iphone and ipad. And you know what else? i dont need to sync every time i need to check an appointment or email. Its there automatically. delete from one place and poof, its gone everywhere. update in one place, and it automagically shows up everywhere else. Worried about your wife husband bf gf or the thief getting hold of your pb checking your claendar or email? password protection at start!!!

I'm glad all of you are happy with bridge, but it just doesnt cut it anymore.

I never shoved bridge down anybodies throat, I simply stated that I prefer to use my Blackberry for email. I use bridge to alert me when I have an email, but why would you type out an email on the Playbook or any tablet when you have a Blackberry? I can type the email 10x more accurate and swift than any tablet or any touch screen phone.

Before unleashing your less than witty sarcasm my way, stop, read the post very slow, perhaps multiple times, then when you understand the post correctly then this is when you respond.

[samab]

RIM basically is one year behind schedule --- they were supposed to release a close beta to enterprise customers late last year.

[gwanstarr]

I sometimes think people that dont see the value of native email just haven't used it ever. Using webmail/webpage vs a native program is so much more different. With native email, you click on something, it opens up, loading is faster, the only thing that needs to download is email. I've tried using webmail for a bunch of different services, including online exchange, and its a pain. click, load, scroll, wont scroll? hmmm...click, reload, ok compose. write out an email. wait for the damn thing to finish sending and reloading before i can do anything else. its a pain.

So your're saying that you prefer to use a computer? Well so do I because using a computer (PC or Mac) is WAY more efficient and productive to use than any tablet or smart phone. I am not telling anyone how to use the products they buy, but some things are meant to be portable which usually means less features less power less productive less efficient. Tablets are an in between device when you don't have access to a computer and when you want to consume stuff (read, video, games, light email, etc) -- it's not a laptop or a desktop and shouldn't be treated as such. Like I said, I know there are some that still use native email, but I think the vast majority of users still use web clients. I have been using gmail from the start and never had issue with lag with loading times or scrolling etc. It's much more useful in most ways IMO than a client or app (which I do use for work).

[NexUsandThem]

While I did love my Playbook and 9700 I think I am done with RIM as well. No love here anymore. No Native email, PIM, android player, spell check/auto-correct, no A2DP? Words truly cannot express my deep regret I have with standing by RIM. Heck, I am embarrassed to use this thing in public. Man I am a sucker!!! Anybody want to sell me the Eiffel Tower?

[tayl0rd]

The RIM/PlayBook hate mongers with this news remind me of the Chase Freedom commercial where the guy finds the dollar on the ground. Not sure if it's a national ad campaign, but it's hilarious!

[papped]

They're pissing off all their existing customer base (BB5/BB6 phones, now PB owners).

That means they have to market purely to new customers from scratch, which is 10x harder. Gluck....

[untouchablz]

I have been a bb fan for many years, this is sad. I bought my 64gb, thinking I would get os2 by xmas time. Devcon was sad, this announcement is sad. I enjoy my pb for sure, but I was really looking forward to os2.

I thought RIM would have risen from the ashes at devcon, especially after the infamous outage. Too much bad press, nothing exciting announced at devcon, feb tentative release for os2. I don't know how rim is going to survive, it pains me to say it but it is the truth.

[Playbook2011]

Longer the delay, more probable is the cancellation of this product.

[TBone4eva]

I never shoved bridge down anybodies throat, I simply stated that I prefer to use my Blackberry for email. I use bridge to alert me when I have an email, but why would you type out an email on the Playbook or any tablet when you have a Blackberry? I can type the email 10x more accurate and swift than any tablet or any touch screen phone.

Before unleashing your less than witty sarcasm my way, stop, read the post very slow, perhaps multiple times, then when you understand the post correctly then this is when you respond.

What you wrote illustrates a good point. You see how when you referred to your phone you said "BlackBerry"? Now look on your PlayBook and tell me what brand it is, yeah, BlackBerry. So, is it really that hard to understand that people want a BlackBerry branded tablet to actually be consistant with it's branding? Everything between Apple's phones and tablets, and Android's phones and tablets is consistant. Is it really that bad to expect the same from RIM? Sure, they are in transition with unifying the OS for both the phone and tablet, but I don't think that excuses RIM for at least having a workable solution in the interim. We basically got dumped on a deserted island with meager supplies with the captain sailing off saying, see you in February!

