RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: Unfinished, Unusable

snydeq points out this InfoWorld review of the BlackBerry PlayBook, "an 'unfinished, unusable' tablet from RIM. 'At the core of it all, the design of the PlayBook as a BlackBerry-dependent device was simply a boneheaded decision by executives who hoped a hit product might entice more BlackBerry sales,' Gruman writes. 'Why RIM chose to ship the PlayBook in such a state is unfathomable. The iPad 2 and Xoom have been out for weeks, so there's no heading them off at the pass. Instead, the PlayBook debuted with all eyes on it — but instead of a world-class performer, we got the homeless guy who plays air guitar in front of the mall.'"

Comments

I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

I read the first few paragraphs, and he says he would rather use no tablet at all than this thing -- and it still gets 5.4 from him. Score inflation much?

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[mr100percent]

He's probably afraid of all the hate mail he's gonna get. "You're an Apple fanboy!"

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but it reads like a review of a dead prostitute, actually just half the body, (where the iPad is the luxury escort service).

It's like: I can't describe the disgust that washed over me as the severed pelvis fell out of the bloody shipping container, then a detached half a face, and one breast. Maggots had already eaten most of the vulva and the stench of a decaying rodent, along with a sappy green bile oozed from the vagina like some hideous sore.

I'd give it a 5.4.

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[brokeninside]

Presuming that is a 10 point scale, that equates to getting a 54% on a test which is a failing grade in most courses.

Also, note that it equates to the "poor" category.

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

If it's anything like video game review scores, big publishers get a free 50% bonus. If you're big enough, scores start at 5 out of 10. A 5,4 is actually a 0,4.

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

Goddamn, man! How the fuck am I supposed to eat my lunch after that visual? Next time: DISCLAIMER!!!

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry!!!

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[phantomfive]

It seems like a fair rating to me (even if his rating skill isn't very good). The hardware is nice. The OS is well done. The interface is clean, and when you turn on the device, it looks nice. It gives you a feeling of being much more carefully thought out than the Xoom.

The only drawback is the complete lack of apps. You can't do anything with it. Which is why a person would rather use no tablet, because there is nothing to do with it anyway. That is what gives it a beta feel, but it does have potential if they can ever overcome that problem.

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[davester666]

How exactly would appending something like:

        Disclaimer: IANAL

or something like it make any difference to your ability to eat lunch after reading his message?

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

"5.4" is "Poor"??? Is this out of 10, or 100? What's a 2? "Absolute Crap"?

I agree with the inflation comment. Average is probably a "7". I could probably build a tablet out of styrofoam and get a "3" on this scale.

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems like a fair rating to me (even if his rating skill isn't very good). The hardware is nice. The OS is well done. The interface is clean, and when you turn on the device, it looks nice. It gives you a feeling of being much more carefully thought out than the Xoom.

The only drawback is the complete lack of apps. You can't do anything with it. Which is why a person would rather use no tablet, because there is nothing to do with it anyway. That is what gives it a beta feel, but it does have potential if they can ever overcome that problem.

So no tablet at all rates a 5.5 or better?

Re:I love how he still gives it a "5.4"

[Anonymous Coward]

And he admits not using it as designed, an enterprise tool bridged to a Blackberry, blaming RIM for ATT's issues. "This screwdriver does a shit job pounding nails." Too many early twenties 'experts' opining on a device not currently meant to compete with an i-Entertainment pad, which is what most hard core users admit their Jobs-slate becomes after a couple months.
For an intelligent, considered review of the Playbook, see Anand Tech.

Not Dead on Arrival

[pacificleo]

Classic case of hubris and " love to hate " syndrome . It has got a good CPU , Support Flash , QNX run on Dalvik VM so there is always a plan B of supporting . Android Apps . I think for version 1 this is a decent device and i have used the pre released unit . Multitasking is good enough and by any count it is better than Xoom . in a world filled with Android and Apple Fan boys its hard to measure anything on a standalone basis .

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[the unbeliever]

It's DOA because you can't use email, calendars or contacts unless you attach it to your Blackberry phone, which AT&T has already blocked via AppWorld.

That was a boneheaded move by RIM, and unless they correct that feature then I can't see the Playbook doing very well.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

Android and Apple Fan boys? You mean in a world filled with far superior tablets, it is tough to compete with a crippled, unstable, and unusable product.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[UnknowingFool]

The review is a bit harsh and from what I read, it does have good hardware and the software has potential. I would agree that RIM seems to have launched it unfinished and incomplete. As expected with a launch of any new product you expect there to some things missing especially since this is the first time RIM has used QNX on a product. I would commend RIM on that aspect of it. I could understand that there are be quirks or bugs with the system. I understand that there are not many apps at the moment. What I don't understand is why RIM would launch a tablet or any mobile device without a calendar, contacts, or an email client. Sure you can use your Blackberry phone to tether to it and RIM says that functionality will be added later but why not just wait? With all the negative reviews so far telling people to wait until RIM fixes these things, potential customers are going to wait anyways. All RIM has done is to give a negative first impression of their product.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

Classic case of hubris and " love to hate " syndrome. It has got a good CPU , Support Flash , QNX run on Dalvik VM so there is always a plan B of supporting Android Apps. I think for version 1 this is a decent device and i have used the pre released unit. Multitasking is good enough and by any count it is better than Xoom. In a world filled with Android and Apple Fan boys its hard to measure anything on a standalone basis.

No, it's a classic case of an Apple competitor rushing out a half-finished tablet in a desperate bid to get into the game. Nobody would be giving Apple this much slack if the iPad had the same deficiencies. And why should we judge the RIM PlayBook on a standalone basis when there is a tablet out there that has set the standard against which to measure? It only makes sense to claim the PlayBook shouldn't be compared to another tablet when you know it would it won't fare very well.

John Gruber nailed it with this Daring Fireball (http://daringfireball.net/) post from yesterday--

"I don’t understand why so many reviewers bend over backwards to grade these things on a curve. If the iPad 2 had the problems and deficiencies the Xoom and PlayBook have, these same reviewers would (rightly) trash it, and declare (again, rightly) that Apple had finally lost its Midas touch. These aren’t “beta” tablets. They’re bad tablets. It’s that simple. It’s true that their hardware seems closer to iPad-caliber than their software, but improving software is the hardest part of making products like these. By the time RIM releases “a serious software update or three” the entire market will have changed. The truth is, Motorola, Samsung, and now RIM have released would-be iPad competitors that pale compared to the iPad. Just say it.

The mass market doesn’t buy, and doesn’t want to buy, products based on what they might become months from now if these companies somehow dramatically improve the software. They buy products for what they are today, out of the box. Motorola and RIM and Samsung are Apple’s industry peers. These are the big leagues, this is The Show. They’re charging customers real money to buy these things. They should be judged by the same standards."

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Ant P.]

Why would anyone buy this for the apps when nobody can write apps for it without being filthy rich and signing away their firstborn? If your phone's only good for Android apps you might as well run them natively.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[bberens]

Sounds to me like they tried to "pull an Apple" on the tight coupling but screwed it up.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[dskzero]

"I don’t understand why so many reviewers bend over backwards to grade these things on a curve. If the iPad 2 had the problems and deficiencies the Xoom and PlayBook have, these same reviewers would (rightly) trash it, and declare (again, rightly) that Apple had finally lost its Midas touch. These aren’t “beta” tablets. (...)"

This is a lie. People were all over the first iPad despite all the deficiencies, claiming they were not needed (Some of those being implemented in the second iPad). I haven't touched this RIM tablet (and I won't, I think tablets are pointless for me), but the reviewers' bias for Apple is obvious no matter the state of the market.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[blackchiney]

Besides the camera and lock switch boondoggle can you list what theses deficiences are in the original iPad. I do remember it being able to check email, read calendar, contacts, appstore, and a browser. That covers about 95% of what people want in a tablet.

In RIMs case I can understand the calendar ommision but email? Really?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[sglewis100]

Classic case of hubris and " love to hate " syndrome . It has got a good CPU , Support Flash , QNX run on Dalvik VM so there is always a plan B of supporting . Android Apps . I think for version 1 this is a decent device and i have used the pre released unit . Multitasking is good enough and by any count it is better than Xoom .

So it has a good CPU, reasonable support of Flash in the browser... and a future plan to support some Android apps that are pre-screened by RIM, if the developer recompiles them and submits them. And I can't imagine that will be pleasant. The hardware sounds good, the development process sounds atrocious, and there is a decided lack of support for email, calendars and contacts. I'm not claiming my iPad is the best device that will ever exist OMG Apple rules... I'm just saying I want my contacts, calendars and email on my tablet, the same way they are on my phone and the same way they are on my laptop. Expecting people to have that... but only if they have a Blackberry turned on and tethered not only cuts them off from a huge percentage of the market (you know, those guys who don't have Blackberry's), it also probably isn't exactly what some Blackberry phone users wanted. And webmail is nice, but I use my tablet in places where I don't always have Internet access. Plus, already stored contacts come up quicker than logging into a web page and waiting for the screen to refresh.

in a world filled with Android and Apple Fan boys its hard to measure anything on a standalone basis .

Perhaps you meant to say "in a world filled with iPads and Android tablets, it's hard to measure a tablet without considering what's already available, in some cases for less money:"

Sorry, but multitasking and dual core processors aren't enough anymore. The iPad 2 has extremely polished software, a HUGE marketplace of third party apps, more built in functionality for managing your PIM, and while it doesn't come with an office suite, $30 fixes that pretty quickly. But it doesn't play Flash. So if that was your only motivation (accessible Flash), then you can buy a PlayBook.... or a Xoom with seemingly more functionality out of the box.

You're right... it's going to be hard for Playbook to compete in an established market. That's what happens when you ship later than your competition and don't visibly offer more functionality or a drastically reduced price. It can be done (B&N NookColor, Motorola Xoom), but you can't just ship a tablet and expect ten million in sales (countless Chinese tablets with Android 1.6 and a cheap price tag).

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[sglewis100]

This is a lie. People were all over the first iPad despite all the deficiencies, claiming they were not needed (Some of those being implemented in the second iPad). I haven't touched this RIM tablet (and I won't, I think tablets are pointless for me), but the reviewers' bias for Apple is obvious no matter the state of the market.

Perhaps it did enough. It had apps, a calendar, email, contacts, a great web browser, great battery life, a great screen, weighed half of the lightest notebooks, and felt pretty darn fast even without a dual core processor. Built in apps did multitask, third party ones didn't, and push notifications filled party of the gap. But probably the most important thing in all of that is that it had a calendar. And email. And contacts. And you didn't need a tethered iPhone to pull that off. Yes, clearly a year ago, you could ship a product without multitasking and a camera. But today you cannot ship a product without email.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not a lie. Plenty of reviewers dinged the iPad for its failings--no camera, no multitasking, no USB, requires connection to a computer to activate, could only transfer files using iTunes (blech)...all of those got press coverage and plenty of /. scorn. But people were all over iPad 1 because, despite those flaws, it was still a very complete product that built off two other very popular products (iPhone, iPod Touch) with a massive app ecosystem on day 1; and iPad 2 has rectified (mostly) those first two failings, pushing the bar that much higher for new tablets.

So, against that, shipping a tablet without basic things like calendar and email apps or that will require multiple software upgrades and, in Xoom's case, a send-it-to-the-manufacturer hardware upgrade to deliver on the promised features is just totally unacceptable.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[samkass]

"I don’t understand why so many reviewers bend over backwards to grade these things on a curve. If the iPad 2 had the problems and deficiencies the Xoom and PlayBook have, these same reviewers would (rightly) trash it, and declare (again, rightly) that Apple had finally lost its Midas touch. These aren’t “beta” tablets. (...)"

This is a lie. People were all over the first iPad despite all the deficiencies, claiming they were not needed (Some of those being implemented in the second iPad). I haven't touched this RIM tablet (and I won't, I think tablets are pointless for me), but the reviewers' bias for Apple is obvious no matter the state of the market.

He said iPad 2, not iPad. This is 2011. People aren't comparing the PlayBook against a product they'd have to own a time machine to buy... compared to the competition today, the PlayBook appears to be a bad device. It's arguable about whether one would want to buy an iPad 1 (if they still made them) or a PlayBook due to the PlayBook's incomplete software, but that's not relevant to the market today.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

"OMG Apple rules" - I concur

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Carewolf]

which AT&T has already blocked via AppWorld.
That was a boneheaded move by RIM,

What?

