[Snick Snack]

Really? No apps at all? So no Microsoft Office, because Notepad works good enough, huh? And no Photoshop, because Paint is all anyone really needs? And no World of Warcraft, because Minesweeper is a classic, and who could possibly want anything more than Minesweeper?

Yeah... who needs apps.

Unless you need ms office for work, most people won't buy it. MS Works is fine for general consumer use. My father-in-law and my parents are fine with tht functionality.

Photoshop??? Why? I have a great camera and I don't edit my photos that much, what I need I have in the preloaded photo editor. So an app I don't have to buy and need to view photos on my PC.

[mbrouill]

I think it's just taking developers longer to decide if there is a big enough market to make it cost justifiable to develop for the Playbook vs the Android or Apple marketplaces. I guyss it's one of those chicken or the egg things. With traction will come apps.

[mbrouill]

"Unless you need ms office for work, most people won't buy it. MS Works is fine for general consumer use. My father-in-law and my parents are fine with tht functionality."


I hate to say it, but if you want to sell into the business world, MS Works ain't gotta cut it... You need MS Office apps...

[ifarlow]

Unless you need ms office for work, most people won't buy it. MS Works is fine for general consumer use. My father-in-law and my parents are fine with tht functionality.

Photoshop??? Why? I have a great camera and I don't edit my photos that much, what I need I have in the preloaded photo editor. So an app I don't have to buy and need to view photos on my PC.

The point was that you said "I certainly didn't have to pay for apps to make my PC work" although you have already proven that false by admitting that you purchased Office. I doubt very seriously that you, or anyone else, would buy a PC and use it exactly as it comes.

No, the reality is that people will add applications (whether purchased or free) to their desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones to make the device do what they expect the device to be able to do.

[Snick Snack]

Really? No apps at all? So no Microsoft Office, because Notepad works good enough, huh? And no Photoshop, because Paint is all anyone really needs? And no World of Warcraft, because Minesweeper is a classic, and who could possibly want anything more than Minesweeper?

Yeah... who needs apps.

I also have a media player, Outlook express came preloaded if I want to use it... I don't play games on my computer so I don't buy games. However games isn't a functionality of a computer for me or for 50% of the PC users.

What makes you think that I need WOW on my computer? When did that become a necessary function?

But if you have download an app to make HTML or Flash better and pay for it, then that's stupid. Don't mistake needed better programs or games as a necessity for the functionailty of a computer.

I have an awesome anit-virus supplied by my cable provider for absolutely free and which updates itself every few days or so. I've never had any problems and never had to get any other anti-virus program. Better yet I didn't have to pay extra for the "app".

[xandermac]

Whole heartedly agree! Assuming that the apps are available and worth the money. There are about 5 apps a day added to appworld, none of them are really worth a penny. I bought a vnc app that didn't actually work until it was updated 2 weeks later (the updated had been submitted for a week already, it was approved the day before I returned my PB). Considering how slow the appworld is it's unacceptable that an app waits for three weeks for an update to be approved! pathetic.

No, the reality is that people will add applications (whether purchased or free) to their desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones to make the device do what they expect the device to be able to do.

[jajano]

be real man.. even an iOS or android OS started with a few apps at the first time.

[xandermac]

Yes, they did & the reality is that we've progressed way past that point & the consumer will go to where the app ecosystem is mature & ready, like it or not that's the way it is. Developers hold the success of the PlayBook in their hands.

be real man.. even an iOS or android OS started with a few apps at the first time.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ifarlow]

be real man.. even an iOS or android OS started with a few apps at the first time.

Wow. That was then. This is now. Bringing a device to market now without an established app ecosystem is dangerous at best. Fatal at worst.

[thschneider]

Yes, they did & the reality is that we've progressed way past that point & the consumer will go to where the app ecosystem is mature & ready, like it or not that's the way it is. Developers hold the success of the PlayBook in their hands.



Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I couldn't agree more with this. What I am really a bit dissapointed in with the PB is the lack of real enterprise apps. No Citrix Receiver, Cisco UCM integration, Webex, Tandberg/Cisco Movi, proper BES integration,etc.

If RIM wants to sell this as a tablet fit for the enterprise then at least some of those apps should have been released at the time the device hits the store.

Right now you only see some vague speculation about those solutions (with the exception of Citrix)

Oh, and there is no nethack port for PB yet

[OMGitworks]

The browser beats the snot out of the iPad. Full web access. FULL.

Theoretically maybe, but with FLASH enabled or on the bridge, the PB experience is not anywhere near full, it is too slow and frustrating and buggy. I'd rather take out my wife's IPAD2 and surf under these conditions, even with no flash as there are good sites or an APP to work around the ipad limitation. I hope RIM changes this soon with some updates, but for now FULL is a complete and utter lie except under some very limited and ideal circumstances.

[jajano]

yup... RIM really need more power apps

[netwerx1]

I've had my PlayBook for about two weeks, and already the lack of apps and core functionality is starting to wear on me. I love the platform, love the hardware, and I want so badly for this thing to be the tablet for me...but potential can only take you so far before you have to start living up to it.

App World for PB really is kind of sad...is it true that the NDK will not be available until this fall? If I have to endure another 3+ months of uninspiring and barely useful apps that don't take advantage of, or integrate with, the platform...well, I'm sure many of us won't be willing to wait that long anyways.

[jajano]

can't agree more

[ifarlow]

I've had my PlayBook for about two weeks, and already the lack of apps and core functionality is starting to wear on me. I love the platform, love the hardware, and I want so badly for this thing to be the tablet for me...but potential can only take you so far before you have to start living up to it.

