Tried out a blackberry playbook at best buy today and...

[Mattstkc]

I'll never get a playbook but I'll hapily buy a Bold 9900. With the iPad 2 providing the gaming, multimedia and interactive experience I want and need, the only things I need in a phone are solid communication tools, which Blackberry provides hands down. Never a dropped call, clearest on any of the 3 major smartphones in my area, and the SMS, MMS, Email, and overall messaging integration from other platforms (Twitter/Facebook, etc) is king.

 

[spiderman0616]

My parents tried out a Galaxy Tab for a month. They returned it because I told them the 10" version was coming out in June and will still buy one because US Cellular is the only 3G signal they get at their house.

But I took my iPad down there this weekend to show my dad. Just simply unlocking my home screen got a "wow" from him. (Not sure why--I think he just liked the smoothness of it all.) Then I showed him iBooks and Garage Band and just let him go from there. You could tell he wanted one.

The Galaxy Tab is solid too, but I could tell that as a non-computer person, he was way more impressed with the iPad. Unfortunately, the 3G availability at their house limits them to all the "other" tablets.

EDIT: I should also mention that if a tablet gives iPad TRUE competition, I hope it's a non-Android tablet. If that ends up being the Playbook, then great. After looking at Android in its various incarnations over the last couple of years, I'm just done caring about it.

 

[tpr007]

Still unsure why companies are heading forward with 7" 'tablets'... They aren't a phone, and they aren't a tablet. Too small for particularly good typing, browsing, etc, and too big for a phone. I don't get it.

Because they're more portable.

I have a MacBook at home for when I'm on the sofa, and an iPhone 4 for out and about.

I barely touched my iPad once the novelty wore off, as it was too big to be truly portable, whilst not flexible enough to replace my laptop at home.

In actual fact, and against the consensus here I take a 7" Samsung Tab to work with me for "out and about" browsing as it's a truly portable device. It even fits in my back pocket, but is much better for using the internet than the iPhone.

So, I think 7" tablets are here to stay, and there's definitely a market for them.

 

[sladester]

biased?

Considering this is an Apple site, of course the OP would like the iPad better.
Having many Apple devices along with the Playbook, I disagree with a few posts here. Someone replied saying that the 7" from was too small to read. With the high pixel density on the Playbook, I have to say that reading anything on it is quite enjoyable, and it looks a lot smoother than reading on an iPad.
The interface is also quite impressive. I think its a fresh take on the tablet, not having to use the same home button over and over. Everything except locking the screen can be done with the swipe of a finger, including unlocking it. Its a pleasure to scroll through apps, along with closing running apps.
The camera on it seemed to be better than on the iPad, and the smaller form also makes it easier to hold.
Once a wider variety of apps, including android apps, are available for the Playbook, I believe it will be one of the top contenders against the iPad.

 

[Psychmike]

Considering this is an Apple site, of course the OP would like the iPad better.
Having many Apple devices along with the Playbook, I disagree with a few posts here. Someone replied saying that the 7" from was too small to read. With the high pixel density on the Playbook, I have to say that reading anything on it is quite enjoyable, and it looks a lot smoother than reading on an iPad.
The interface is also quite impressive. I think its a fresh take on the tablet, not having to use the same home button over and over. Everything except locking the screen can be done with the swipe of a finger, including unlocking it. Its a pleasure to scroll through apps, along with closing running apps.
The camera on it seemed to be better than on the iPad, and the smaller form also makes it easier to hold.
Once a wider variety of apps, including android apps, are available for the Playbook, I believe it will be one of the top contenders against the iPad.

Thanks for sharing a balanced perspective. Like you, I think there is a lot to like about the PlayBook. The screen is gorgeous, the OS is stable and responsive, the cameras are quite good, multitasking is handled very well, and the size is ideal FOR SOME PEOPLE and SOME USES. I don't use a BlackBerry smartphone but I am quite impressed with how the PlayBook allows for BlueTooth syncing across these devices. Apple, are you listening? The real question is whether there will be sufficient developer support. Apple has a real head start in this area. If there is enough growth in the tablet market, that head start may not be insurmountable.

Apple makes gorgeous hardware. I've owned a Macbook Pro and an iPod and currently use an Air and an iPhone. But I am increasingly dissatisfied with the decisions that they make regarding restrictive software. Look at how users are dealing with reading and organizing PDFs on the iPad. Why should I have to use 2 or 3 different apps to workaround Apple?

I can be very impressed with a company, but companies need competition to improve their products for the consumer.

Being loyal to one brand (or hostile to others) doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Don't let the things you own end up owning you.

 

[steadysignal]

The iPad 2 is king.

thanks for the new information.

its going to be a while until some company (other than apple) gets it right.