Interfacing with your blackberry might be a good or a bad thing depending on whether you are aiming at Blackberry users only or not, but why on Earth are you and the reviewer, not only excusing AT&T, but excusing your own poor choice of carrier?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[COMON$]

WTF would someone buy this unless they had a BB hard-on? I was one of the people eagerly anticipating a debut from BB that would allow efficient document sharing in a business via a private WAN. Instead we saw the death rattle of an industry who lost all sense of innovation and connection to the customer...

When you are late to a tech game you need to offer something extra, something the market share holders dont have already...this tablet..wow, BB missed a golden opportunity. All they needed to do was create a BB document center server/module for BES and a slate to pair with it just like BBs do. Voila you just won your market back, and securely placed sales for the next 5 years as the only provider of secure electronic documentations to a slate.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

It's DOA because you can't use email, calendars or contacts unless you attach it to your Blackberry phone, which AT&T has already blocked via AppWorld.

That was a boneheaded move by RIM, and unless they correct that feature then I can't see the Playbook doing very well.

Seriously, what kind of VP of product development wakes up in the morning and thinks something like this is a good idea?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you missed a </troll> tag on the end of your comment.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[RobinH]

A time machine to buy? The iPad 1's are still on sale around here.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

"The review is a bit harsh and from what I read, it does have good hardware and the software has potential."

I just stopped reading there. We're not filling head count with college grads, we're talking about consumers making decisions. This potential you speak of is completely useless for a number of reasons the first being that technology changes so fast and there are already a number of competitors in the market.

If consumers decided that RIM PlayBook is garbage, and suppose that RIM does come out with a better device, the company will then have to invest in significant marketing to change the consumers perception, which is spendy and takes time.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

To me though, new products SHOULD be complete. I think we give too much grace to companies who turn out shoddy craftsmanship. For instance, if a new car is released without headlights, that would sort of be a problem. New cars are often released with bugs, but rarely incomplete like that. To me it's inexcusable.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[DrXym]

Classic case of hubris and " love to hate " syndrome . It has got a good CPU , Support Flash , QNX run on Dalvik VM so there is always a plan B of supporting . Android Apps . I think for version 1 this is a decent device and i have used the pre released unit . Multitasking is good enough and by any count it is better than Xoom . in a world filled with Android and Apple Fan boys its hard to measure anything on a standalone basis .

The problem with supporting Android APIs is if BlackBerry does that, what is the point of using their native APIs again? It reminds me of OS/2 supporting Windows apps. Yes it seemed like a great idea at the time but in the end it meant less native apps which certainly didn't help matters in the long term.

Of course their Android layer might stink on ice. I haven't looked at it's implementation but it's not hard to envisage how it might have limitations, e.g. faking out hardware, poor performance, lack of services, lack of support for 3D or whatever.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[metlin]

He said iPad 2, not iPad. This is 2011. People aren't comparing the PlayBook against a product they'd have to own a time machine to buy... compared to the competition today, the PlayBook appears to be a bad device. It's arguable about whether one would want to buy an iPad 1 (if they still made them) or a PlayBook due to the PlayBook's incomplete software, but that's not relevant to the market today.

Well, even so, the email and calendaring features of my iPad 1 beat the socks off the what RIM has to offer. Say what you will, Apple got the basics right in iPad 1 -- they treated it as a giant iPhone, and made sure that the same features were available without any strings attached.

You'd think that RIM would have learnt by now...

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[the unbeliever]

I'm not excusing AT&T in the slightest. I'm a VZW customer and have been for over a decade.

I'm not even a Blackberry user (Though I used to be, and I do occasionally miss the superior email handling and BBM) -- It's just that creating a device that relies on tethering, which most providers charge extra for, if they allow it at all, to do *what people will probably do most* is ridiculous.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[peragrin]

for 90% of Americans you have verizon or AT&T, sprint is only useful inside of city limits.

Some cities have better verizon coverage, others have better AT&T coverage.

outside of cities all coverage quickly drops to voice calls only.(I know one parking spot that my signal goes from 3G to edge depending on how which way the wind is blowing.

there is a pretty stark difference in coverage depending on who is doing the coverage but in the end they are both horrible.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[peragrin]

so what the ipad doesn't do flash? have you ever actually used full flash on the xoom? I have and let me say it isn't pretty, works horrible, you can watch the battery meter shrink, but you can play flash videos.

Adobe is only working on making flash video's play smoothly. if you use a complex flash application or game you can watch the performance hit in real time.

The playbook will be treated the same as the xoom. a second class flash citizen with out full access to the full flash API.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

Were you the person responsible for RIM's debacle and I were your boss, you would be fired .. all for the reasons you describe (although you do so more from the point of view of an unrealistically patient RIM customer.

Taking customer money for zero customer gain has to be criminal unless RIM's added stupidity in announcing the inabilities of its product gives it an illegitimate legitimacy.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[c]

> What I don't understand is why RIM would launch a tablet or any
> mobile device without a calendar, contacts, or an email client.

Maybe they hired a bunch of ex-Palm people...

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[CharlyFoxtrot]

Please, Apple went the exact opposite direction: people were clamoring to let them tether their (wifi) iPad to their iPhone when the iPad first came out and they refused because they wanted the iPad to stand on its own.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[david_thornley]

The original iPad sold in very large numbers, so quite a few people weren't all that bothered by its deficiencies. However, the iPad, at that point, had no competitor. It defined the market, although it left obvious opportunities for improvement.

Currently, the iPad 2 is out, which rectifies some (not all) of the iPad's deficiencies, and there are some Android tablets available. Those set a standard that a new tablet will be judged on. There is a market definition, although still young and tentative, set by several products. More or less meet that and you're in the game, miss too much and you aren't.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[dskzero]

Good point. I had that point in mind, but I was probably clouded since tablets aren't my kind of product.

And @blackchinnet: these are the deficiencies it had.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[intheshelter]

"the software has potential"? Really? Hell EVERYTHING has potential!! Should we let every device maker off the hook when they release a shitty product?

The question is WHAT did they release? Crap. So they deserve to get slammed for it. You know damn well if Android or Apple released a tablet without mail, which required you to tether to your phone, that people would crucify them. Are RIM users so brainwashed from using horrible Blackberries that they don't see a crappy product because that is all they are used to?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Vancorps]

You mean because Apple wanted to force people to buy the 3G iPad instead. Apple did everything they could to make the higher end iPads look better. I give them credit for PR as apparently many people fell for it.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[c.r.o.c.o]

Posting this from an N900, so i will be brief. i bought this Nokia N900 for as much as the playbook retails because the hardware was amazing at the time (it still has a better camera than any other phone), it was running a full version of Linux and the software was "a coupe revisions away from being perfect." that was a year and a half ago.

what happened? Nokia released 3 revisions (one of which was at best minor) and then forgot they actually sold me a $600 device. So i learned my lesson. if the device is not perfect, or close, when i decide to buy it, then i don't buy it.

Mark my words, the playbook is doa, and in a year Rim will already have moved on leaving everybody with expensive paperweights.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[UnknowingFool]

Really? Hell EVERYTHING has potential!! Should we let every device maker off the hook when they release a shitty product?

No we should not. I did agree with the reviewer that the PlayBook is unfinished and incomplete, and I questioned why RIM just didn't wait until they had what I consider necessary functionality before launching.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

If you have a BlackBerry phone, you can use your PlayBook to access your email, then pass your PlayBook to your child and not worry that they will poke into your private mail or muck things up on you.

You can also have your employees pick up a PlayBook for use on the job, link it to their phone in the morning, unlink it at the end of their shift, and stick it back in storage till the next work day without having to worry about privacy issues.

It's uniquely suited to being used as a tool to accompany your smartphone. If that's what your requirements demand, there's nothing else that does what it does.

If you're complaining that you can't fit your sofa in your sportscar, the problem isn't the sportscar. Buy a truck.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean to tell me that you know that AT&T is blocking the bridge download, but you don't know that it can be directly installed on your AT&T blackberry phone? Do the research. If you do not do the research, how can you come to a well informed opinion. If i tell you jumping off a bridge will allow you to travel to another world, would you believe it? I hope you will do the research to evaluate what i said before taking my opinion as your own. I do not like it when one critic severely bashes a product with the Majority of reviews say otherwise (potential and et-cetera). The reviewers name should be Grumpy Old Man. The D.O.A. comment? It has sold more than Xoom and Samsung tablets on the 1st day. Yea, do the research.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[IamTheRealMike]

What deficiencies does he have in mind for the Xoom? Well, I mean except that it's not an iPad (this is Gruber after all)

Comparing the PlayBook and Xoom seems pretty ridiculous judging from this review. The Xoom does email out of the box, including a great Gmail integration. It runs every Android app out there today. Worst case scenario the UI is a bit too wide in landscape mode until you get a tablet optimized version. Other apps like games work perfectly. The UI is slick, responsive and easy to use. The web browser has more features like tabs and even an incognito mode. It does video chat well. I could go on ... but having used both I'd say it's a very strong competitor to the iPad.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

Did they hire the old Palm executives ? This is the same move as the Foleo

The Palm Foleo was a planned subnotebook computer that was announced by mobile device manufacturer Palm Inc. on May 30, 2007,[2] and canceled three months later. It intended to serve as a companion for smartphones including Palm's own Treo line.

Palm injected a huge amount of time and money into the concept and RIM just try to do the exact same thing ?!?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[RzUpAnmsCwrds]

for 90% of Americans you have verizon or AT&T, sprint is only useful inside of city limits.

AT&T + Verizon is actually closer to 60% of the market, not 90%.

And I can't comment about Sprint, but T-Mobile works fine for me all over Colorado, including in rural areas.

outside of cities all coverage quickly drops to voice calls only.(I know one parking spot that my signal goes from 3G to edge depending on how which way the wind is blowing.

Maybe you should stop using AT&T's shit network. Verizon and Sprint's networks are 100% CDMA2000 EV-DO.

And EDGE is not "voice calls only". It's not fast but it does work.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[CharlyFoxtrot]

Yes evil Apple offering 2 kinds of iPad, forcing people, so stupid they are falling for it, to buy the more expensive one. Give me a break and give people some credit. They offer a choice, then they're only trying to get you to buy the more expensive one; they make something simple, then it's too stupid; they make something full featured, then it's too expensive. You just can't please some people.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[green1]

This is one thing many consumers, and even more reviewers constantly fail to realize. The vast majority of manufacturers make their money from selling hardware and have no interest in doing upgrades for existing software. You MAY get one or two minor bug fixes released after you buy the device, but you will rarely get anything big because the manufacturer makes more money off you if you throw out the device and buy a new one.

I've bought many devices in the past that were amazing hardware, but with software that was "almost there" with the expectation that the manufacturer would continue to support it. I've been burned on almost every one of them. I've learned now.

Buy a device for what it is right now. Always assume that you have the final software version and that no future upgrades will ever happen. Most of the time you'll be right. Sometimes you will be pleasantly surprised when a manufacturer ships a new version. and just as often, the "new version" will turn out to be an ad-riddled piece of crippleware that takes away features you had when you bought it... (never upgrade without researching the upgrades first!)

Since changing my outlook on electronics it has been much harder for me to find what I think is "the right product", but I have been much more satisfied with my purchases.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Vancorps]

You're funny given that you're rationalizing not giving people the ability to tether the lower end iPad to their iPhone when it's a simple software decision that wouldn't have cost Apple anything to offer to the public. Apple did it simply to force people to buy the higher end iPad plain and simple. I didn't even say what they did was wrong although I believe it was. I was lamenting the fact that their PR had you making crazy justifications for spending more on an iPad. I'm quite impressed with this aspect of Apple actually. Back in the old days Microsoft was famous for PR like this, these days Apple is doing it the best. Always neat to see titans trade positions.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[green1]

The xoom has two major disadvantages over the ipad, and these 2 disadvantages have severely hurt it's sales, which in turn leads ipad lovers to label it a complete failure.
1) price. They didn't match or beat the ipad. Theoretically this shouldn't be an issue as it does more than the ipad, but people are always comparing the two on price without noticing all the extras the xoom has
2) marketing. everyone has heard of the ipad, almost nobody I talk to knows about any other tablet at all.

