[ifarlow]

I called the RIM PlayBook support number and was told the same as others... AT&T doesn't support BlackBerry Bridge, and there is no time frame for a resolution. In other words, tough luck for AT&T customers (myself included, at least until I dump AT&T).

[dfaris]

Sorry, I did believe you, and didn't doubt it, I just can't believe RIM didn't tell us all this much earlier. It's hard to beleive but I totally do belleive what you were told.

No doubt there could be work arounds soon. But for the price users shouldn't have to use a work around. I still have to do battery pulls to reboot my 9650 to fix issues and the camera still shuts off my phone, so I guess I should have known better but I did expect more from the PB

No need to apologize I think AT&T and RIM have just pissed off every single AT&T customer that uses a Blackberry and wanted a Playbook. If I had enough money I would have filed a law suit against AT&T already. How can you charge for the playbook being a mirror of your phone?

[BigPlayChad8]

Incredibly pissed off right now.

They better work this out within the day. I have about 5 friends/family members waiting on my approval of the Playbook to get one... all but one are on AT&T. Needless to say, they will NOT be getting one if they have to "work around" and even then no bridge browser.

I just wish AT&T or RIM would comment on this garbage.

[converteddroid]

So correct me if I'm wrong please, but from what I'm reading people can't install BB Bridge on their AT&T device? And some even when unlocked? Or is it a prob with the Playbook? I'm on T-Mobile with an unlocked Torch and I was able to download BB Bridge directly to my phone. Again, please correct where I am wrong.

[webmeister]

It is a RIm thing if they really want to compete in this arena. They need to exert more force with ATT and play hard ball. At the very least they should have addressed this before launch and even if ATT customers had to pay for the same bridging so be it but at least we would be prepared. I am disgusted with ATT for sure but you cannot let RIM off the hook,

That's ridiculous. RIM is just a supplier from AT&T's perspective. AT&T is the provider of services w/o which RIM has no market to sell their phones into. Until RIM becomes a wireless provider they will have no sway with the AT&T's of the world anymore than I, as a contractor, can dictate what my customers do with the network infrastructure that I design/implement.

It's AT&T's network and thus they are free to pi$$ off their own customers.....

[ugahairydawgs]

It is a RIm thing if they really want to compete in this arena. They need to exert more force with ATT and play hard ball. At the very least they should have addressed this before launch and even if ATT customers had to pay for the same bridging so be it but at least we would be prepared. I am disgusted with ATT for sure but you cannot let RIM off the hook,

Agreed. This is nothing really new for AT&T. The fact that RIM let this get all the way to launch without saying a word about the fact that one of their biggest drummed up features would be disabled on a carrier the size of AT&T is just flat out shady.

It sucks too. I was just about ready to ditch my i4/iPad combo for a Bold Touch/Playbook. Now I really have little motivation to make that happen.

[SaintThomasAquinas]

As Howarmat said earlier, there's a big difference. Xoom, iPad, Galaxy, and others all have native email, calendar, contacts. If you use your tablet more than 50% of the time in places without WiFi (like on airplanes as I will be), you NEED native email, calendar, and contacts. You can't just suck it up and use the browser. It's pretty simple really.

I'll check mine out when it arrives today, but most liklely will be returning it and then waiting for the summer to see what happens. Or, I'll switch to another provider for and see what Verizon rolls out with the new phones in Q3.

Unfortunately, iPhone and Android still lack critical features I use everyday, so I need a BB.

Your BB may work different than the ones I have used and currently have but I can write e-mails on my BB handset and without and radio coverage they will not be sent until I am back in coverage. So writing the same e-mail via bridge on your handset on a plane would be no different than writing it on your device. The e-mail would be saved and sent when coverage is restored. So a native app is available. The BB handset has native E-mail and PIM and the Playbook accesses these via the bridge and not have wifi or cellular access does not as far as I can tell preclude you from accessing and using these native apps on your BB handset. The distinction being Cell and wifi radio is not how the BB Bridge connects but rather via Bluetooth.

[Kerms]

It is a RIm thing if they really want to compete in this arena. They need to exert more force with ATT and play hard ball. At the very least they should have addressed this before launch and even if ATT customers had to pay for the same bridging so be it but at least we would be prepared. I am disgusted with ATT for sure but you cannot let RIM off the hook,

It's an AT&T thing but I have to believe that RIM was privy to that information. I wouldn't doubt after Mike said internet free through your phone existing data plan that as soon as Mike walked off stage and checked his txt messages that he had one from AT&T saying not so fast that partner, what's this free stuff

It would also explain why they've been rather quiet about it since then.

I'm sure a work around will be along soon. The question is will the carrier continue to try and break it.

What i want to know from RIM is will the update with native PIM stuff include activesync.

[Invader3K]

I don't see how you can really fault RIM in this debacle. AT&T is being draconian. I hope for you AT&T subscribers, something is worked out quickly.

[Najo]

Agreed. This is nothing really new for AT&T. The fact that RIM let this get all the way to launch without saying a word about the fact that one of their biggest drummed up features would be disabled on a carrier the size of AT&T is just flat out shady.

It sucks too. I was just about ready to ditch my i4/iPad combo for a Bold Touch/Playbook. Now I really have little motivation to make that happen.

Your suggesting that RIM even knew that AT&T would pull this stunt.

[dfaris]

I dont understand how AT&T can block me from downloading Bridge to my phone? Is it my phone or AT&T's phone?

