The App Conundrum: If you're fed up with the app situation on PlayBook read here

Originally Posted by Westronics

For accuracy's sake, I'll point out there certainly was bias in that first post. :)

Agreed, it's rather hard to be both "optimistic and unbiased" at the same time. :-)

Originally Posted by Westronics

Great news, if it's all accurate. I hope all the apparent conjecture in there is accurate.

I believe it's all quite accurate and have only one caveat. While Cascades will give native developers the potential to produce awesome UIs, and will even make it much easier for many developers to product some super-cool UI effects, as with basically all past technologies that have held similar promise it will be perfectly possible for crappy developers to produce crappy, ugly, unusable user interfaces even using Cascades.

In the right hands, I do think it's going to be pretty awesome. I hope my hands are capable ones too.... we'll certainly see starting first thing in May!

To the Negative Nellies around here, why not take a little vacation for a bit, see how things look after the news and technical info and developer reactions show up during the BlackBerry 10 Jam, and let us know what you think at that point instead of assuming it's going to suck or be late or whatever? Just a thought...

Originally Posted by DAnklaud

I'LL Be left to see it through:cool:

That's two of us! I'll bring the chips 'n dip.

Originally Posted by Fmar

I'd be called a troll by many here... But your authoritative and perhaps slightly over confident post gives me some hope.

18 to 24 months to get it right is a lot of patience.

I hope you are right.

Lol I know... If the Native SDK and Cascades were available at launch, the PB would be a lot different and more popular than it is now. I guess better late than never!

Have a look through the Blackberry 10 Jam session catalogue here and you can see how much focus will be on Cascades. May 1st can't come fast enough!

Everyone likes to complain about the app situation on the Playbook. I find there are tons of useful free apps and plenty of amazing pay apps. Sure a few "popular" ones are missing, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment of the Playbook. And there are plenty of work-arounds in the meantime.

For example, you could play Angry Birds on Playbook OS 1.0 from day-one by downloading the flash version from a website (fairly easy to find the code link to the SWF file) and just loading locally in the browser. Kindle cloud reader works well. Hulu and Netflix possible to sideload (although you can just access websites and use a proxy if you are outside the USA).

So whether these native apps come soon or not, I still pick up my playbook every day for something useful. And at $199 for this tablet, it has far surpassed my expectations.

Anyone who constantly complains of apps should take a look more at the app world and spend time in there, or ask people in the forums. There are lots of good ones for free and yes we know RIM is playing catch-up here, but there are plenty already and growing!


Sent from my BlackBerry 9810 using Crackberry Tapatalk Forum app

I guess the bigger question would be :

How long will it take AFTER May 1st for the devs to get a grasp on Cascades and to start making all the apps that the PB should have had at the latest 10 months ago?

I understand all the 'innovation' takes time... but when time is something that you may not have and you are using up a dried out resource then you need to make some big changes. It seems that Thor has been doing this, but i think that if things dont turn around by the end of the summer then the PB will have reached its plateau.

Originally Posted by peter9477

Agreed, it's rather hard to be both "optimistic and unbiased" at the same time. :-)



I believe it's all quite accurate and have only one caveat. While Cascades will give native developers the potential to produce awesome UIs, and will even make it much easier for many developers to product some super-cool UI effects, as with basically all past technologies that have held similar promise it will be perfectly possible for crappy developers to produce crappy, ugly, unusable user interfaces even using Cascades.

In the right hands, I do think it's going to be pretty awesome. I hope my hands are capable ones too.... we'll certainly see starting first thing in May!

To the Negative Nellies around here, why not take a little vacation for a bit, see how things look after the news and technical info and developer reactions show up during the BlackBerry 10 Jam, and let us know what you think at that point instead of assuming it's going to suck or be late or whatever? Just a thought...

Thanks Peter! Not a doubt in my mind that you will produce some awesome stuff with Cascades and can't wait to see it. That being said, I'm a big Battery Guru fan already!

It looks interesting, the development concepts look fairly radical. I will have a proper gander later.

But thank you for your level headed post. I'll pipe up a good bit now, cross my fingers and hope you are right.