We're at the same point now with tablets that we were at with smart phones a couple of years ago, we had some marginal efforts from palm, blackberry, and a couple of others facing off against the iphone which was almost in a category of it's own. iphone sales took off and apple quickly became the dominant player in the smartphone world, then android came along, and now androids out-sell iphones by a very large margin. I think the market right now is at that same turning point for tablets, and will shift away from the ipad in the next year or two as more and more of the new generation of android tablets start to ship, many of them promising price points that match or beat the ipad, and some of them with many added features. (eg toshiba's new tablet which includes a full size HDMI port, full size and mini usb ports, full size SD car reader, a replaceable battery, and other goodies)

Don't get me wrong, Apple isn't gong to vanish, but just as we are with phones today, you'll no longer see a tablet and immediately assume it must be an ipad.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

You are an idiot

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

There was nothing to compare the first iPad to. There are two generations of iPads to compare these other tablets to, and guess what, they suck back in comparison.

One only has to look at your blog to see you are an Apple hater, and it definitely shows in your worthless comment.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[peragrin]

verizon and sprint aren't 100% CDMA2000 EV-DO speeds though.

why don't you try leaving your basement and find the real world. I know lots of area's where verizon EV-DO network is slower than AT&T edge and makes dial up look like a speed champ.

Area's where the land goes for $200,000 an acre, and multi million dollar mansions are strung out, and it has the cell phone coverage of a desert.

don't listen to the hype and do some real world tests. My company got tired of verizon's network slow speeds in their rural areas. it was so slow it would constantly drop calls.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[lsatenstein]

When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like an nail. So you own an IPOD, and that is your hammer. Nothing more to say except IPOD1 was the pits, an IPod version had antenna problems, and Apple still milks developers for any software that could be installed therein. Blackberry has security built-in. Blackberry is not for gamers or teens, it is for business people who work in finance, government, or other professions where security is essential to keep information confidential.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

It's DOA because you can't use email, calendars or contacts unless you attach it to your Blackberry phone, which AT&T has already blocked via AppWorld.

I would think think that for most of the corporate world ( where IPhone/IPad don't count ) that would be one of its features. Not having to pay for a second data plan is a big deal.

The problem I had had with it with it was the lack of useful apps.

As far as AT&T goes that is a boneheaded move on their part, not RIMs. As I don't live in the US or ever have to deal with AT&T I really could care less anyway.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

I've tethered my iPad to my iPhone 3G quite a few times. Perhaps the problem is more with the networks than with Apple?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

All RIM has done is to give a negative first impression of their product.

A silly thing to do when consumers' other, more obvious option is the iPad 2.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

Which deficiencies are these? Ones that most people don't care about too much in a tablet?

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[Anonymous Coward]

Hang on, iPad2 DOESN'T come with an office suite, $30 fixes that pretty quickly, therefore it's awesome compared with the Playbook which DOES come with an office suite, but doesn't come with an email app, but early-bird/gmail/yahoo/hotmail fix that pretty quickly. Riiiiight.

Re:Not Dead on Arrival

[thehumble1]

There's a better method. Buy something that has a huge following on XDA and let the real progs develop your software. There's a chance that the PlayBook will get a nice cult following and will play nice with an Android port and then it might stay viable for 2-3 years just on cooked ROMs alone.

And they botched the launch, too.

[twidarkling]

Not enough product shipped to stores (we got 3 64GB models, just enough to satisfy preorders on launch day), they didn't hype the fact that we'd be opening an hour early on launch day for those who wanted to pick up one, they didn't get a demo model out so people could play with it to entice more preorders, didn't get a demo out to stores so staff could learn a bit and show people fun stuff about it, or useful stuff about it, and accessories didn't reach the store for the most part until the day after launch or later. Three mediocre cases, that's all there was available for people to chose from. Seriously one of the worst product launches I've seen pretty much ever.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Murdoch5]

The product launch means nothing, the product quality means everything. Okay so the launch might not of gone well but over all the playbook is a better product then any tablet on the market. The launch is a small part of the product life cycle, What matters with how the device operates and stat for stat the playbook smokes the ipad hands down:

Operating system BlackBerry Tablet OS (QNX)
Power 5300 mAh
CPU 1 GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core processor
Storage capacity 16, 32 or 64 GB Flash
Memory 1 GB RAM
Display 7" LCD display 16:9 aspect ratio
Resolution: 1024 x 600 px (WSVGA) (1080p HDMI output)
Graphics PowerVR SGX540
Input Capacitive, Multi-touch, Touch Screen, GPS, Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), 6-Axis Motion Sensor (Gyroscope), Digital Compass (Magnetometer)
Camera Dual 1080p HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing)
Connectivity Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Online services 7digital & BlackBerry App World
Dimensions 5.1" x 7.6" x 0.4" (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
Weight 0.9lbs (425g)

And the ipad

Operating system iOS 4.3.2 Released April 14, 2011; 8 days ago (2011-04-14)
Power Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery 25 Wh (90 kJ)
CPU 1st Generation 1 GHz Apple A4
2nd Generation 1 GHz Apple A5
Storage capacity 16, 32, or 64 GB flash memory
Memory 1st Generation 256 MB DDR RAM
2nd generation 512 MB DDR2 RAM
Display 1024 × 768 px 132 PPI 4:3 aspect ratio 9.7 in (25 cm) diagonal XGA, LED-backlit IPS LCD
Graphics 1st generation PowerVR SGX 535 GPU
2nd generation PowerVR SGX543MP (cores: 2–4)
Input Multi-touch touch screen, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis accelerometer, digital compass 2nd Generation adds: 3-axis gyro
Camera 1st Generation: None
2nd Generation: Front-facing and 720p rear-facing
Connectivity Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR GSM models also include: UMTS / HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) CDMA model also includes: CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz) Online services iTunes Store, App Store, MobileMe, iBookstore Dimensions

1st generation
9.56 in (243 mm) (h)
7.47 in (190 mm) (w)
.5 in (13 mm) (d)
2nd generation
9.5 in (240 mm) (h)
7.31 in (186 mm) (w)
.34 in (8.6 mm) (d)
Weight Wi-Fi model: 1.5 lb (680 g)
Wi-Fi + 3G model: 1.6 lb (730 g)
2nd Generation: 1.33 lb (600 g)

Okay so the launch went bad, but point out where the iPad in anyway even contends with the playbook, the playbook will sell itself from being a much better product. The stats are there.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Anonymous Coward]

The specs mean NOTHING to the user if the user experience is horrible.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[dogmatixpsych]

Mod the parent 'Funny'. We all know that specs mean everything. Besides, those specs don't "smoke" the iPad. It looks pretty similar other than a smaller screen and better cameras. More RAM doesn't mean much because apps are designed to use much less RAM than what is in the tablet.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[bberens]

Apple generally doesn't win by having the best hardware stats.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[beelsebob]

Okay so the launch went bad, but point out where the iPad in anyway even contends with the playbook, the playbook will sell itself from being a much better product.

SOFTWARE.

As an aside though, I'll compare hardware too.
The Apple A5 *is* a Dual Core 1Ghz Cortex A9 CPU, so equal there.
The iPad 2's GPU is *two* PowerVR SGX 543s, so more than double the performance there.
The iPad's screen is higher resolution.
The two have roughly equal battery life.

So basically, the iPad beats or equals the Playbook on every spec except for RAM.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[obarthelemy]

The hardware is OK. The issue is the software. I don't have a BlackBerry phone, and don't plan to get one, so I need a full experience without linkage to a phone. It seems there are a lot a missing/unimplemented features, and a lot of badly done ones.

This is the case for all tablets, including the iPad, but Apple seems to have both fewer features missing, and to be better at doing the really important ones, and doing them right. Too bad they do their best to neuter the connectivity/interoperability features (no SD Slot ? No USB ? Come on !)

I really really REALLY don't want to get myself locked into iTunes for apps and content, and it seems there's no real way to use an iPad without doing so, but I haven't yet seen another tablet I think I'd enjoy using. On the software side, Android will probably get mostly there within a year. On the hardware side.. I just spent some time messing around with a Xoom. It feels much bulkier then an iPad2. And the eeePad, which seems better than the Xoom an all counts (including price), is bulkier still....

I hope non-iOS tablet software, whether Android, BlackBerry, or WebOS, will be feature-complete by next year, and the competition will be on who supplies the best extras, be it hardware or software. We've just got to wait a bit.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Midnight Thunder]

I am also curious why he even bothers comparing the first generation iPad. My 2011 device is better specced than your previous 2009 model!?

While hardware may matter, i feel it is the user experience that matters more. If I get a better user experience out of black box A, than block box B then I don't care what is inside.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Midnight Thunder]

Funnily enough it even beats the Xbox 360 in specs. This really shows that software can make a whole world of difference.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[beelsebob]

I'm not sure where you're getting that a dual core 1Ghz ARM beats a 3 core 3.2Ghz PPC, or that even the iPad 2's PVR SGX 543s beat the Xenos GPU. But certainly both of them have as much RAM as the XBox 360.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not enough product shipped to stores (we got 3 64GB models, just enough to satisfy preorders on launch day), they didn't hype the fact that we'd be opening an hour early on launch day for those who wanted to pick up one, they didn't get a demo model out so people could play with it to entice more preorders, didn't get a demo out to stores so staff could learn a bit and show people fun stuff about it, or useful stuff about it, and accessories didn't reach the store for the most part until the day after launch or later. Three mediocre cases, that's all there was available for people to chose from. Seriously one of the worst product launches I've seen pretty much ever.

The food here is terrible...and in such small portions!

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Anonymous Coward]

There was no demo because it wasn't ready to demo. If you demo this on launch day you'd realize it's not done let alone worth buying. With the countless updates RIM released prior to (and during launch), you can imagine how buggy it was a few weeks ago when they really needed to start demoing the product. It also comes to the simple fact, there's no demand, so no supply. Every Best Buy in the Boston area had them for sale on launch at 4pm. No lines, no hype, no bother...

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Darth Snowshoe]

I see what you did there. You listed the BB tablet's screen size in inches, and the Apple's screen size in pixels.

Also you left out price. Price is kind of a big deal. If I need to buy a BB phone on order to make the BB tablet work then the price of the phone should be included with the price of the Playbook.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[mikestew]

Okay so the launch went bad, but point out where the iPad in anyway even contends with the playbook, the playbook will sell itself from being a much better product. The stats are there.

I can't tell if you're serious, or trying to be funny. In case you're actually serious, this isn't a baseball game or a boxing match. "Stat for stat" doesn't mean crap to the average consumer standing there at Best Buy looking at the two (and I seriously don't think you could correctly guess what does matter).

Hell, I'm geeky enough that I should care about the stats, and even I wasn't going to sift through your laundry list.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Midnight Thunder]

Yeah, I got the CPU specs wrong. The point though I was trying to make, is that while hardware matters, how it is utilised matters even more.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[TheCouchPotatoFamine]

hahaha - anything these companies can do to sell hardware they didn't make without having to make any investment themselves. Make the damn software work already, everybody! and let's stop letting developers make rules about how things should be used. That's for psychologist, HIG experts... the guy writing code in emacs maybe doesn't get ease of use? ya think??

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Murdoch5]

You don't need a Blackberry phone to make the tablet work.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Murdoch5]

Then the average user can learn to read stats, I'm a nerd to and when someone ask for my opinion I tell them to look at the stats and then they can tell what to buy. By what your saying the average user should buy what there told to buy, that is the wrong idea altogether. Because users want to be blind to the real information doesn't mean they shouldn't understand it.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[mikestew]

Then the average user can learn to read stats, I'm a nerd to and when someone ask for my opinion I tell them to look at the stats and then they can tell what to buy.

That might work when buying a lawn mower, but it's a horrible approach when buying anything that runs software I can do little to change. Looking only at stats one ends up buying a point-and-shoot camera with more megapixels than my DSLR, and thinks it takes better pictures than that DSLR.

By what your saying the average user should buy what there told to buy, that is the wrong idea altogether.