[Najo]

I dont understand how AT&T can block me from downloading Bridge to my phone? Is it my phone or AT&T's phone?

Your phone, their service, the features you download are a part of that service. I am as pissed as you, but I have to say that AT&T has not shocked me with this.

[BigPlayChad8]

Should I even get one today?

[dcgore]

I dont understand how AT&T can block me from downloading Bridge to my phone? Is it my phone or AT&T's phone?

It's AT&T blocking its subcribers from making use of Bridge. They of course want money for something that is FREE everywhere else. I am thankful i switch to tmo about a month ago and and will continue to switch if the tmo deal goes thru.

[Kerms]

Your BB may work different than the ones I have used and currently have but I can write e-mails on my BB handset and without and radio coverage they will not be sent until I am back in coverage. So writing the same e-mail via bridge on your handset on a plane would be no different than writing it on your device. The e-mail would be saved and sent when coverage is restored. So a native app is available. The BB handset has native E-mail and PIM and the Playbook accesses these via the bridge and not have wifi or cellular access does not as far as I can tell preclude you from accessing and using these native apps on your BB handset. The distinction being Cell and wifi radio is not how the BB Bridge connects but rather via Bluetooth.

No bridge(AT&T) no writing offline emails on your PlayBook.. That's bad mojo

They were talking about the ability to compose PIM stuff without the need of another device.

[SaintThomasAquinas]

They're blocking the Bridge app from being downloaded to your phone. Same as they did to BB maps, and who knows what else. No carrier should be allowed to wield that much influence on a device manufacturer.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I'm sure Automotive manufacturers feel the same way about the Department of Transportation and banks feel about the Federal Reserve. My Grandfather used to say, "In a perfect world..."

Of course he has been dead for a decade now and here I sit waiting for the perfect world. Somehow I suspect I won't be the last to wait.

[Kerms]

Your suggesting that RIM even knew that AT&T would pull this stunt.

I would be willing to bet RIM knew or someone was made aware of it.

[kbz1960]

Agreed. This is nothing really new for AT&T. The fact that RIM let this get all the way to launch without saying a word about the fact that one of their biggest drummed up features would be disabled on a carrier the size of AT&T is just flat out shady.

It sucks too. I was just about ready to ditch my i4/iPad combo for a Bold Touch/Playbook. Now I really have little motivation to make that happen.

So you get free tethering with yoiur i4 and ipad?

[garyf33]

Your phone, their service, the features you download are a part of that service. I am as pissed as you, but I have to say that AT&T has not shocked me with this.

I'm also not happy with this move by AT&T but yet I'm not shocked and that's why I waited to see what would happen before I order my playbook. I also won't be supprised if Verizon does the same thing in the near future.

[OMGitworks]

It is a RIm thing if they really want to compete in this arena. They need to exert more force with ATT and play hard ball. At the very least they should have addressed this before launch and even if ATT customers had to pay for the same bridging so be it but at least we would be prepared. I am disgusted with ATT for sure but you cannot let RIM off the hook,

Agreed, I blame both. ATT is greedy, but RIM should have negotiated something with them prior to launch so that the bridge worked from moment 1.

RIM NOT DISCLOSING the lack of an ATT bridge is unbelievably deceptive and unforgivable in my book. I hope this will be fixed today for RIM's sake. If it really is am issue, sales will plummet. This definitely makes no native e-mail a major fail.

[yolare]

it seems the cod is different for storm2 on OS 5
can someone help to upload the COD?

[Najo]

I'm also not happy with this move by AT&T but yet I'm not shocked and that's why I waited to see what would happen before I order my playbook. I also won't be supprised if Verizon does the same thing in the near future.

I am not really concerned at this moment, I don't get my Playbook until Friday, and by that time this issue will be either fixed or hacked.

[Kerms]

So you get free tethering with yoiur i4 and ipad?

If he's jailbroken maybe but AT&T is cracking down on the free tethering too but I'm guessing his point was that he could just have that one data plan for his BB and share it with his PB for free. So ditching the i4/ipad and technically a tethering plan would save him money

Nothing AT&T does should come as surprise.

[SaintThomasAquinas]

So correct me if I'm wrong please, but from what I'm reading people can't install BB Bridge on their AT&T device? And some even when unlocked? Or is it a prob with the Playbook? I'm on T-Mobile with an unlocked Torch and I was able to download BB Bridge directly to my phone. Again, please correct where I am wrong.

I have a Blackberry Bold 9780 locked to T-Mobile running OS 6.0 Bundle 1879 (v6.0.0.448) and just used App world on my Bold to download and install App world and had no issues. I do not have a Playbook though. I will wait and see the next few weeks how things shape up to make a decision on whether to try and pick up a used one returned by my AT&T brothers.

[OMGitworks]

I'm also not happy with this move by AT&T but yet I'm not shocked and that's why I waited to see what would happen before I order my playbook. I also won't be supprised if Verizon does the same thing in the near future.

Funny I was just talking to my 14 year old son about this yesterday. He was using my 9650 in my car and asked how much data he could use. I told him Verizon had unlimited for BB. He said great. After about 20 minutes of dealing with the 9650 and its bad browser and small screen he gave up. Dat is self limited by the frustration you get on a 9650. On a PB the experience/screen would have been much better so there was some hope. I doubt ATT wanted to let this happen and wonder how much Verizon will allow once data usage off the unlimited BB plan surges due to the bridge?