 

[TheWheelMan]

Being loyal to one brand (or hostile to others) doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Don't let the things you own end up owning you.

There is nothing wrong with being loyal to a brand if it's been good to you. That's the main point of having a brand, after all. Now being obsessed with any brand, or having animosity toward other brands, makes no sense to me either.

 

[falconeight]

The playbook is going to do great. I have a lot of family that want one.

 

[MrWillie]

I don't use a BlackBerry smartphone but I am quite impressed with how the PlayBook allows for BlueTooth syncing across these devices. Apple, are you listening?

If you like their BT syncing, you will totally love Apple's mobile me. Email, bookmarks, contacts, and calendars, automatically synced across all your devices and computers (to include Windows machines) without any effort on your part. I can also access all my stuff (except bookmarks) from ANY internet enabled computer, regardless of OS.

The real question is whether there will be sufficient developer support. Apple has a real head start in this area. If there is enough growth in the tablet market, that head start may not be insurmountable.

Well I am an iPad user, and they claim how many apps ? Problem is how many are good and useful apps (to me). Take away the thousand Koran apps in their many different languages (I am not Musslium), take out all the kiddie apps (my baby is 19), take out all the apps done in foreign languages, the rulers, the flashlights, the 200 or so clocks, well I think you see where this going. How many are left. How many of those are useful apps to me or to you ? They need a good set of core apps. All the filler junk just makes it harder to find the good stuff in the 100,000 useless ones. How about an office suite that is comparable wit Excel ?

But I am increasingly dissatisfied with the decisions that they make regarding restrictive software. Look at how users are dealing with reading and organizing PDFs on the iPad. Why should I have to use 2 or 3 different apps to workaround Apple?

You will have to elaborate more on that one. I get emailed a PDF (say a price quote), I press on the attachment and I get a list of apps, to include quick view, to open the PDF in. iBooks handles PDFs quite well.

I can be very impressed with a company, but companies need competition to improve their products for the consumer.

Being loyal to one brand (or hostile to others) doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Don't let the things you own end up owning you.

Apple will continue to improve the iPad, with or without competition. Remember Xerox ? Went years without competition, until their patents were up. Yet they improved and innovated their products.

Being loyal to one brand isn't a bad thing. IF I ever decide to get a smart phone, I already have an iMac, iPad, and iPod Nano. Why would I get anything other than an iPhone ? I know how to use iOS, I am already invested in their apps, it would just be buy the phone, take one minute to set up mobile me, and go. They all play together nicely.

 

[DeathChill]

In actual fact, and against the consensus here I take a 7" Samsung Tab to work with me for "out and about" browsing as it's a truly portable device. It even fits in my back pocket, but is much better for using the internet than the iPhone.

So, I think 7" tablets are here to stay, and there's definitely a market for them.

This is the exact reason I can't see 7" tablets really taking off. I think that tablets are probably mostly used at home. Regular people don't want an unnecessary extra device to carry around, regardless of how "portable" it is.

 

[Night Spring]

This is the exact reason I can't see 7" tablets really taking off. I think that tablets are probably mostly used at home. Regular people don't want an unnecessary extra device to carry around, regardless of how "portable" it is.

I agree. I can't see many people buying both a 7" and 9" tablet. They'd buy one size or other.

Over the weekend, I was at a BestBuy, and I couldn't find the Playbook (wasn't interested enough to ask the store people where it was), but I did come upon that HP printer that comes with a tablet. I believe that tablet is also about 7". Unfortunately, it didn't have an internet connection, so I couldn't test out the web browser, but the ebook app seemed quite readable. But the thing weighed a ton! Anyway, I'm sure the Playbook is much lighter, and is probably a nice tablet. But I would never consider buying one, or any other 7" tablet, because for me, the 9" form factor is ideal. I'm sure some people would prefer the 7" size, and who knows, there may be enough people who like that size for there to be a market for both form factors. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I also won't be surprised if several years down the line, Apple does come out with a 7" tablet. But I don't think it will happen in the next year or two. For now, the 9" market is enough for Apple -- they never rush into doing too many things at once, they like to do things one step at a time.

 

[PCClone]

I've sold quite a few PlayBook's to my enterprise customers already.

We are a huge BB shop and are buying between 500 and 1000 iPads. It is so superior to anything else on the market. Sales reps don't just want a tablet. They want the iPad 2.

 

[PCClone]

This is the exact reason I can't see 7" tablets really taking off. I think that tablets are probably mostly used at home. Regular people don't want an unnecessary extra device to carry around, regardless of how "portable" it is.

That thing is such a POS. Got one for free and gave it back and bought an iPad 2 day it came out.