No, what I'm saying is that users don't care diddly about nerdy stat sheets. What they do care about is the user experience, specs be damned. And the Playbook, from the sounds of it, has a less desirable UX than its competitors. When the Playbook fails in a spectacular manner, feel free to blame it on "Apple marketing", "iSheep", and "the Reality Distortion Field", because it couldn't have anything to do with the software sucking.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Darth Snowshoe]

I guess its a meaning we could dispute. By 'work' I am thinking of things like email, web browsing, accessing calendars, contacts, IM, text messaging, smart-phoney stuff like that. If instead you mean 'it does something when you power it on', then ok, it 'works'.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Not to mention developer experience.

http://blog.jamiemurai.com/2011/02/you-win-rim/

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Murdoch5]

Just because user's want the "User Experience" doesn't mean it's the right thing to look for. I'm very happy that you like so many people on this site can't read, it's amazing, literally amazing how many people just don't read.

feel free to blame it on "Apple marketing", "iSheep", and "the Reality Distortion Field"

Please point out where I ever said that! Of course you can so moving on something to reliant.

I have used an iPad and I have never wanted to get rid of a product faster. Apples UI or UX is so poor it's unmatched. Completely based on my own experience the Apple OS / UI design is just a complete pile of crap. I'd rather just have a terminal and select my own UI to run and leave it at that. Thats not everyone and that might no work for anyone else but me. The UI is only what the user interacts with, at least the Playbook has a functional UI unlike the iPad which has a lot of work before it becomes even 1/2 decent. Again that's me and I don't expect anyone else to follow that line of thinking, just the smart ones.

Re:And they botched the launch, too.

[Murdoch5]

The playbook has a web browser and there for access to email. I have no idea what your talking about here. Connecting your blackberry to the playbook allows you to sync from your BES or BIS into the playbook. All you've managed to prove is either you haven't seen a playbook or your a complete idiot and missed the big browser button in the ribbon.

it's usable for me

[Anonymous Coward]

The Infoworld article seems biased to me - I own one and it works brilliantly with my Blackberry phone, does what I need it to and will only get better over time. The phones DO suck but the tablet is based on a new OS that is leaps and bounds better than the phones. Word is the phones are supposed to start rolling out based on the new OS in the future.

Re:it's usable for me

[sglewis100]

The Infoworld article seems biased to me - I own one and it works brilliantly with my Blackberry phone, does what I need it to and will only get better over time. The phones DO suck but the tablet is based on a new OS that is leaps and bounds better than the phones. Word is the phones are supposed to start rolling out based on the new OS in the future.

That's kind of the best summary of the problem I've seen, even though you intended to compliment the device. So it would work better for me if I got a blackberry so I could tether and get the contacts, calendars, emails displayed (unless the phone battery went, in which case the content would disappear based on the reviews I've read, only to come back later). So I can have that today... but I have to swap out for a phone that "sucks".

Re:it's usable for me

[realityimpaired]

... and those among us who chose to buy an iPhone or Android-based phone because of better interface, more open ecosystem (yes, even an iPhone has a more open ecosystem than Blackberry), or any other of the myriad of reasons? Try turning your Blackberry phone off and tell me how useful the Playbook is, and whether you feel you were better off spending $600 on the Playbook, or $450 on a 13" laptop with an HSDPA card.

they sure do

[us7892]

I see far fewer blackberry devices where I work - where they once dominated. This tablet sounds bad. I guess I won't see one of these any time soon.

Re:they sure do

[davidbrit2]

Same here. Though we've got lots more iPhones, iPads, and Android phones in their place. Hmm... (And I haven't seen a single Windows Phone 7 device yet.)

Re:they sure do

[Mistah Blue]

Yes. I have a 9700 which I plan to replace with an iPhone at my next upgrade. This is my second 9700, as the first one ate batteries and had to be replaced. This current one's 30 day warranty is out, so if it fails I will replace with an iPhone immediately. I hope it lasts until the iPhone 5 comes out though.

Re:they sure do

[Anonymous Coward]

I see far fewer blackberry devices where I work - where they once dominated. This tablet sounds bad. I guess I won't see one of these any time soon.

We still have Blackberrys, but our contract with Sprint is up soon and we're switching to AT&T. We could keep the BBs, but AT&T sells iPhone 3GS to any guy off the street for $49 - what'll they do if we order 3000? More importantly, it gets them a contract with a 20,000-employee hospital.

On the tablet front, we're already porting our patient-care apps to iPad (or maybe just run them on our Citrix farm). Either way, docs will only have to deal with a single light-weight device, instead of hunting down a free computer at the nurses' station.

Re:they sure do

[Anonymous Coward]

If RIM wasn't mismanaged, you'd see the windows of offices everywhere thrown open, and iPhones and Android phones hurled to their doom from the fifth story.

Sadly, RIM can't figure out that the niche they owned, that they could not be threatened in, was portable business devices. They're now pursuing the mass market, trying to make Blackberry into some glitzy teenybopper phone. This will be the death of RIM, mark my words. ...Can anyone recommend an Android app that will let me set different alerts for different texts and e-mails? Or is real functionality too hard for 'droid? *sigh* Fuck you, RIM, I need a viable Blackberry, not your LOL LOOK GAIS A CAMERA bullshit.

I read the title differently...

[Yuioup]

A better title would be:

RIP BlackBerry PlayBook: Unfinished, Unusable

AT&T seems to be the problem?

[kevinmenzel]

The article seems to be mostly aimed at AT&T's lack of bridge support - which by the way, can be bypassed by the way, quite easily - as you can just grab a link for bridge off the net, as opposed to AppWorld. So if you aren't on AT&T - which quite frankly, describes most of the Blackberry using world - this thing is still a great companion to the Blackberry. Plus this review reeks of confirmation bias. Essentially this "review" boils down to "I was expecting it to be bad, and I think it's bad, and AT&T makes it worse, and I can't even be bothered to do a quick look through Blackberry community sites to see if my main gripe with AT&T can be rectified, because I don't want to be wrong."

Re:AT&T seems to be the problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

He did bypass AT&T's block to Install Bridge, but the Table still sound like junk.

But the fact that it can't do simple exchange E-mail without a Blackberry within close proximity, open running, and bridged(which takes about a minute) is insane.

Lame...You can get 2 netbooks or an iPad for the same price and have something useful.

Re:AT&T seems to be the problem?

[Carewolf]

He did bypass the AT&T problem, so he is better than what you describe. Try going to page 2.

But yeah: There is an insane amount of confirmation bias added on top of several geniune concerns.

I am starting to think of hardware reviews are like pick-ups, without a good opener, the product is destined to crash'n'burn in reviews, and nobody does openers better than Apple.

Re:AT&T seems to be the problem?

[Andy Dodd]

Even without the AT&T block, the fact that this tablet needs the bridge is ridiculous.

There are Tegra 2 tablets with fully functional WiFi for far less (ViewSonic 10" G-Tablet is $300)

Re:AT&T seems to be the problem?

[drinkypoo]

ViewSonic 10" G-Tablet is $300

Who actually makes it, though? Viewsonic has been pushing a lot of rebranded garbage lately...

Re:AT&T seems to be the problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ummm did you read The article? On the second page he specifically mentions using instructions from crackberry.com to install the bridge software on his AT&T blackberry.

Re:phones also suck

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

As long as you stick exclusively within the email interface, things aren't so bad. It's just if you happen to venture out that life gets a bit dire.

Part of the Blackberry experience has been being honed since before blackberries were phones at all. The other part is a me-to tack-on. It isn't too hard to tell which is which...

Re:phones also suck

[pacificleo]

they got best email integration for phone . BBM is pretty good . Yes they still got soe work to do in App space and it takes awefully long time to re boot the device but hey its not that bad if you ask me . they have got a Legeacy to support too .

Does POP/IMAP work or not?

[guanxi]

Which is it? On the first page the author writes,

You can't connect to POP, IMAP, or Exchange servers directly from the tablet, as you can from an iOS or Android device -- you must have a BlackBerry tethered via Bluetooth using the BlackBerry Bridge application

But then on page 3 he writes,

But if you don't use BlackBerry tethering, then you have no security, as you must use standard IMAP and POP connections to your email.

Which is it? And why can't you use standard security for your your standard IMAP and POP connections (i.e., SSL)?

Re:Does POP/IMAP work or not?

[UnknowingFool]

I'm not sure. I think he means to say in it's present state, the device does not seem have an option for encrypting those connections if you are using them directly. If you are using a Blackberry tether, the Blackberry is doing all the encryption as the bridge. Maybe there was a setting he missed or RIM hasn't put it in yet.

Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Junta]

I admit I haven't tracked Blackberry much, but I remember many of us at worked had smartphones that implemented general standards (e.g. becoming a usb mass storage for getting files on and off via usb cable). Meanwhile, the blackberry users were still forced to use weird, proprietary programs to get at the device because RIM wouldn't implement standards. Once upon a time, this was typical, just like Palm's Hotsync, but those days should be long behind us except that RIM props it up.

Then I read in a review that the playbook does the same BS, requiring proprietary, RIM-only software that only works with Windows and OSX. Most of the world has this figured out, don't see why RIM is still going this route.

Then I see they decided to tie email/calendaring etc to a blackberry handset with *no* option to do it without it. Further complicating things, it looks like AT&T forbade it on their stuff.

Even with new shiny UI elements, they are in many ways stuck in their annoying ways. Of course, it's probably no coincidence they are annoying as hell *and* are so popular in the 'enterprise' space.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[DaftDev]

Of course, it's probably no coincidence they are annoying as hell *and* are so popular in the 'enterprise' space.

That pretty much sums up my feelings on Cisco as well. Companies like this think that they can charge a markup on their products because it is "enterprise proven", but it's only a matter of time until a company like Apple/Google or Juniper/Sonicwall comes along and offers a compelling reason to switch.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Joe Jay Bee]

I admit I haven't tracked Blackberry much, but I remember many of us at worked had smartphones that implemented general standards (e.g. becoming a usb mass storage for getting files on and off via usb cable)

Derp. My Curve and Bold both used mass storage just fine.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Anonymous Coward]

I admit I haven't tracked Blackberry much, but I remember many of us at worked had smartphones that implemented general standards (e.g. becoming a usb mass storage for getting files on and off via usb cable). Meanwhile, the blackberry users were still forced to use weird, proprietary programs to get at the device because RIM wouldn't implement standards. Once upon a time, this was typical, just like Palm's Hotsync, but those days should be long behind us except that RIM props it up.

When was this? Their devices have acted as USB mass storage for several years now.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[DiSKiLLeR]

When was this? Their devices have acted as USB mass storage for several years now.

Indeed. And yet apple products STILL won't show up as USB mass storage devices...

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Midnight Thunder]

For the iPhone take a look at 'Good' from 'Good Technologies'. The company I work for uses it, though while not perfect it does allow you to keep your contacts and calendars separate from the company ones.

I should mention the company I work for is a large multinational - the sort of company RIM should be worried about defecting.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[rxan]

Then I read in a review that the playbook does the same BS, requiring proprietary, RIM-only software that only works with Windows and OSX. Most of the world has this figured out, don't see why RIM is still going this route.

You mean like iTunes?

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Anonymous Coward]

desktop manager just wraps up those things for newbs. playbook appears to be using samba. device files are accessed generally via an automapped network drive over netusb. also you are able access device files over wlan obviously via samba. and yes the phones do use usb mass storage, and desktop manager just uses those mass storage drives, oh and some of the new ones also support mtp too.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Anonymous Coward]

playbook appears as a samba network share out-of-the-box. no drivers or wires required.
AT&T blocked the bridge download, but it is available from other sources (www.crackberry.com) until AT&T wrap up their testing.
native email, etc. are coming this summer. they decided to focus on the blackberry email tie-in first.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[brunes69]

Yes because a device will never become popular without implementing standards like USB Mass Storage... oh wait.. iPhone perhaps? The iPhone is basically the most un-standard locked-down device around. There is a free standard for each and every thing the iPhone can do, and apple doesn't implement any of them out of the box - the only way to do it (if you can at all) is jailbreak the device and/or install a ton of paid third-party apps.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Anonymous Coward]

USB Mass Storage, or SMB on WiFi, are too "weird" and "proprietary" for you?

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[lokedhs]

Last I looked the i-devices were unable to sync without a proprietary application that only works on Windows or OSX.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[DaftDev]

Thanks for the information, we're actually looking at Good for Android management where I work. Their separation of work and personal data is a big selling point.

