PlayBook available in retail locations April 10

[DivideBYZero]

http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/02/blackberry-playbook-launching-on-april-10th

I hope they mean worldwide or at least US & UK.

 

[Deeko]

Cool. I guess its real after all.

I wonder when they will be sending out the free ones....

 

[Red Storm]

Looking forward to trying one at a store, doubt I will end up buying though. Tablets need to improve a bit more before I will bite.

 

[Imp]

Was set on getting one, especially with $140 in BB gift certificates, but I'm trying hard to figure out what I'd need one for. I just blew $600 on a laptop with a full keyboard that can do everything my desktop can do except games.

 

[tdawg]

Can't wait for these to hit the market. As long as they land below $500, I'll seriously consider one. Just hope they turn out as well as the videos we've seen so far suggest (I also need to know if I need a blackberry to take full advantage of the PIM features of the playbook. If I do, then this would be a no go for me).

 

[gsaldivar]

I also need to know if I need a blackberry to take full advantage of the PIM features of the playbook.

I think I read something about it having to be tethered to a BB for that. I don't know for sure though...

 

[DivideBYZero]

I think I read something about it having to be tethered to a BB for that. I don't know for sure though...

Yeah, this is still a grey area, but this may be addressed by the Gold Master OS that is a required download as soon as you boot the device up.

 

[gsaldivar]

Yeah, this is still a grey area, but this may be addressed by the Gold Master OS that is a required download as soon as you boot the device up.

Thanks for clarifying. I wish RIM would be more upfront about this, I can't see many of my customers tethering to get email. When it's time to fire off emails, play with calendar etc, they will want to pick up either a phone or a tablet, not both.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Cool. I guess its real after all.

I wonder when they will be sending out the free ones....

LOL, Ok, I'll play Deeko.

I said that the Playbook under glass was basically a gutted shell, playing a a video loop, and that RIM was being deceptive, and that the device shown under glass wasn't "real"

http://www.bgr.com/2011/01/05/blackberry-playbook-hands-on/

Boy Genius has had some hands on time with the Playbook and mentioned that they were unable to use any multimedia functions,

The pre-production unit we used didn’t have much in terms of pre-loaded software and apps, and we weren;t able to test any of the multimedia player functions

The Playbook under glass was demo'd in September, 3 months later, BGR wasn't able to watch any videos on it... and BGR mentions several times that it was a pre production unit.

At CES, some videos were shot, of some hands on time with a Playbook, 4 months after the "Playbook under glass" was "demo'd" http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20027522-283.html

My argument was and is that that was a gutted shell of a device, playing a video loop for demonstration purposes in an attempt to "freeze the market" And that it wasn't a "real" production ready device.

Since no one was allowed to touch the device and it was under glass (that was unusual, you have to admit), and that since that time, no one has had a hands on with a "production" Playbook, I stand by my comment.

If you want to believe that was a production ready device and fully functional, go right ahead, rest assured, you are in the minority in your beliefs.

I'm also going to call the Playbook as a failure on the level of the Storm Gen 1 (or maybe the Storm Gen 2). RIM doesn't have the corporate culture to bring a competitive, compelling device to the marketplace, they'll release it, it'll be proclaimed to be the best tablet ever by maybe 3 people who struggle along with a horribly buggy and crippled device, that's been micro managed into existence by a CEO that's pretty much viewed as a laughingstock by tech analysts that are trying hard to view RIM products in the age of the iPad as anything they'd want to use or recommend to consumers (not corporations) who live anywhere but developing countries.

Do I think RIM is doomed? Of course not, but they are a myopic corporation and they're going to be marginalized in developed countries. They'll make a ton of cash in developing countries (and already are), but they're hardly ready for a marketplace that already has 1 massively dominant tablet OS for at least another year...

You can feel free to quote me to death if the Playbook is a smashing success, but I really don't think I have much to worry about. As Honeycomb matures and evolves and as HP's Web OS on tablets does the same, it's going to be an interesting market for Christmas, but honestly, I think we all know what corporation is going to kick ass for yet another year.

I'm not hiding behind OMFG only Apple can make anything worth buying ever, but I am saying, realistically that Apple is in the lead at the moment, and I don't give a rat's ass who makes a device that I enjoy using, as long as the damn thing works. And I'd bet a lot of money that the Playbook under glass was essentially a video monitor playing a loop, and I don't gamble, much...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZMx2v-yIyg

 

[DivideBYZero]

LOL, Ok, I'll play Deeko.