This is where I have found myself as well. I am enamored by the size of the PlayBook, the screen quality, the hardware potential... but the available software (both RIM's offerings and third-party solutions) is pathetic at best. I check App World almost every day, and all I see are apps that I find useless or appear to have been written by a 10 year old. The quality and utility just isn't there for me. And so with each passing day that I check App World and am let down, I get one step closer to giving up.

Last week I would have considered myself a PlayBook supporter. This week, not so much. I just hope something happens sooner rather than later to boost the PlayBook to the heights that were touted by RIM for so long. I can't help but believe that the PlayBook is a professional tablet in spirit only.

[netwerx1]

Last week I would have considered myself a PlayBook supporter. This week, not so much. I just hope something happens sooner rather than later to boost the PlayBook to the heights that were touted by RIM for so long. I can't help but believe that the PlayBook is a professional tablet in spirit only.

I'm right there with you. I will say this though, I do have an iPad 2 and have used a couple Android (and even a Win7 tablet)...I can't see myself using either of these as my primary tablet at this point either. After getting used to the gesture-based control of the PB, I tend to get irritated with the control methods of the other tablets. And I just don't want a 10" tablet for professional use, I find it too big for my preferences. Right now there's really nothing that has it all...my hope is that the PB can get close, soon.

[falconeight]

The flash argument is not a factor in a thread about apps. It is supposed to be a tablet and as a tablet it is held to a different standard than a PC. It needs an email notification enabled app, it needs a notification calendar app, it needs twitter with notifications, it needs facebook, it needs movies/tv shows, news apps, and a few desirable games. Right now it is about 30% of what a tablet should be. Great specs but not ready to be called a tablet.

[Snick Snack]

The flash argument is not a factor in a thread about apps. It is supposed to be a tablet and as a tablet it is held to a different standard than a PC. It needs an email notification enabled app, it needs a notification calendar app, it needs twitter with notifications, it needs facebook, it needs movies/tv shows, news apps, and a few desirable games. Right now it is about 30% of what a tablet should be. Great specs but not ready to be called a tablet.

I do agree with you on this however I'm wondering if when you mention having notifications on these apps that you really need a cell service as well for the push thru on the notifications. If it's wi-fi only and you're out of your home wi-fi area how would you get the notifications?

I get it from my bridge via my phone for all that, but my PB won't if it's travelling around with me during the day, which is always does.

It has FB but not the notifications? I have the app but I use the net version to log in.

If I use the app I can tap the icon on the left hand side it brings up my inbox with notification asterisk. I get updates on the my newsfeeds. Do you not think perhaps the notification from FB is a FB issue and not RIM since FB has to provide the app for it?

I had newspaper apps (for my local papers) hated it and went to full website so I can see it better.

[drudometkin]

I'm not really big on apps. But the PB does need some killer apps. Some better news apps would be nice. Google apps like sync, gmail, google docs, and maps. Netflix, kindle, angry birds, ect.

[falconeight]

I do agree with you on this however I'm wondering if when you mention having notifications on these apps that you really need a cell service as well for the push thru on the notifications. If it's wi-fi only and you're out of your home wi-fi area how would you get the notifications?

I get it from my bridge via my phone for all that, but my PB won't if it's travelling around with me during the day, which is always does.

It has FB but not the notifications? I have the app but I use the net version to log in.

If I use the app I can tap the icon on the left hand side it brings up my inbox with notification asterisk. I get updates on the my newsfeeds. Do you not think perhaps the notification from FB is a FB issue and not RIM since FB has to provide the app for it?

I had newspaper apps (for my local papers) hated it and went to full website so I can see it better.

I like the facebook app, thats why I said its 30% there. All tablets can be used with cellphones service but have native workable apps. I mostly use my tablet in areas with wifi. I have my smartphone for when I am moving around.

[kbz1960]

Theoretically maybe, but with FLASH enabled or on the bridge, the PB experience is not anywhere near full, it is too slow and frustrating and buggy. I'd rather take out my wife's IPAD2 and surf under these conditions, even with no flash as there are good sites or an APP to work around the ipad limitation. I hope RIM changes this soon with some updates, but for now FULL is a complete and utter lie except under some very limited and ideal circumstances.

Sounds like you bought a wifi only tab with expectations that the bridge was going to be your saviour.

Again people the playbook is wifi only and you all are bit_ching about functions that you don't get on any other wifi tab with exception of native email. The bridge function is only a plus for bb owners. Yes it hear it's slow but you can always tether like I'm sure you have to do if you have a wifi whatever else.

How are the ipad and android tabs working with the bridge? Oh that's right they don't have that!

[falconeight]

Sounds like you bought a wifi only tab with expectations that the bridge was going to be your saviour.

Again people the playbook is wifi only and you all are bit_ching about functions that you don't get on any other wifi tab with exception of native email. The bridge function is only a plus for bb owners. Yes it hear it's slow but you can always tether like I'm sure you have to do if you have a wifi whatever else.

How are the ipad and android tabs working with the bridge? Oh that's right they don't have that!

Yo didn't list calendar, twitter, IM's and other of the most used items on tablets.

[sportline]

At least the browser works in my ipad. Heck even the torch browser is better than pb. Talkin about super duper flash browser experience? Lucky if you dont have to wait on the blue line.

[xandermac]

Sounds like you bought a wifi only tab with expectations that the bridge was going to be your saviour. !

Go look at RIMs YouTube channel, you'll see for yourself that they also think it's the savior. They're hoping it saves them from the abyss of No Native PIM! How is that working out for you btw?

[papped]

At least the browser works in my ipad. Heck even the torch browser is better than pb. Talkin about super duper flash browser experience? Lucky if you dont have to wait on the blue line.

What? Have you used a torch?....