Re:Also appears to contain typical RIM..

[Midnight Thunder]

I should mention the company I work for is in the finance sector and for that reason restricts the use to non-jailbroken iPhones and iPads. Because they are under the scrutiny of regulators, they need to balance out offering a way of providing access to e-mails, while at the same time preventing data leaving unmonitored channels. Also for this reason we can't copy and paste between other applications.

There is one point where Good needs to improve on: stability, since it will crash a few times a week.

As John Gruber said

[mr100percent]

As John Gruber, of Daring Fireball, said:

I don’t understand why so many reviewers bend over backwards to grade these things on a curve. If the iPad 2 had the problems and deficiencies the Xoom and PlayBook have, these same reviewers would (rightly) trash it, and declare (again, rightly) that Apple had finally lost its Midas touch.

These aren’t “beta” tablets. They’re bad tablets. It’s that simple. It’s true that their hardware seems closer to iPad-caliber than their software, but improving software is the hardest part of making products like these. By the time RIM releases “a serious software update or three” the entire market will have changed. The truth is, Motorola, Samsung, and now RIM have released would-be iPad competitors that pale compared to the iPad. Just say it.

The mass market doesn’t buy, and doesn’t want to buy, products based on what they might become months from now if these companies somehow dramatically improve the software. They buy products for what they are today, out of the box. Motorola and RIM and Samsung are Apple’s industry peers. These are the big leagues, this is The Show. They’re charging customers real money to buy these things. They should be judged by the same standards. Judging these things on a curve is the flip side of my criticism of Walt Mossberg’s iPad 2 review:

Stating the plain truth, that the iPad 2 has no serious competition as a mainstream consumer device, doesn’t make you biased. It makes you accurate.

Re:As John Gruber said

[pleasegetreal]

My Xoom is faster and has better integration with my work applications than the iPad2. Why would I want to dumb down the way I work to buy an iPad2? This is after all "The Big Leagues" and facts matter as opposed to believing advertising hype. From my perspective, for people that actually use their tablets for work related tasks, only someone who likes to work more slowly and inefficiently would purchase an iPad2.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

I don't know about this. He's not wrong, per se, but he's missing a key point: these devices do things an iPad can not and will not ever do. And (probably) vice versa. So yeah, my Xoom market crashes on occasion and I have to reopen it, but I also have a bunch of widgets all over my home screen. And while my instability will eventually be fixed, the iPad will never have widgets. Point being, if you assume the iPad and the Xoom (or Playbook) are the same except that one has some problems then his point is valid, but if you see them as different products with their own ups and downs then he doesn't make so much sense. For every downside to the non-iPad there's an upside to counter it. In that context, it doesn't make sense to "trash" these other tablets. They're just better in some ways and worse in others, and the value you place on each of these features/bugs will direct the scores you hand out.

Note: if you don't see the upsides of the non-iPads of the world as upsides then this can't apply, but then these products were never meant for you anyway. If you don't like widgets and customizability, you probably weren't in the market for a Xoom to begin with, and the same goes for the Playbook and its Blackberry Bridge.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Desler]

these devices do things an iPad can not and will not ever do.

Like having a non-functioning SD card slot in the cause of the Xoom?

Re:As John Gruber said

[itsdapead]

So yeah, my Xoom market crashes on occasion and I have to reopen it, but I also have a bunch of widgets all over my home screen. And while my instability will eventually be fixed, the iPad will never have widgets.

Woah! that's two big assumptions! You have no guarantee that your Xoom will be fixed (still waiting for SVG support and, more importantly, internet proxy support for my Android phone), nor can you know that iOS will never have widgets - if there is enough demand Apple may well add them (as they did with multitasking).

Hell, I wouldn't even bet against Apple relenting on Flash if it started losing them sales - but it doesn't sound as if people are bowled over by Flash on the few Android systems that now support it.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Anonymous Coward]

So yeah, my Xoom market crashes on occasion and I have to reopen it, but I also have a bunch of widgets all over my home screen. And while my instability will eventually be fixed, the iPad will never have widgets.

Right, because writing userspace toys is WAAAAAAAY harder than fixing OS-level instability, amirite? It's like saying, "sure, my Windows 98 box may crash a lot, but Linux doesn't have MINESWEEPER!"

Re:As John Gruber said

[hey!]

On the other hand, there are those who can't review a tablet without gushing over the iPad in every other paragraph. Now the iPad is obviously a very good device, but I suspect these reviewers as using it as a *benchmark*, as if the only viable path for other tablet developers is to clone the iPad as closely as possible.

The Playbook is obviously a different product concept from the iPad. That does not automatically make it a bad one, although I suspect the concept was motivated by the classic high tech business mistake of fearing to cannibalize sales of one's existing products. The PlayBook is a *companion* product for Blackberry phones. It's an *accessory*. Right from there most reviewers seem eager to write the device off because it has limited appeal to non-Blackberry users, but that's simply not reasonable. Just because a device is not useful to *you* doesn't mean it's not useful to *anyone*. Provided that such a companion product is executed and marketed well, it *could* meet the needs of *some* users and generate profits for RIM. That's a big proviso, though, because launching such a product in the wake of the iPad2 and the first of a wave of highly capable Android tablets could well be the marketing equivalent of spitting into the wind. The standards for successful marketing and execution in this scenario are very high. A good case can be made that RIM missed the mark, for example by failing to ensure the PlayBook could be tethered to Blackberry phones on all carriers that sell them. That's a major marketing (not technical) failure.

Still, I think reviewers should erect a firewall between their critique of the product concept from a business standpoint, and their critique of the execution. That would make their review more informative and credible. I think they should say, "I think RIM's attempt to avoid cannibalizing sales of the Blackberry by marketing a companion device is a bad idea. They should produce something more like an iPad clone with Blackberry functionality, even though that will encourage many users to buy a different phone and use the PlayBook for email. That said, if you are a Blackberry user looking for a companion device, here's what you need to know." It's fine if they go on to conclude the device is a piece of crap and would be too expensive even if it weren't, but they should show a little more critical rigor in reaching that conclusion.

Re:As John Gruber said

[inAbsurdum]

And while my instability will eventually be fixed, the iPad will never have widgets.

I wouldn't be so sure about either of those statements. All OSes have some instability issues, it seems. Something gets patched, another thing gets botched... And Apple has flagged for significant changes in iOS 5, so widgets could very well make their way onto the iPad home/lock screen.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

Ok, sorry, those absolutes should be expanded a bit. The Xoom is almost certain to have its issues fixed. There's no reason to expect Google will be abandoning it any time soon and they have a pretty good track record in general and with Android specifically. As for the widgets, well, never is a long time and anything can happen, but it seems highly unlikely. And anyway, widgets are just one example I used to make my overall point: different products, different features.

As an aside, despite my Android love, I hate flash. I'm happy to have the option on my devices, but I'm also happy that a large, influential company is doing everything they can to kill it. Flash can go die in a fire for all I care.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

Apple re-architecting their home launcher to support widgets would be a pretty huge change, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Also, I've had no OS-level instability with my Xoom. Browser, market, and launcher crashes, yes, but I've yet to have an issue requiring a reboot. And finally, the question is not one of difficulty anyway. I'm merely pointing out that these products aim to do different things.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

Precisely!

But honestly, it still has 32gb of space built in, so the sd card expandability is (or, more accurately, will be) a nice bonus, not a requirement. They're certainly taking their sweet time with it, though.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Anonymous Coward]

That sounds like the checkbox feature game. Xoom supports widgets, iPad doesn't, so +1 for Xoom? No Flash at ship, but one (non specific day that did come to pass) = another +1. 4G one day = +1?

The feature set only matters to a point. It also matters how well the device works and what it does day one out of the box. The Xoom was shipped in an unfinished state. The Playbook was shipped in an unfinished state. That's Gruber's main point. The iPad did everything Apple said it would out of the box day one and could be reviewed honestly. Later OS upgrades added more features later, features unannounced and not marked as launch features. The Xoom doesn't support SD cards out of the box, nor does it support 4G or Flash. These were key features talked about for it, and it didn't do any of these day one. Launch reviews mention this, but have no way to factor in how good or bad 4G or Flash is. And same for the Playbook, lots of potential additional features announced down the road, but not at ship. It's possible the delayed features will have a negative impact on the device once they do arrive. But since the units shipped unfinished, the main reviews will have no mention of the downsides, and those reviews may not be updated later.

Review and judge what products actually do at the time of the review, and ding them if it's missing promised features. Seems fair to me, instead of trying to pass off missing features as something that is okay. What it really means is the product was released too soon, and the first paying customers are paying to test, having to wait to get what they fully paid for.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Man On Pink Corner]

As for the widgets, well, never is a long time and anything can happen, but it seems highly unlikely.

Consider all of the major features in the iPhone/iPad that were actively denied or disparaged by Apple, only to pop up out of nowhere at the next press conference.

- 3G
- SDK for native applications
- Enterprise integration
- GPS
- Multitasking
- Cut and paste
- Probably several I'm forgetting (and never mind all of their about-faces on individual apps like Google Voice)

Not hard to imagine widgets being next on the list, is it? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jobs or his successor waving a Flash-enabled iPhone on stage this summer, extolling it as an unprecedented advance in magical different-thinkery.

That's how they've always operated -- everything sucks and is useless/unwanted/irrelevant/uncool, up until it's actually ready to ship, at which point it's suddenly indispensible.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

Fair enough, I get the point. All I'm saying is that, while you can ding them for missing features or bugs or whatever, you can't just ignore the additional features that do exist. You can't just say something like "they're bad tablets" and point to a lack of an email client (for example). Some people don't care so much about an email client. For some people, the bridge is more than enough. You can't point out that the sd card doesn't work on launch while ignoring the fact that the iPad will never have an sd card and complain about unfair relative review scores. There are positives and negatives to all products, and you can't just "trash" one product because its positives and negatives don't match up with your favorite product. It has its own set of ups and downs to be weighed.

Re:As John Gruber said

[SvnLyrBrto]

> Point being, if you assume the iPad and the Xoom (or Playbook)
> are the same except that one has some problems then his point is
> valid, but if you see them as different products with their own ups
> and downs then he doesn't make so much sense.

See, the thing is though that the Xoom and Tab and Playbook and such aren't being marketed and sold as their own unique and different products, with their own unique and different ups and downs. Just look at any given Slashdot article in which both iOS and Android are mentioned. They (And Android devices in general.) are being marketed and sold as: "iPad/iPhone Killers", "making the drastic inroad's into Apple's market share that will make Steve Jobs irrelevant", the hammers that are going to drive the final nails into Apple's coffin and forever rid the world of fruity/gay/stupid/whatever computers.

Given the context in which the Android/RIM/Moto/Samsung crowd choose to frame things; I think it is quite appropriate to point out their shortcomings compared to the iPad/iOS. Any advantages they have will certainly be compared to and lauded over iOS (As you have done in your own post: "my instability will eventually be fixed, the iPad will never have widgets".)

Re:As John Gruber said

[93 Escort Wagon]

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jobs or his successor waving a Flash-enabled iPhone on stage this summer, extolling it as an unprecedented advance in magical different-thinkery.

Oh, no no no NO - please, in the name of all that is holy - NO.

I agree with Antimatter3009... Flash needs to die in a fire. After being beaten to a pulp and subjected to a thousand paper cuts. After being forced to watch ten thousand dancing gerbils.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

Right, comparisons are fine. They compete in the same space against each other, so it's helpful to compare them in certain areas. I don't take issue with comparisons and I don't take issue with knocking the review scores down because of the various problems/missing features. What I do take issue with is saying things like "they're bad tablets" because they don't compare favorably to a specific product on a specific feature. I take issue with "They should be judged by the same standards". Apple doesn't get to set what standard tablets are judged by.

For example, you could argue that Apple's browser is more stable, but Google's browser has more features and a nicer interface. Why does Apple necessarily win that comparison? If you are only concerned about stability, sure, but that's just one consideration. Google's is plenty stable for me and the interface makes it better overall IMO. Or, similarly, the Playbook lacks an email client, but it has the Bridge software. I've never used an email client on my tablet or phone, I just use gmail, so that's not necessarily a big deal. Now, I'm just one person, but that's exactly the point. Just because the occasional crash or missing piece of software completely ruins your experience doesn't mean that it ruins it for everyone. These other tablets shouldn't be "trashed" just because they have different pros and cons, and if someone can't recognize that there are pros and cons to every product then they're just blinded by fanboyism.

