Blackberry Playbook

[DiscipleDOC]

Originally Posted by |MaguS|

It doesn't feel like a blackberry product at all. The OS is 100% new and feels smooth. The way you minimize and pull up settings is very WebOS like.

Can you use droid apps?

Originally Posted by DiscipleDOC

Can you use droid apps?

Yup, The Blackberry Rep told me that all an Android developer needs to do is submit the Android coded app to Blackberry for approval. Very minimal changes need to be done if any since they would run in an Emulation layer that has full hardware access (so GPS, Camera, Bluetooth will still work). He couldn't show me since his unit didn't have the capabilities yet but he says it wouldn't launch with the function though.

[CaptnStubing]

Originally Posted by DiscipleDOC

I'm thinking about getting the Wi-Fi Xoom

I liked the Xoom a lot. I would root it though, not real crazy about the Motorola system they got in it.

Originally Posted by |MaguS|

Can't say since I don't have a Xoom nor does AT&T carry them but for what I can remember when I did play with a Xoom the Playbook felt a lot smoother. I mean I was able to jump out of an app instantly and even run a game in a minimized window while continue to navigate the OS on the playbook without any hitching.

I did notice that as well. While the system was fast, the menus were sluggish, stuttering like. I think if it was rooted it would be a brilliant piece.

[/quote[All I can say is that the Playbook was the smoothest Tab experience I have had since the iPad and considering that it will run Blackberry and Android apps without an issue it will be the Tab to have if you want a 7" form factor one.[/quote]
If they make a larger one then I might look into it.

[DiscipleDOC]

Originally Posted by CaptnStubing

I liked the Xoom a lot. I would root it though, not real crazy about the Motorola system they got in it.


I did notice that as well. While the system was fast, the menus were sluggish, stuttering like. I think if it was rooted it would be a brilliant piece.

[/quote[All I can say is that the Playbook was the smoothest Tab experience I have had since the iPad and considering that it will run Blackberry and Android apps without an issue it will be the Tab to have if you want a 7" form factor one.

If they make a larger one then I might look into it.[/quote]

Anything that I get, you better believe I will root it. I'll root the heck out of it.

Wait....that didn't sound right...

The playbook is unfinished, and I feel BB rushed to get it out. Most reviews have agreed to that sentiment too. This tablet certainly isn't in the competition for me - YET. Give it time though. Also keep in mind I don't use a BB so there's really no motivation for me, again - YET. I anxiously await future news on the playbook.

GIZMODO - There's a whole lot of stuff that's still not there, or on RIM's list of "coming soon": No Android apps yet. You can't create custom app categories. There's no universal search to quickly find apps. You can't re-arrange your open app cards. Half the time you try to touch a link in the browser, you don't know if you touched it correctly or not—the feedback isn't fast enough. Not a fan of the App World or Music Store interfaces—they feel cramped, and it seems hard to find good stuff. Needing to tether to a BlackBerry to use native mail, calendar and contacts apps is annoying, and potentially deal-breaking any way you slice it. (You have no mail, calendar or contacts stored on the PlayBook if you're not tethered!)

BGR - I can’t help but feel like the PlayBook, as it stands now, is an unfinished product. The hardware is there but the software is buggy at times,and the apps are severely lacking and almost non-existent in terms of quality. While the Web browser is extremely solid, with no native email or calendar or contact apps, the PlayBook isn’t a very good standalone product. This should all change in the coming months thanks to the free software update, and what’s even better is RIM no longer has to go through carriers to push out updates out since this model doesn’t have a carrier partner — we should see software updates fast and often RIM told me. I just don’t see a killer app on the PlayBook, and that’s the real problem. It does a lot of things, but it doesn’t do 90% of things better than an iPad 2 or a XOOM.

Engadget - . So, what we see at the moment is a framework with solid fundamentals but a framework that is, right now, unfinished. We have hardware that looks and feels great but isn't being fully served by the software. And, ultimately, we have a tablet that's trying really hard to please the enterprise set but, in doing so, seems to be alienating casual users who might just want a really great seven-inch tablet. Oh, and don't forget that bummer of a power button.

Right now, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet that will come close to satisfying those users who gravitate toward the first word in its name: BlackBerry. Those who were more excited about the "play" part would be well advised to look elsewhere, at least until Android compatibility joins the party. Then, well, anything could happen.

Anandtech - The PlayBook is a reasonable experiment for RIM, but I need to see more to really recommend the tablet. We've been burned one too many times by companies serious about this market that have just fallen short on promises to keep things updated (ahem, Microsoft, Palm). RIM is hinting at something new every 6 - 8 weeks, and if that's truly the cadence then we very well might see the PlayBook turn into a significant player by the end of the year.

RIM definitely has the existing market to sell into. In fact, I'd say about the only type of user who should consider a PlayBook on day one is someone who already has a BlackBerry. If you have a BlackBerry and can't give it up but want a better browsing/media playback/consumer experience alongside it, the PlayBook is an excellent path to that. RIM was very smart in its implementation of BlackBerry Bridge. Keep all sensitive data on the BlackBerry, encrypt its connection to the PlayBook, but let you use the PlayBook to bring you what you're missing from the Android/iOS experience without having to carry two phones. Even though you're adding a second device to your mix, the PlayBook at least gives you a larger form factor to work with when you can use it.

It's everyone else that RIM really needs to convince. For your general consumer, the PlayBook is just missing apps (no email, no calendar, no Netflix, no Twitter). Although RIM would have you rely on webmail, I just don't believe that's ideal when both Apple and Google are shipping tablet optimized email clients today. RIM clearly has a plan to address these concerns, I'm just curious to see how long it takes to mature the PlayBook.

There's a lot to like about the PlayBook, but unless you're an existing BlackBerry user you're better off waiting to see where RIM takes this thing.

So - at the airport and in one of those tech stores. Messing around with the playbook. As magus said - I agree with everything. It doesn't feel like a BB at all. The OS is fantastic.

I still stand by my previous post though - it's unfinished. I couldn't do much on it because I didn't have blackberry. :/

Once they get the update out though, it will DEFINITELY be an iPad competitor.

I am waiting to see how the developer community accepts it.

Originally Posted by |MaguS|

I am waiting to see how the developer community accepts it.

Another valid point.

Overall, a very exciting device. Just have to wait for a lot of things.

[six_storm]

Originally Posted by DiscipleDOC

Hmm....I just don't want to ever get another blackberry anything.

This. I'd rather get a Xoom.

Originally Posted by DiscipleDOC

Hmm....I just don't want to ever get another blackberry anything.

I can completely understand what you're saying but next time you're in a store that has a model unit - Try it out. If the BB logo wasn't on it, I wouldn't think it was a BB product at all!