Great thread. I share the same sentiment. I wouldn't assume we'll see better designed apps than iOS but it's definitely the right direction. If we can expect third party devs to create something with the polish of say Scrapbook, then yes for sure.

I'm looking forward to what's coming out of BlackBerry Jam. I have a feeling this will be a strong turning point for RIM in the right direction. The optimism is great. :)

Like your enthusiasm but will have to wait and see.

Originally Posted by Blkacesvf41

Sure hope you're right. If I see another "lack of apps thread" I am going to shoot myself.

Check out the thread on the sig sauer - you might win the gun to accomplish that task!

Originally Posted by TRlPPlN

i'm waiting on the party poopers to chime in...

That exactly is "the party pooper" message.

It is good to have more insights into the real situation behind the scenes, something probably RIM cannot share in public. We can only hope things turn around before it is too late.

Originally Posted by F2

Check out the thread on the sig sauer - you might win the gun to accomplish that task!

too bad it's a 12.6 firearm. prohibited in canada. otherwise i'd enter in a heartbeat.

I'm waiting patiently for more & better apps to come to the PlayBook, so I hope you're right! I will say that a year or two ago, it was hard for me to remain loyal to BB, but i did. getting the Bold 9930 on OS 7.1 (along with the PB) has me feeling better about my decision to stay. i love the fluidity of the OS. The PB is already top notch (minus a few small improvements that could be made), so I cant wait to see what goes into OS 10!!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

I am certain Cascades will be an improvement, but the description by the op sounds a bit like the description of panacea in antiquity.

And Cascades is also part of the long list of benefits that are supposed to come "soon".

As far as I am concerned I was also touched by the "Appworld not available in your country" insult yesterday, I observe no reaction or apology whatsoever from RIM, so I am not totally sure they will be able to handle Cascades normally.

Love the Thread, Can't wait for BBJam for the developers to get fired up

Originally Posted by deRusett

Love the Thread, Can't wait for BBJam for the developers to get fired up

I hope they'll let the rest of us see cascades, too! I just can't justify the trip all the way across the country. Hopefully they do this like Google and Apple and allow everyone to get the developer preview, understanding of course that the folks in FL will get the actual engineers to talk to.

Originally Posted by Bakamushi

I am certain Cascades will be an improvement, but the description by the op sounds a bit like the description of panacea in antiquity.

And Cascades is also part of the long list of benefits that are supposed to come "soon".

As far as I am concerned I was also touched by the "Appworld not available in your country" insult yesterday, I observe no reaction or apology whatsoever from RIM, so I am not totally sure they will be able to handle Cascades normally.

Haha I know sorry, I was fired up this morning... Hard to contain my enthusiasm

Originally Posted by deRusett

Love the Thread, Can't wait for BBJam for the developers to get fired up

I sure hope they have something as in maybe an "app" along with a much needed os update to unveil as well. Rim needs a boost like that and so does the community. :banghead:

Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5

Originally Posted by app_Developer

I hope they'll let the rest of us see cascades, too! I just can't justify the trip all the way across the country. Hopefully they do this like Google and Apple and allow everyone to get the developer preview, understanding of course that the folks in FL will get the actual engineers to talk to.

Shame you're not going, I'd buy ya a beer.

BUT, I am sure they'll release cascades and dev kits during the conference, because they want to get those kid devs excited too, those university grads who have no money and a lot of passion, the next Angry Birds, or instagram, those Devs need the tools.

Originally Posted by TRlPPlN

i'm waiting on the party poopers to chime in...

For every party pooper there are at least 1.5 biased party fanboys.

Originally Posted by Bakamushi

I am certain Cascades will be an improvement, but the description by the op sounds a bit like the description of panacea in antiquity.

And Cascades is also part of the long list of benefits that are supposed to come "soon".

As far as I am concerned I was also touched by the "Appworld not available in your country" insult yesterday, I observe no reaction or apology whatsoever from RIM, so I am not totally sure they will be able to handle Cascades normally.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here. It rained yesterday so the sun will never shine. RIM had problems with their App World servers so bankruptcy is imminent.