Re:As John Gruber said

[david_thornley]

When did Apple disparage those? All I remember is being told I didn't actually need those, and that they didn't, at the time, know how to make those work the Apple way. In fact, I'm yet to use cut and paste on mine.

Re:As John Gruber said

[david_thornley]

For every downside to the non-iPad there's an upside to counter it. In that context, it doesn't make sense to "trash" these other tablets. They're just better in some ways and worse in others, and the value you place on each of these features/bugs will direct the scores you hand out.

This makes it sound like all tablets are equal, just in their own special way. That isn't the case. The upsides and downsides are not automatically equally paired. If one tablet has too many downsides and not enough upsides, it's proper for a reviewer to trash it. (The reviewer should detail the pros and cons well, so people can reasonably decide to differ. A really good reviewer can pan something in a way that can make me make an informed decision for myself.)

There's a lot of talk around here about children being treated as special snowflakes, each equal in their own way, and it's usually negative. Thing is, it's much closer to being true with children than consumer devices. Each child is a person, with all the moral complications that brings. Machines have no moral rights or responsibilities. If the iPad and Android tablets will suit most people better than the Blackberry equivalent, despite being out first, then Blackberry deserves to be roasted.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Antimatter3009]

Right, I wasn't trying to argue that all tablets are equal. It's just statements like "If the iPad 2 had the problems and deficiencies the Xoom and PlayBook have, these same reviewers would (rightly) trash it" that irk me. Just flatly stating it like that totally ignores the pros that bring the scores back up. Essentially it feels like he's saying that the other tablets don't do the things Apple does well as well as Apple does (woah), so they deserve to be trashed. Apple prides itself on "look and feel", so look and feel is what gets reviewed heavily. Google pushes different features, so trashing it because the "look and feel" isn't Apple quality isn't fair. Or, another example, BlackBerry seems to care about integration with their phones, and the consensus seems to be that they put a lot of effort into that and did a reasonably good job. "Trashing" them for lacking an email client isn't fair because it ignores the features they actually focused on.

That's not to say that we should ignore the negatives, just that we shouldn't also ignore the positives.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Anonymous Coward]

while cloning can be an avenue, why not just make it better then the current standard...the playbook is not better, at all, compared to either the xoom, galaxy or ipad...and while i find the idea of the atrix intriguing making one device dependent on another fails hard, these are not disposable products yet, you can't market a product where you can't lose/upgrade your phone and then be left with a non functioning counterpart...how many people do you know with laptop docks?, useful you bet, get a new laptop and you likely have to find a new dock, now triple the price/commitment. While i have the mean to upgrade my laptop or phone quite regularly, this is not the market norm...contracts and credit card bills don't just disappear.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Slutticus]

Examples? I'm currently on the fence between the ipad2 (jailbroken) and the Xoom. What types of applications do you use at work? Word processing or other specialized apps?

Re:As John Gruber said

[mr100percent]

Apple didn't actively disparage these things, some of them just were not ready for market or not ready for the 1.0 iPhone.

3G in 2007? AT&T didn't have the network ready, and Apple couldn't find a battery to accomodate it that would fit in the case.
Enterprise? Apple had it ready by iPhone OS 2.0
etc.

Re:As John Gruber said

[mr100percent]

Like it or not, the iPad is now considered the gold standard of tablets. Anyone competing will have to outdo the features or provide a unique feature Apple can't deliver.

If Motorola is going to market their Xoom, which costs more than an iPad, weighs more than an iPad, is bigger than an iPad, has less apps in its app marketplace than an iPad, and has shorter battery life than an iPad, then why shouldn't a reviewer say it's a bad tablet for your money?

Re:As John Gruber said

[Slutticus]

- Multitasking

- Cut and paste

I don't remember apple disparaging these two, maybe something about "wating to get it right" (whatever that means).

also:

...Hell, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jobs or his successor waving a Flash-enabled iPhone on stage this summer, extolling it as an unprecedented advance in magical different-thinkery.

Not a chance in hell.

Re:As John Gruber said

[aristotle-dude]

My Xoom is faster and has better integration with my work applications than the iPad2. Why would I want to dumb down the way I work to buy an iPad2? This is after all "The Big Leagues" and facts matter as opposed to believing advertising hype. From my perspective, for people that actually use their tablets for work related tasks, only someone who likes to work more slowly and inefficiently would purchase an iPad2.

Would you care to elaborate on this because it sounds like hyperbole. The main browser on Android uses webkit and webkit is maintained by Apple. The frameworks offered by Apple and third parties for iOS are far more robust. Do you mean to tell us that you use flash for "work" applications? Really? So you guys never heard of CSS, Javascript and HTML? Regardless, you could simply publish whatever apps you need via something like citrix and have it available to other remote clients and not just mobile. The apps would be nicely sandboxed too so you would have less worry about having to us a VPN and could just have an RSA token login scheme on the firewall.

Re:As John Gruber said

[aristotle-dude]

these devices do things an iPad can not and will not ever do.

Like having a non-functioning SD card slot in the cause of the Xoom?

Working SD card slot built into a device could be seen as a liability by corporate security especially if apps could save arbitrary data on it. Corporate security hates having removable storage. The camera connection kit is not a liability in a corporate environment because it can only be used to transport photos.

Re:As John Gruber said

[aristotle-dude]

Apple re-architecting their home launcher to support widgets would be a pretty huge change, but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Also, I've had no OS-level instability with my Xoom. Browser, market, and launcher crashes, yes, but I've yet to have an issue requiring a reboot. And finally, the question is not one of difficulty anyway. I'm merely pointing out that these products aim to do different things.

If Lion OS X is any indication, they will have a separate space for widgets rather than cluttering up the homescreen unnecessarily. It might be accessible via an app stub or some screen gestures in a future iOS iteration.

Re:As John Gruber said

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

I initially thought the PB being an accessory device to a BB would be an awesome idea.

However. With the big selling points being that it runs flash and run android apps but lacks email and basic productivity apps means that RIM forgot who their audience is. And it's not people in the market for tablets that can run android apps and play flash games.

Re:As John Gruber said

[bigstrat2003]

The problem with this gentleman's perspective is that he believes the iPad is worth imitating.

Re:As John Gruber said

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

You mean to tell me the Xoom shipped with a non working sd card slot?!

Are you fucking serious?

Makes me wonder what else they neglected under the hood.

Further more. With a year out from the iPad 1, why should we expect anyone other than hardcore tech geeks to find
this experience compelling? If I had to chose between a tablet that worked now and one that had to wait for patches to get advertised functionality working now, im going with the iPad.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Desler]

I wish I had been making it up. The thing is you need a custom kernel just to get it to work!

Re:As John Gruber said

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

what boggles my mind is, isn't an SD Card slot a damn near driver-less feature? Aren't most SD card slots attached via the usb bus even on integrated SOCs? Even if it wasn't, why didn't their SOC vendor provide them with a driver? Wait, isn't the SOC powering it a tegra2? I know nVidia doesn't sleep on the job like that. What the hell.

Re:As John Gruber said

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Actually, Springboard, the main OS shell, has a slot one section to the left of the apps list that would be *perfect* for widgets.

It would be a minor change to the API to have anything that relies on push technology to write to a table details of the latest push.

I still think widgets aren't terribly useful. there's really not much you can fit into a tiny box. my twitter feed is incredibly active, as is my inbox, calendar, etc. But hey, Apple hasn't disparaged them, I have, and if they add widgets, I'll probably find a way to turn them off.

Re:As John Gruber said

[lsatenstein]

As John Gruber, of Daring Fireball, said:

I don’t understand why so many reviewers bend over backwards to grade these things on a curve. If the iPad 2 had the problems and deficiencies the Xoom and PlayBook have, these same reviewers would (rightly) trash it, and declare (again, rightly) that Apple had finally lost its Midas touch.

These aren’t “beta” tablets. They’re bad tablets. It’s that simple. It’s true that their hardware seems closer to iPad-caliber than their software, but improving software is the hardest part of making products like these. By the time RIM releases “a serious software update or three” the entire market will have changed. The truth is, Motorola, Samsung, and now RIM have released would-be iPad competitors that pale compared to the iPad. Just say it.

The mass market doesn’t buy, and doesn’t want to buy, products based on what they might become months from now if these companies somehow dramatically improve the software. They buy products for what they are today, out of the box. Motorola and RIM and Samsung are Apple’s industry peers. These are the big leagues, this is The Show. They’re charging customers real money to buy these things. They should be judged by the same standards. Judging these things on a curve is the flip side of my criticism of Walt Mossberg’s iPad 2 review:

Stating the plain truth, that the iPad 2 has no serious competition as a mainstream consumer device, doesn’t make you biased. It makes you accurate.

I just replaced my cellphone with a cellphone. For $60.00 it does everything I need to do with this simple device. It can send and receive calls, I can text, and I can fit it into my shirt pocket. It does not have a touch screen, so, do I care? (Answer is No). I have 5 hours of talk time, 12 days of standby time. My phone can get stolen, stepped on, doused with water, and I won't cry. For $40 I can replace it. What a waste of money to spend on IPads in order to keep up with the Jones. What do my kids and I need that absolutely is essential to owning an overpriced gadget?

Re:As John Gruber said

[Anonymous Coward]

And while my instability will eventually be fixed...

Of course it will. Removing instability from an OS is trivial!

... the iPad will never have widgets.

Why do you say that? Has Apple made such a statement? Can't Apple borrow some widgets code from OS X?

Re:As John Gruber said

[lokedhs]

No Gruber, it makes you a fanboy.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Ol Olsoc]

Sounds like a feature? This part doesn't work, but that's a good thing?

Re:As John Gruber said

[Ol Olsoc]

Leslie, you had me agreeing right up to the comparison between a cell phone and an IPad. Not even the same thing. Maybe a regular cell and an IPhone.

Re:As John Gruber said

[lsatenstein]

I believe that with texting and email on the cell (I have a $60.00 Samsung), with earphone and mike, that it is all that I need and probably all that 99.9% of others need. So it is the 10th commandment (I am not very religious, but ... ) Thou shall not covet.... Which means jealousy that other person has an IPOD and I must have one too.

Re:As John Gruber said

[Anonymous Coward]

"And while my instability will eventually be fixed, the iPad will never have widgets"

So you're falling into the fallacy that Gruber is specifically warning against, unless your crystal ball works better than the rest of ours. I personally don't think that the widget experience will "never" happen on the iPad. We do have iOS5 coming soon and Apple is doing what it can to create divides in the iPad and iPhone experience without dramatically altering how we use both devices, further, the addition of the search screen is in itself a great home for widgets, much like the Dashboard of OS X. And I believe it's fair for me to imagine a day where widgets (which I don't necessarily need) exist on my iPad if you can imagine a day where your entire device's stability is fixed (and it moves out of a "beta" experience) before Xoom 2.0 is released.

 

Older email clients supported.

[bipedalhominid]

It does however support Pegasus email client.

Re:Older email clients supported.

[raju1kabir]

If it can't run Eudora, then forget about it.

Re:Older email clients supported.

[93 Escort Wagon]

It does however support Pegasus email client.

Yes, now THERE'S a feature I hear people clamoring for!

It's 2011, not 1994.

Re:phones also suck

[Ephemeriis]

they got best email integration for phone . BBM is pretty good . Yes they still got soe work to do in App space and it takes awefully long time to re boot the device but hey its not that bad if you ask me . they have got a Legeacy to support too .

Best email integration for a phone?

Maybe if you're willing to pay for an Enterprise Server... I've never worked any place that ran one of those. Might be absolutely wonderful if you run your own BES. But if you're trying to do without a BES? Painful.

Both my Droid and the iPhones I've had to support work far better than any BlackBerry I've ever touched. Email setup is painless. Email synchronization is flawless. Navigating your messages works great. Sending, receiving... All superior to the BlackBerry.

Maybe

[brokeninside]

We may do well to remember that the iPhone was the second iTunes branded phone. Apple's first phone was the Motorola ROKR.

That the ROKR was pants doesn't seem to have hurt Apple's later success with the iPhone. That the first edition of the Playbook is pants doesn't necessarily mean that the product line is dead in the water.