I said that the Playbook under glass was basically a gutted shell, playing a a video loop, and that RIM was being deceptive, and that the device shown under glass wasn't "real"

http://www.bgr.com/2011/01/05/blackberry-playbook-hands-on/

Boy Genius has had some hands on time with the Playbook and mentioned that they were unable to use any multimedia functions,

The Playbook under glass was demo'd in September, 3 months later, BGR wasn't able to watch any videos on it... and BGR mentions several times that it was a pre production unit.

At CES, some videos were shot, of some hands on time with a Playbook, 4 months after the "Playbook under glass" was "demo'd" http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20027522-283.html

My argument was and is that that was a gutted shell of a device, playing a video loop for demonstration purposes in an attempt to "freeze the market" And that it wasn't a "real" production ready device.

Since no one was allowed to touch the device and it was under glass (that was unusual, you have to admit), and that since that time, no one has had a hands on with a "production" Playbook, I stand by my comment.

If you want to believe that was a production ready device and fully functional, go right ahead, rest assured, you are in the minority in your beliefs.

I'm also going to call the Playbook as a failure on the level of the Storm Gen 1 (or maybe the Storm Gen 2). RIM doesn't have the corporate culture to bring a competitive, compelling device to the marketplace, they'll release it, it'll be proclaimed to be the best tablet ever by maybe 3 people who struggle along with a horribly buggy and crippled device, that's been micro managed into existence by a CEO that's pretty much viewed as a laughingstock by tech analysts that are trying hard to view RIM products in the age of the iPad as anything they'd want to use or recommend to consumers (not corporations) who live anywhere but developing countries.

Do I think RIM is doomed? Of course not, but they are a misogynistic corporation and they're going to be marginalized in developed countries. They'll make a ton of cash in developing countries (and already are), but they're hardly ready for a marketplace that already has 1 massively dominant tablet OS for at least another year...

You can feel free to quote me to death if the Playbook is a smashing success, but I really don't think I have much to worry about. As Honeycomb matures and evolves and as HP's Web OS on tablets does the same, it's going to be an interesting market for Christmas, but honestly, I think we all know what corporation is going to kick ass for yet another year.

I'm not hiding behind OMFG only Apple can make anything worth buying ever, but I am saying, realistically that Apple is in the lead at the moment, and I don't give a rat's ass who makes a device that I enjoy using, as long as the damn thing works. And I'd bet a lot of money that the Playbook under glass was essentially a video monitor playing a loop, and I don't gamble, much...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZMx2v-yIyg

RIM are women haters? D:

 

[Pliablemoose]

RIM are women haters? D:

LOL, busted, it was late & I screwed up.

Speaking of RIM, your wife bailed on them, didn't she? And went to work for Apple?


& that's wrong, I don't hate RIM, I do think they're headed down the wrong path, and need some fresh blood.

 

[Deeko]

*sigh*....we went through this when you made that original comment, I don't need to do it again. You said it wasn't real, and then they did an actual hands-on demo very shortly afterwards, which proved that opinion misplaced. You're attempt at saving face was that you said there was no "production ready" device...well, no shit, it was still months away from release, if it were production ready at the time, they would have released it before Christmas. That doesn't mean there weren't "real", functioning Playbooks at the time - more than a video loop in a shell - which they proved shortly thereafter. End of story.

You have a strange addiction to disliking RIM as well as a curious animosity towards the 7" tablet form factor, considering the Playbook combines these two, obviously you aren't going to like it. I do find it ironic that you mentioned in another thread that you're "trying" to stay quiet about how much you hate the Playbook, and yet you make appearances in all the threads.

No one - hell, not even Mike Lazaridis himself - has said the Playbook is going to dominate the market. Everyone knows the iPad is going to finish top in marketshare, and likely sell more overall units than they did last year. However, much like the smartphone market before it, its a rapidly expanding market, which means there's plenty of room for new players to come in and sell a lot of tablets, even if Apple remains on top this year.

 

[Pliablemoose]

deeko, if you read any other threads, you'd know I've been rocking a hacked color nook for months...

 

[Deeko]

deeko, if you read any other threads, you'd know I've been rocking a hacked color nook for months...

I read the other threads. Are you insinuating that by owning a Nook Color you haven't ripped the 7" form factor incessantly?