[ssbtech]

Honestly I'm quite happy with my PlayBook the way it is. Sure it needs some spit and polish here and there and a liberal sprinkling of added functionality throughout the native apps, but it's a great device.

The only downside to the OS2 delay is the increased time it will take for some new apps to show up, but I suspect with all the new development tools and capabilities of OS2 it will take some time for developers to build those apps anyway.

[princesultan]

new management is needed. they are clearly over their heads.

[papped]

The only downside to the OS2 delay is the increased time it will take for some new apps to show up, but I suspect with all the new development tools and capabilities of OS2 it will take some time for developers to build those apps anyway.

Here's the problem with this thought... NDK 1.0 isn't finalized yet. NDK 2 isn't available to the devs yet. When is the NDK 2 beta gonna start? After OS2 already releases?

[AshleyBhagwanani]

I still fail to understand why an email app is the make or break for the Playbook or any tablet? Personally, I have not used an email client like outlook on my computer ever since webmail came about. I can understand why some would want a native email client, but I don't know anyone who personally uses email clients anymore (except at work and even Lotus notes etc have webmail access). I use gmail and it works perfectly fine on my Playbook in the browser the same way I use it on my computer and the only difference is I use the HTML instead of the desktop version which is no biggie.

Here is another commercial that sells the bridge feature - hence requiring a Blackberry -- I bet you own a Blackberry like most (just a guess) own a Blackberry that bought a Playbook.





You surveyed the 1/2 million Playbook owners to gauge their happiness?

It did take me a while LOL Seriously though, looking at the number of Playbooks on sale via ebay etc and the number of less than satisfied people onthe forums(not just here)-shows that more are not satisfied than those who are. IMHO.

[vlade31]

RIM death watch begins....NOW!

[AshleyBhagwanani]

I never shoved bridge down anybodies throat, I simply stated that I prefer to use my Blackberry for email. I use bridge to alert me when I have an email, but why would you type out an email on the Playbook or any tablet when you have a Blackberry? I can type the email 10x more accurate and swift than any tablet or any touch screen phone.

Before unleashing your less than witty sarcasm my way, stop, read the post very slow, perhaps multiple times, then when you understand the post correctly then this is when you respond.

I agree about being simpler to read /write email on a blackberry. However- why buy the Playbook in that case eh? Once you are using the the bloody thing, for movies, surfing etc, it makes sense to want to deal with all the email too, without switching to another device. You may not want to reply to long emails on the tablet-any tablet-but reading them is a great convenience with a native app. My work Blackberry is just for work email so I need a native app on the Playbook for email. Also, having a native app opens up hundreds of other conveniences like Read It later, Instapaper etc. And makes hundreds of other news apps that much more useful when you can use the native email to send share and/or save articles and links. Using the web faced interface is a stone age solution to the criticisms I'm afraid. Few will agree with you there. I also have a Blackberry for personal use-and have only used Bridge one. Pain inthe **** as far as I am concerned-not to mention ATT issues. For those who love it-great. For the rest of us who want to use the PB for non business purposes I feel that Bridge is just an unwieldy process, prone to problems, causing battery drain and means reliance on another device. What do you do when the Blackberry is low on charge or dead at the end of the day? Too many issues for me.

[papped]

^^ That's the general gist, after Dec is over there won't be a reason to buy one at all.

BB7 still works fine, but the tablet is basically going to be done (it'll die slowly, but it's pretty much guaranteed not to catch on).

[Yoccos]

I hear you and can understand. Lack of delivery and execution is totally valid.

After Devcon, there are signs of change that hopefully shows that RIM has learned something about their mistakes. The main lesson I take from OS 2.0 not being released is they're not willing to release half baked software which is the main critique about the Playbook. RIM is at a major crux and only time will tell if they can turn around and start delivering and executing. Hopefully in a years time all this will be looked back on as growing pains. Only time will tell.

Perhaps you should do a clean wipe and reinstall the OS if you haven't already? I find with all devices, a clean install can shake some of the bugs out and run faster and smoother.

Ill definitely try that! Having had a standalone app and now using web for everything, I prefer having that native. Just works better for me.

I messed up the multi quote but a few others brought up some really good points. I do happen to have a blackberry and I think some of the advantages are awesome. I don't have to pay to tether which saves me a bunch of money per month. I just would love what was promised or at least let some developers get it to us.