Now, one can certainly make the argument that given Blackberry's reputation, further generations are unlikely to be significantly better. But that's really a different argument.

Re:Maybe

[obarthelemy]

The ROKR was a Motorola phone, with access to iTunes. Not an Apple Phone.

The Playbook is a full-on RIM tablet. Releasing it with unfinished software is a very risky move. They might not survive the negative reviews, may not be able to fix it fast enough... I understand RIM (and Motorola) wanting to get their feet wet and damn the torpedoes, but with a much better finished (and, arguably, designed) eeePad, and HP's WebOS thingy, and others, just around the corner, RIM and Moto may end up looking like premature ejaculators trying to compete with experienced lovers.

Re:Maybe

[Midnight Thunder]

You make a fair point. This will hopefully be a lesson learnt for RIM and hopefully they think about what the next generation needs to be about and release something worthy of contention.

They have to realize they are now in a market where consumer preference is almost a bigger factor than enterprise preference, so they need to appeal to the former while still ensuring the right checkboxes are filled for the latter.

I wonder how much trying to tie their consumer offerings to their enterprise services us hurting them and their ability to properly innovate?

Re:Maybe

[bigstrat2003]

The ROKR was a Motorola phone, with access to iTunes. Not an Apple Phone.

There's no way that is a true statement, not with Steve Jobs the consummate control freak at the head of Apple. He would never allow something like that to happen without plenty of input on his (or rather, his employees') part.

I must object... as a homeless guy...

[Anonymous Coward]

As a homeless guy who plays Air Guitar in front of the mall, I am insulted... I am MUCH better than RIMs Playbook
(currently using my homeless iPad to post on Slashdot)

Re:I must object... as a homeless guy...

[93 Escort Wagon]

As a homeless guy who plays Air Guitar in front of the mall, I am insulted... I am MUCH better than RIMs Playbook

I've seen this guy, and he's right - he IS much better than RIM's Playbook!

Re:I must object... as a homeless guy...

[UncleTogie]

"Freebird!"

Hey, I used to be homeless, too, and play some mean air drums. Wanna get an air band together? If we got booked, would it be a bum gig?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Design by management

[gweihir]

Never a good idea. Only those completely incompetent do it.

The torch release was similar

[tagattack]

The device was virtually unusuable due to the sheer volume of bugs in the touch-screen interface. I've had one, for almost a year, and it's now quite reasonable (a dozen firmware updates later) but at first, I had such problems as not being able to select an email or phone number if it was not on the first page-full of a list, because when I did, I would get the item that used to be at those coordinates when I was on the first page full.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:phones also suck

[conspirator57]

i'm pretty sure that since the Storm (and possibly before) all blackberry products have suffered the same sorts of flaws caused by terrible management decisions.

also, getting rid of the clicky wheel was a terrible decision. and even then they should have put its replacement (mini-trackball/touch plate) in the same location (side of the phone)

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:phones also suck

[trapnest]

Google didn't though, I'm quite sure he's talking about the built in email functionality, which I agree is superior to most phones out there.

Contrarian View

[Anonymous Coward]

Disclosure: I actually have a playbook and I love it. One of the features I love most is the fact that when my kids play with it, there is no chance they will access my work email, but when I'm on it my enterprise email is easily accessible.

There were a number of positive reviews, but the one that caught my attention was from thestreet (usually anti BlackBerry)
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11086427/1/rims-playbook-gets-contradictory-unfair-reviews.html
Some of the points:
- Secure connection to enterprise trusted infrastructure
- Only one phone bill to pay
- Flash works better than *any* other tablet (My kids have tried at least a dozen of their favorite games)
- It is light and easy to carry for a long time

Folks, It's Galen Gruman...

[dwm]

It should be kept in mind that this review is from an author given to overstated screeds -- so take with a grain (or a saltshaker) of salt. This is an author who knows how to write things that will be reposted.

Re:Folks, It's Galen Gruman...

[JSBiff]

So, which part is he wrong or lieing about? The article seemed to present facts, such as the PlayBook requires a BlackBerry to be tethered to it for basic email functionality.

Is he wrong? Is he lieing?

He said AT&T won't allow you to install the Bridge tethering software, so then if you're an AT&T customer, you can't get the tethering functionality without violating the terms of your contract.

Is he wrong? Is he lieing?

I get so tired of people making ad hominem attacks against article authors, instead of just answering the article itself. What criticism's that he made do you think are unfair or dishonest?

Re:Folks, It's Galen Gruman...

[JSBiff]

I'll get this started by pointing out one seeming flaw or inconsistency in the article itself.

On page one, the author states,

Other than using a Webmail client, a PlayBook without a BlackBerry is unable to communicate. You can't connect to POP, IMAP, or Exchange servers directly from the tablet, as you can from an iOS or Android device -- you must have a BlackBerry tethered via Bluetooth using the BlackBerry Bridge application.

On page 3, in the security section, he then contradicts himself:

If you're tethered to a BlackBerry, you can rest assured that your communications are secured. But if you don't use BlackBerry tethering, then you have no security, as you must use standard IMAP and POP connections to your email.

Those two statements cannot both be true. I think what the author was trying to say probably, is that you can't use the normal BlackBerry "secure" email, contacts, and calendars, unless tethered (which is still a reasonable flaw to point out), which would be required for any business servers you want to connect to. But, that still makes his original statement poorly worded at best, deceptive at worst.

Re:Folks, It's Galen Gruman...

[dwm]

There's nothing wrong with pointing out weaknesses -- of course the Playbook has some. The question is, do these weaknesses make it "unusable"?

  My point is that the "review", as is apparently the case with much of his writing, is an overstated rant designed to provoke responses and reposts. After all, how many other (positive or negative) reviews of the Playbook have been posted to Slashdot? This one was because it was sufficiently rabid to provoke discussion, which is after all what all blog sites are all about.

I mean, come on -- "homeless guy who plays air guitar"? Perhaps a better metaphor would have been "instead of an insightful review, we got turgid prose".

Re:phones also suck

[Ephemeriis]

Really.

I've got my Curve 8520. Emails are absolutely flawless - talking to my gmail.com account while sending emails using my business domain (which is actually using google). Talks to my google calendar well too.

Over the years, I've had to support a number of folks using various BBs to talk to various email servers.

Setup was always kind of a pain. Varied a little bit from one version of the software to another... From one carrier to another... But their wizard was always a little cumbersome. And if you didn't do it right you'd get spammed with synchronization messages. And sometimes you'd wind up with a second email address somehow.

These days I'm just supporting co-workers on an Exchange server. Getting them to talk to the Exchange server securely, using SSL, is a bit of a trick. You have to run through their wizard and intentionally set it up wrong. When it doesn't connect right it gives you the option of specifying your settings manually. Then you can tell it exactly how you want to connect.

Once you are connected and talking to the Exchange server, even looking at an email message in Outlook will cause the BB to think it's new. So you wind up re-downloading old messages all the time. This has been an issue for a couple years now, and the only consistent solution I've seen is "buy a BES."

As far as calendar sync goes... Well, it doesn't. Unless you've got a BES (or things changed very dramatically in the last year or so) you'll need to plug your phone in to your computer in order to sync your calendar. This is a huge pain for us, because it means we have to install the BB client software on random computers around the hospital... And configure it... And then folks need to keep track of their USB cables and remember to plug in periodically.

On my Droid, I just set up a "corporate sync" account. You have to enter the settings manually, because the wizard doesn't work right (why do these wizards never work right?)... And the manual settings button isn't immediately obvious... But at least you don't have to intentionally do it wrong to make it show up. Once the account is set up it'll pull down my email, calendar, and contacts all wirelessly. No need to plug in at all.

Re:phones also suck

[Lehk228]

Newer blackberries use an optical track pad which is, imo, the best mouse-substitute out there

Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Shivetya]

See, the iPhone has this curious problem, if it has the wrong password for mail or the likes it doesn't ask for the correct one, it spams the server till it locks out the account. Throw in no support for ActiveSync and well that leaves Blackberry and Android

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Anonymous Coward]

I assume you mean your work doesnt support microsoft activesync......... Because the Iphone has supported activesync for years.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Anonymous Coward]

See, the iPhone has this curious problem, if it has the wrong password for mail or the likes it doesn't ask for the correct one, it spams the server till it locks out the account. Throw in no support for ActiveSync and well that leaves Blackberry and Android

We have about a dozen iPhones where I work and I have not witnessed this behavior -- users get prompted again for their password almost immediately if they enter the wrong one. Oh, and the iPhone does indeed support ActiveSync and its related policies. Not sure where you're getting your information from, but I'm pretty sure you're wrong on all accounts. Works great with both Exchange 2007 and 2010.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[panikfan]

Yeah sounds like your work might suck just a little if these claims are true. We used to have around 30 Blackberry users, now down to just 6. Most others use iPhones and a few Android users... I think those 'problems' you mentioned aren't just curious, they're non-existent.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[LoganDzwon]

You need to have your iphone users upgrade to iOS 3.0 or newer. Any firmware newer then 2 years old fully supports ActiveSync and policies. Curiously, not all Android phones actually support ActiveSync Policies. Some models simply tell the ActiveSync server they have features they don't. The password spamming behavior your explaining does not happen.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Anonymous Coward]

Not sure about the password thing but iPhones have had Exchange Activesync since iOS 2 (then, iPhone OS 2).

-berylim

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Anonymous Coward]

Is that true? I'm sure ActiveSync is in iPhone -- yes, a quick Google check reveals that iPhone DOES have Active Sync: http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/

Also, I'm sure that if you get the password wrong for an smtp account it DOESN'T just keep spaming the server to the point it locks the account out. I think you've heard misinformation and are passing it on as fact without actually checking.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Anonymous Coward]

Before my company made all iPhone and Androids switch to Good (an evil program) my iPhone would ask for the new password when I changed it on the server. And it certainly supported Activesync. So I am not sure what's going on at your company but I think the iPhone can work in that setting.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[Flyerman]

Password thing is true. To test: Setup the password on your phone and make sure mail is flowing. Now change the password on your domain. Watch as the iPhone tries to connect and fails. If your work as a lockout policy in place, you will now be locked out courtesy of your iPhone.

Re:Well iPhones won't get a chance where I work

[flosofl]

Um... Wrong. I have to change my domain password every two months. All the iPhone does is throw up an error and ask for the new password. And we do have a lockout policy, and the iPhone has *never* triggered it, not once.

Re:Click on our website: http://www.fullmalls.com

[Anonymous Coward]

I only buy clothes advertised by Chinese people with poor grammer who advertise on slooshdot

Re:phones also suck

[tripleevenfall]

Both for email and music, it sucks rocks compared to the iPhone.

I'm not an Apple apologist, but the iPhone is much better for music and everyone but RIM devotees can see that

Re:phones also suck

[Doug Neal]

BES Express is a free product. From an administrator's point of view it's somewhat limited in functionality compared to BES, but from the user's perspective the all the synchronisation and directory integration works as expected.

But it multitasks!

[FlipperPA]

So you can not get your email, calendar, and contacts, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Booya!

Re:phones also suck

[FlipperPA]

With UIs, beauty always ends up being in the eye - and fingers / thumbs - of the beholder. I love my Blackberry phone, and yes, I've tried iPhone (but not an Android yet).

That said, I won't touch the PlayBook with a 10000ms ping.

Re:phones also suck

[FlipperPA]

Apparently you missed this memo... Blackberry Enterprise Server Express is now free, but yes, still only supports Exchange and Domino. Not my cup of tea, but yeah, it is free now:

http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/business/server/express/

Re:phones also suck

[grub]

We can't figure out how to get just 2 Exchange accounts syncing on our work Blackberries through BES. On my personal iPhone it's boneheaded simple.

Re:phones also suck

[kuzb]

No one is debating that they could make a killing if they ported their email software to android...

The BlackBerry phones themselves are just a little lackluster.

Kind of Ridiculous Review

[ffejie]

Disclaimer: I've used a Blackberry as my primary device for most of the last decade. I've watched the platform grow and in general really like it. I want to see the product be successful, but I'm willing to admit it currently has many faults. I still think my current Blackberry is the best device for me. I don't classify myself as a fanboy because I can admit its faults.