 

[iOS v Android]

But for anyone that thinks the iPad or iPhone can't be customized, have never jailbroken aka 'rooted' their iDevice. (Although iPad 2 with the latest iOS can't be jb yet.) My iPhone 3GS uses the Nexus active homescreens just for fun, I fit 5 icons across onto the screen and dock and utilize different images for icons at will. Customizing your iDevice is easy.

As for syncing without cables... this is easy with Dropbox. I upload documents, pdf's, movies, tv shows or whatever with Dropbox and no wires or syncing to a computer needed.

For all the bs about Apple being closed, Steve Jobs doesn't allow this or that, is all crap. If you leave an iDevice standard, it's closed and not very customizable, but the same can be said for any Android phone that isn't rooted.

If i need to violate my manufactures warranty maybe that does not count. Also a rooted android phones does not really give that much more in options of customizing other then the ability to use custom roms. Other then that you don't get much else in terms of customizing. I root my friends devices all the time to delete the factory Bloat ware for them.

 

[cwerdna]

QNX UI far ahead of others,

I'm no expert on QNX but I doubt that QNX natively has much of a shell judging by http://www.qnx.com/products/neutrino-rtos/index.html. RIMM bought QNX, the company and I think created their own shell and UI on top of QNX, just for the Playbook.

Just click all the sections under Markets. You think that all those products have UI that look or behave anything like the Playbook's UI?

It's just like Windows Phone 7 still runs Windows CE under the hood, but you wouldn't know it from looking at the UI since backwards compatibility and all the old controls from Windows Mobile (6.5 and earlier) were thrown out.

Another analogous relationship was the old Palm devices (going back to say the the 68000 based PalmPilot and Palm V). They ran AMX from Kadak, yet Kadak didn't let most 3rd party app developers directly target the OS. Instead, developers had to target "PalmOS" that ran on top of AMX (see http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1640.htm#Palmq).

 

[Phil A.]

Pretty dang easy to set a bookmark for gmail or calender. Really is a non-issue.

Hardly a non-issue: I have 3 email accounts and 9 calendars spread across those 3 email accounts. On my iPad, I can view all my e-mail in a single unified inbox and all my calendars in a single application. I get notified when a new e-mail comes in, when a meeting invite is received and when an appointment is due. I can also read my e-mail or check my calendar without an internet connection.

Using a web interface doesn't come close to matching this functionality and it's a major mis-step by BlackBerry to not have a native standalone email client on the PlayBook.

 

[anjinha]

Thanks for sharing a balanced perspective. Like you, I think there is a lot to like about the PlayBook. The screen is gorgeous, the OS is stable and responsive, the cameras are quite good, multitasking is handled very well, and the size is ideal FOR SOME PEOPLE and SOME USES. I don't use a BlackBerry smartphone but I am quite impressed with how the PlayBook allows for BlueTooth syncing across these devices. Apple, are you listening? The real question is whether there will be sufficient developer support. Apple has a real head start in this area. If there is enough growth in the tablet market, that head start may not be insurmountable.

I honestly don't see the big deal in Bluetooth syncing, I think MobileMe is a much more elegant solution. Bluetooth requires the devices to be in range of each other, with MobileMe I can make a change on my laptop and it will be pushed to my devices, even if they are in the other room and they'll always be updated. Plus Bluetooth is a big battery drainer.

And yes, I do realize MobileMe is a paid service. But if you find 4 other people to split a family plan with you it comes to $30 each if you buy it from Apple or even cheaper if you buy it from Amazon or eBay.

Apple makes gorgeous hardware. I've owned a Macbook Pro and an iPod and currently use an Air and an iPhone. But I am increasingly dissatisfied with the decisions that they make regarding restrictive software. Look at how users are dealing with reading and organizing PDFs on the iPad. Why should I have to use 2 or 3 different apps to workaround Apple?

You don't have to use 2 or 3 different apps to read and organize PDFs on the iPad, people simply like to try different solutions. If you only want to read PDFs you can easily open them from Mail or Safari. If you want to save them you can use iBooks which is free. If you want annotations, Dropbox syncing, etc. then yeah, you have to look for other apps. But do you think the Playbook does that out of the box?

Being loyal to one brand (or hostile to others) doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Don't let the things you own end up owning you.

Why shouldn't I be loyal to a company that, from my perspective at least, keeps innovating and going beyond what I expect with their products?

 

[sladester]

I'm no expert on QNX but I doubt that QNX natively has much of a shell judging by http://www.qnx.com/products/neutrino-rtos/index.html. RIMM bought QNX, the company and I think created their own shell and UI on top of QNX, just for the Playbook.

Just click all the sections under Markets. You think that all those products have UI that look or behave anything like the Playbook's UI?