Point #3 is a little harder to quantify, but why in the hell would I buy a 7" tablet when I have a 4-5" screened cell phone? Especially if I have to add a 2 year contract with data through a cell phone carrier with tiered data with the potential for getting billed for higher data use if I dare use the thing?

I really think the 7" form factor is a solution looking for a problem, too small to use as a main device, too big to carry easily.

For portability, the 4.3" phone touchscreen form factor has nailed it, IMHO. If I'm going to carry something around, I want more than a 7" screen, unless I'm carrying a flipping purse.

Anyone else think the 7" form factor tablet is doomed?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm a fan of the tablet form factor, but I don't see it, I can see 5" because you can jam it in a pocket, I like the 10" because of the screen real estate.

Seems like the 7" is a nowhere land form factor to me, unless they market it to women for carrying in their purse?

 

[Pliablemoose]

deeko, you seem so angry.....

Is it ok for me to have an opinion and post here?

You can just block my posts if they bother you so much...

 

[Deeko]

deeko, you seem so angry.....

Is it ok for me to have an opinion and post here?

You can just block my posts if they bother you so much...

I'm not angry - I'm merely countering the trash that gets flooded into this subforum. But who wants facts when you can make posts fueled by emotion, and when they're rebutted, talk about emotions some more, right?

 

[alent1234]

any time someone demo's a product and doesn't let the press or bloggers touch it then it's vaporware. the product is not ready and it's a hype like with the Palm Pre the year the 3GS came out. if the product is so awesome you want the press to play with it and report the experience

 

[Deeko]

any time someone demo's a product and doesn't let the press or bloggers touch it then it's vaporware. the product is not ready and it's a hype like with the Palm Pre the year the 3GS came out. if the product is so awesome you want the press to play with it and report the experience

They clearly said it wasn't ready and wasn't coming out for awhile. Of course it was for hype. That's the point of any product announcement. So? Isn't this thread about the fact that its coming out in a month, not more useless banter on whether or not you like the way they first announced it?

 

[DivideBYZero]

any time someone demo's a product and doesn't let the press or bloggers touch it then it's vaporware. the product is not ready and it's a hype like with the Palm Pre the year the 3GS came out. if the product is so awesome you want the press to play with it and report the experience

The press have played with it extensively at MWC & CES. Are you still living in 2010?

 

[Pliablemoose]

*sigh*....we went through this when you made that original comment, I don't need to do it again..

Why do you keep referring to it then?

You made reference to it again in this thread, months later. Like I said, you seem pretty angry...

I find the 7" FF to be marginally more useful than my EVO, it's really like the home stereo axiom, if you're on a budget, get the best speakers you can afford, a larger screen is important in the realm of tablets, because it's what you interact with.

7" is too big to put in your pocket, I can pocket the nook color because it's thin, but you really need a bag to carry it around safely. If you're going for the man bag, why not carry a larger device in it?

As time goes on, people will be using the different sizes and I suspect iPad sized tablets will win out, the prices aren't that different, and the functionality/useability is significantly enhanced by having a larger screen.

As tablets become more commonplace, consumer preferences will be easier to identify, so again, we shall see how it all shakes out, but I suspect the larger form factor will win out.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Thanks Moose, for derailing yet another BlackBerry thread. It's fucking tiring.

 

[tfinch2]

I'm not angry - I'm merely countering the trash that gets flooded into this subforum. But who wants facts when you can make posts fueled by emotion, and when they're rebutted, talk about emotions some more, right?

lulz - nice!

 

[Pliablemoose]

Thanks Moose, for derailing yet another BlackBerry thread. It's fucking tiring.

3 versions of the PlayBook have been announced in the last 7 months, none released, I have $100 that says it won't be available on April 10th (for retail sale in the US-go to a store & buy it, not preorder) to the first taker.

 

[Deeko]

We've already had the discussion on 7" tablets. You posted a thread about it, and have complained about it over and over again. We get it. No one asked you to post your musings on the subject again. I was reminding you that you don't like that form factor, since you seem to have forgotten. I'm glad I was able to clear it up for you.

I have $100 that says it won't be available on April 10th (for retail sale in the US-go to a store & buy it, not preorder) to the first taker.

A shocker - more contradictions from you. You just said in this thread that you don't like to gamble, yet here you are, flashin' them bills on the table. You're kinda funny, in a way.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I'm not gambling in this case, I'm making $100

Any takers?