Your outlook is such a downer! I like the OP's message better. I can work with it. If I took your glass-half-empty approach, I might as well toss my PB in the dust bin and quit trying to improve my app.

I study fluid dynamics, so long as i'm on Earth ,its impossible for my glass to ever be empty (ya .a pointlessly positive post)

Originally Posted by The-Teacher

I read lots of wishful thinking in that post - hopefully you bb owners will get some apps soon.

Which part was wishful thinking? You are clearly misinformed. I have apps. Apps i actually use. The comment would be that blackberry owners would get more apps.

Yeah, okay i see what your saying, cascades is amazing and all that and upon release developers will be able to make amazing apps. but the real key here, is that RIM have had a perfectly good NDK since day one. and THEY havent bothered to release apps. if you look at the Blackberry phones, RIM themselves developed the MSN app, the Twitter app, yahoo and google messaging apps, etc etc.

The things like Skype and twitter people complain about not having... Its RIM's job to make those. like it has done for the phones. (well not skype, but still) The thing people complain about not having, are not coming, and they are from a developer who has had a native NDK all the time. Netflix ill give you, they should support the PB, but Skype? if the developers who made IM+ can make Skype work, surely RIM can, If RIM can make an MSN app for phones, why not the PB? if RIM can make twitter for phones, and make PB messages see Twitter messages, why is there still no twitter for PB?

The REAL reason for the lack of decent apps from third party developers, is that if RIM dont have enough faith to put some time into giving their product the Native apps their other products get, why would someone else bother? look at it like this, if RIMs twitter and MSN apps were not available to BB7 phones, would other developers include BB7 compatibility in their products? no.

Blackberry Playbook, Its the Beta test for BB10. its not meant to be fully functional. its meant to test how the system works. start building up a few apps to have around for BB10's release, work out any niggles in the system. when you hold your Blackberry playbook, your holding an oversized Beta version of a phone. which is lacking in features RIM have perfected, like BBM, Twitter, MSN, Yahoo, Google... your testing what they havent yet perfected.

Originally Posted by Tomcat_Alley

Yeah, okay i see what your saying, cascades is amazing and all that and upon release developers will be able to make amazing apps. but the real key here, is that RIM have had a perfectly good NDK since day one. and THEY havent bothered to release apps. if you look at the Blackberry phones, RIM themselves developed the MSN app, the Twitter app, yahoo and google messaging apps, etc etc.

The things like Skype and twitter people complain about not having... Its RIM's job to make those. like it has done for the phones. (well not skype, but still) The thing people complain about not having, are not coming, and they are from a developer who has had a native NDK all the time. Netflix ill give you, they should support the PB, but Skype? if the developers who made IM+ can make Skype work, surely RIM can, If RIM can make an MSN app for phones, why not the PB? if RIM can make twitter for phones, and make PB messages see Twitter messages, why is there still no twitter for PB?

The REAL reason for the lack of decent apps from third party developers, is that if RIM dont have enough faith to put some time into giving their product the Native apps their other products get, why would someone else bother? look at it like this, if RIMs twitter and MSN apps were not available to BB7 phones, would other developers include BB7 compatibility in their products? no.

Blackberry Playbook, Its the Beta test for BB10. its not meant to be fully functional. its meant to test how the system works. start building up a few apps to have around for BB10's release, work out any niggles in the system. when you hold your Blackberry playbook, your holding an oversized Beta version of a phone. which is lacking in features RIM have perfected, like BBM, Twitter, MSN, Yahoo, Google... your testing what they havent yet perfected.

Interesting theory. And to be honest, I've been thinking like that when I got my PB for the first 6 months. But to say something like RIM doesn't have faith in their on 'beta' is unlikely for me.
I would like to think about it this way. There is something *wrong* that made Twitter, Yahoo, etc aren't available natively in apps. I don't know, perhaps because of the *security* or something else. And I believe to this moment, they're still struggling to bring all of this to PB.
Well, that's just me being positive. We will see in BlackBerry World 2012...