It's just like Windows Phone 7 still runs Windows CE under the hood, but you wouldn't know it from looking at the UI since backwards compatibility and all the old controls from Windows Mobile (6.5 and earlier) were thrown out.

Another analogous relationship was the old Palm devices (going back to say the the 68000 based PalmPilot and Palm V). They ran AMX from Kadak, yet Kadak didn't let most 3rd party app developers directly target the OS. Instead, developers had to target "PalmOS" that ran on top of AMX (see http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1640.htm#Palmq).

Actually, RIM is developing an iPhone-style form factored phone which will use some QNX technology

 

[cwerdna]

Actually, RIM is developing an iPhone-style form factored phone which will use some QNX technology

They announced awhile ago that their phones will eventually migrate to QNX.

But again, seriously, to the person who makes assertions about QNX's UI, please look at the developer docs at http://www.qnx.com/developers/docs/. From what I've glanced through, what's there looks nothing like the Playbook's UI. RIMM (at http://us.blackberry.com/developers/tablet/) seems to refer to what's running on the Playbook as Blackberry Tablet OS.

 

[GraphicsGeek]

Not everyone wants a dummed down device like the iPad anymore honestly.

REALLY?! Really? I think millions of people and 80%+ market share would disagree.

What most people, who hate on the iPad, dont understand is that the iPad isnt marketed towards nerds like us. Its marketed for the average person to pick up and enjoy. Since computers have existed, there has always been a steep learning curve for someone who doesnt know computers. These days, computers are becoming (if they're not already) a necessary component in one's life. The average person doesnt understand or care about what processor their computer has or how much RAM it has. They barely know how big their hard drive is, much less how fast it is or if its an SSD or not. They have absolutely no idea what their graphics card does. All they want to do is pick it up and get on the internet without having to update drivers, worrying about viruses or weird warning messages, compatibility, etc...

What us nerds dont understand is that there are far more computer/technology illiterate people out there than us. We can handle things like figuring out the Playbook, Honeycomb, etc. So we look at the iPad as too simple and demand much more out of it. The reason other tablet makers are failing is because they are designing their UI around us and not for the average person to EASILY understand. Yes, you and I understand it, but my mom would not. People like my mom, who bought an iPad and had if figured out within a few minutes, are who the iPad is marketed towards.

What I dont understand is why is Apple the only company that seems to understand this? I played with a Playbook as well and, although it was snappy and fluid, the UI seemed to have much more of a learning curve. Now, its not really marketed towards the average person, but....WHY ISNT IT? If these companies want to gain any sort of a market share, they need to stop trying to cater to enterprises and us nerds, which Apple doesnt do. The first Xoom commercials made me want to bash my own head in. All they were doing was talking about specs that most of their audience doesnt understand. Then you see an iPad commercial and you see a device that ties into your every day activities.

And one more thing...what clueless engineer/executive gave the green light to the without a native email client?!?! The Playbook's downfall will be the requirement of a Blackberry to access emails, calendar, etc. Didnt they pay attention to the Palm Foleo?

 

[anjinha]

Not everyone wants a dummed down device like the iPad anymore honestly. The screen quality is better on the PB so I don't know where you got that from. I'm an iPad 1 owner and wasn't impressed enough to buy an iPad 2.

Resolution is better on the Playbook but there is more to a good screen than just resolution.

 

[TheWheelMan]

What I dont understand is why is Apple the only company that seems to understand this?

It's not that Apple understands this and others don't, it's that most companies are primarily either consumer product companies or electronics manufacturers. Apple combines the best of both sides.

 

[TooSmooth]

The new galaxy tab is amazing (faster/lighter/more functional that the ipad 2).
The xoom is no slouch either...

 

[PhoneI]

I received my demo PB last Friday. If I had to pay for this thing I would have already sent it back. A few observations.....

- the apps are downright awful
- I found the text in most apps small for my comfort level
- I found the bezel gestures got in the way a lot
- very much miss the iTunes ecosystem
- screen sensitivity is strange. I found myself having difficulties at times with this


Bottom line is I can't think of one reason to reach for my Playbook over my iPad.

 

[porcupine8]

They had one in Office Max today, and I tried it out... not impressed. I mean, part of the problem is that they didn't have it connected to the internet, nor did they seem to have put anything but the most bare-bones of apps on it, so there just wasn't much to do on it. But the screen seemed really unresponsive. Convincing it to go back to the home screen (or whatever they call it on the PB) took up to several tries each time, even after I'd figured out how to do it. The spreadsheet app also didn't seem to work very well, although I'll admit I haven't actually tried Numbers on the iPad for comparison.

I'll admit, though, I'd need one with a better selection of apps and/or internet access, plus maybe a brief intro to the UI so my iPad familiarity doesn't bias me, to give it a really fair shake.