From the article:

If your BlackBerry is on the AT&T network, you can't install Bridge -- AT&T won't allow it. As luck would have it, my BlackBerry Torch uses the AT&T network, so AT&T blocked me from installing Bridge, which meant I could not get my Exchange or IMAP email, work with my calendar, or look up contacts.

The Blackberry Bridge being blocked on AT&T is very ridiculous, but writing this review without Blackberry Bridge is even more ridiculous. This kind of like saying: "I couldn't get iTunes to install on my Linux machine, so this iPad thing is pretty worthless. Every time I turned it on, it told me to connect to iTunes for setup."

While this wasn't originally advertised as such, having a Blackberry phone (with Bridge) is in absolute requirement of the Playbook. I don't think that's a great decision for RIM, but that's besides the point. Don't try to write a review without the required equipment.

Re:Kind of Ridiculous Review

[UnknowingFool]

The Blackberry Bridge being blocked on AT&T is very ridiculous, but writing this review without Blackberry Bridge is even more ridiculous. This kind of like saying: "I couldn't get iTunes to install on my Linux machine, so this iPad thing is pretty worthless. Every time I turned it on, it told me to connect to iTunes for setup."

I guess the difference is that there probably never be an iTunes for Linux whereas there is supposed to be a Bridge for AT&T. Your argument might have been more analogous had Apple released the iPad without iTunes for Windows or OS X.

While this wasn't originally advertised as such, having a Blackberry phone (with Bridge) is in absolute requirement of the Playbook. I don't think that's a great decision for RIM, but that's besides the point. Don't try to write a review without the required equipment.

So the reviewer should buy a BB on another network just to test it out? And did you read the part where the reviewer bypassed the lockout so that he could (and did) test out the functionality?

Re:Kind of Ridiculous Review

[wsxyz]

The Blackberry Bridge being blocked on AT&T is very ridiculous, but writing this review without Blackberry Bridge is even more ridiculous.

Obviously you failed to read the rest of the review, wherein the reviewer DID install Blackberry Bridge.

Re:Kind of Ridiculous Review

[ffejie]

Yes, I absolutely did fail to read the rest of the review. My bad, I figured he reviewed the rest without email.

Re:Kind of Ridiculous Review

[ffejie]

So the reviewer should buy a BB on another network just to test it out?

Yes, the reviewer should be equipped with the tools in order to do his job without hacks. I get that it's bullshit that it's not in the AT&T store yet, but don't bother writing a review without the proper tools.

And yes, I absolutely did fail to read the rest of the review. My bad, I figured he reviewed the rest without email.

Re:Kind of Ridiculous Review

[pavon]

If RIM doesn't want people judging the playbook in a crippled form then they shouldn't be selling it in a crippled form. It was their choice to allow AT&T to sell it without Bridge support. At the least AT&T users need to me made aware that the playbook is worthless for them, which is what the reviewer was doing.

Re:Kind of Ridiculous Review

[Captain Nectarine]

The author stated in the article that he came across a workaround on Crackberry such that he could get Bridge to work. He also reviewed the data synchronization between the Playbook and a Blackberry.

Re:phones also suck

[hairyfeet]

But isn't that EXACTLY why RIM is soon to be DOA? People don't want, even in the enterprise markets "just email" anymore. before our eyes phones are becoming a PC in your pocket, with movies, games, music, Internet, everything they can do on your average bottom of the line PC, all in their shirt pocket.

Like Palm RIM has simply missed the boat, and just like Palm their only real hope now is a buyout for the IP. They don't even have a decent OS at the end like Palm with webOS, instead trying to shoehorn the old buggy POS just like what we saw with Nokia and Symbian. Only Blackberry just doesn't have a big enough market left for someone like MSFT to come along and bail them out.

Final verdict? Rim dead in 2 years, maybe less. Until then they will bleed money and flail around while throwing shit at the wall hoping something sticks like in TFA, when compared to iOS and DroidOS they simply have nothing to offer. Even the PHBs are starting to switch to iPhones and Droids. They are going on the cart, no matter how much they sing "I feel happy" to themselves.

What are they thinking?

[thesandtiger]

How do half-finished products with shitty user experiences like this make it out the door, especially when they are competing with, so far, VASTLY more polished iOS devices that offer a better experience & usability for (often) the same or less money?

The issues with some of the first generation Android phones turned me off for awhile. The phone - one of the T-Mobile offerings - crashed twice while I used it and the factory installed apps would die without warning. The touchscreen was slow to respond if it even recognized my fingers.

I have an HTC evo now - 99% because I get a crazy good deal from Sprint due to where I work and because Sprint is the only carrier that works at home ant office since both buildings completely wreck cell-phone signals. I like my evo - it's not bad, but even though it's a much better experience than I had with the initial offering, it's still kind of rough around the edges in a LOT of ways (like the default battery not being remotely adequate to handle even extremely light use of the phone).

Then XOOM - woo woo! Costs more than the competition, features they insisted were important improvements over the iPad don't work, and it costs more money AND has obnoxious requirements to get even the wifi working if you buy a 3g model.

Now this piece of dreck from RIM. It's almost like they all hold huge amounts of Apple stock and want to push people on the fence to buy an iOS product.

I wonder how long it's going to be before the market forgets these initial crap offerings? I wonder how many people who were interested in a tablet but wanted to wait and see about these will say screw it and go for an iPad once they become available? And most of all, I wonder what the hell the people who approved these devices as ready to ship were thinking? Honestly, in comparison to the competition, they feel like knock-offs used to dupe people who've never seen the real thing.

Re:phones also suck

[peragrin]

why the hell do you need a mouse on a 3-4 inch screen? is the BB UI so broken that you need a mouse to use it? how big is the pointer 4, maybe 5 pixels?

Apple

[Anonymous Coward]

Does Apple pay Slashdot?

(I don't care about tablets, and I always hated my BB phone. FWIW.)

Re:Apple

[Slutticus]

No, but I'm assuming the shitstorm of clicks and page views that stories about Apple provide pays quite handsomely for Slashdot.

Re:phones also suck

[BronsCon]

There are, as of now, only 3 BB models with touchscreens. Two of those don't have the mouse or clickwheel. Those two can't use apps developed to rely on the mouse (or clickwheel) that was, up until those models were released, present on every BB.

The mouse is there for compatibility with apps which rely on it; I rarely use it on my Torch. It is useful sometimes on poorly-designed websites, like Slashdot, to navigate the pointer to the tooooooo-small link you want to click but can't quite manage to pick out with your finger, from between the other tooooooo-small links on the page that just so happen to be slammed up against the one you want.

Re:phones also suck

[Flyerman]

Sir! Stop using IMAP. That is why it keeps thinking emails are new.

21st Century CEO Needed @ RIM

[Anonymous Coward]

A hot 40 year old in strategic marketing and operations needs to take over the top spot.

RIM's strategy seems almost like no long term strategy to me right now.

Tethering: managements wet dream

[mekkab]

Playing devils advocate: This tethering "handicap" seems like a great feature for a CIO; "How do we let our execs/managers use this tablet?!" "Oh, the same way we let them use their blackberries, right now."

iPad/iPhone has the consumer world by force (full disclosure: I have an iPhone) but hasn't cracked fully into the business world. Where as RIM is fully in the corporate world. Now, you can give tablets to your 10,000+ person company and not have to develop/change any security protocols or policy to give it to them. They will connect to Exchange server just like they do today.

If I want to check work e-mail on my iPhone I can only connect through the browser to Outlook Web Access using a SecurID token, and I get no calendars (which have telecon #s in them and a surprising amount of data). This is the market RIM is trying to get.

That being said, I always thought iPads were silly and have no use for a tablet. ;)

Didn't Palm try this a couple years back?

[93 Escort Wagon]

For a vendor who's already losing market share to require a new device of theirs to be tethered to another specific product they sell.... just seems like a brain fart on the part of the vendor - especially when we've seen this exact move fail spectacularly in the recent.

I see some people trying to contort their counter-arguments into an Apple insult, but come on. A valid comparison would be if Apple required you to carry an AppleTV around in your pocket in order to connect your iPad to the internet. iPads are easier to manage if you have a computer to sync them with; but 1) it can be either Mac OR Windows; 2) you can still manage without one; and 3) you don't have to carry that computer around to use your iPad.

Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[frank249]

This article from the Ottawa Citizen sums it up nicely. The Playbook is sleek and well designed. It supports Flash and QNX is the best mobile operating system available. The PB's smaller size makes it more portable and therefore more useful. It fits in my jacket pocket or my wife's purse. It is much lighter than carrying a laptop. Wifi is all I need at home or in a hotel room. The bridge to my Blackberry works well when wifi is not available. Yes there are not a lot of apps available yet but I still love it. They make a big deal about not having a native email client but the web based email clients like Gmail work just fine. I am very happy with my Playbook and it will only get better as they release the android app player in a month or so.

Re:Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[jbplou]

The small size makes it more difficult to justify. It is smaller than iPad Xoom and the forth coming touchpad. The small sized tablet just hasnt been able to get any marketshare look at the galaxy it barely sold. The lack of mail and calendar apps is just plain silly, every smartphone and computer ships with these. The only thing this Tablet will do is reduce the value of RIM stock.

Re:Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[frank249]

Having a larger size tablet loses its advantage if it is not portable enough to go everywhere with you. The Playbook is just the right size for me and since I carry my Blackberry everywhere already, I always will have an email client and calendar app on my PlayBook and connectivity without having to pay for a separate data plan. RIM only needs a fraction of the 50 million Blackberry users to buy a PB to be a success.

Re:Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[jbplou]

I think you just described the use case of a smart phone. Tablets are portable but consumers aren't going to want to carry two devices everywhere.

Re:Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[frank249]

Actually people are already carrying two devices with them. A smartphone and a laptop in most cases. A tablet is more convenient than carrying a laptop for most most tasks. The PB is the best choice for someone who already has a Blackberry. As an aside, having the PB saves me from upgrading my Blackberry so it was a win win in my case.

Re:Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[Ol Olsoc]

You demonstrate why some manufacturers don't get it. A pad, as Apple and the money spending public defines it, is a device that bridges the gap between a smartphone and a laptop. It's something that sits on the coffee table and allows you to do your email and some surfing, maybe look up who that actor is you were watching on a show. Skype a little. You might move around the house with it, but by and large it isn't going to travel with you.

That is a smart phone's job. A small pad is like one of those combo SUV/Pickups. They do many things, but none of them very well.

I don't want a super small screen at home. Anything bigger than a 3 or so inch screen, I don't want to carry around in my pocket.

Small rant not aimed at anyone in particular...

Examples of how the me too'ers don't get it. The Xoom ad where the intrepid Xoom user navigates his way through the world of apparently mindless Apple worshipers, finding his way with his Xoom. Exactly why in the Sam Hill would someone want to be running around with a big fargin Tablet when a smartphone of their choice would do the job much better. Strike one, not knowing what your device's market. Next up is the ad where they tell us the Xoom shows us movies the "way the filmmaker intended...." Huh? the Filmmaker wants us to watch movies on a tiny screen?

First thing is for these folks to identify their market. And figure out what the market wants. There isn't a thing wrong with a nice tablet that is running something other than Apple software. And even if us geeks want to run benchmarks or root our Pads, that's okay. But depicting Apple users are mindless tools is probably not a good way to go about it.People are entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Apple users are not stupid. And in the tablet world, rooting and rolling your own is going to appeal to a really small group of people. That would be those who really hate Apple, either for some valid reason, or more often just because they are number one in this market, or the uber geeks, who want to apply their world to the tablet. That's a small market indeed.

Re:Apps or no apps, this is the best tablet yet

[frank249]

Actually when I am at home, I prefer using my desktop for work and my laptop for checking something while I am watching TV. I have been using my Blackberry when away from home for quick news and stock updates but banking and stock trading is not easy on a small screen. The Playbook is ideal for casual computing away from home. On the boat, plane, car etc. It fills a niche. Blackberry has identified their market. 50 million people use their smartphones and the PB is the perfect companion device. It is not aimed at Apple users but at people who need to get things done.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Wait, It's "unusable" but it got 8/10 on usability

[atarzwell]

Wait, It's "unusable" but it got 8/10 on usability?

better?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah but it reads like a review of a dead prostitute, actually just half the body.

It's like: I can't describe the disgust that washed over me as the severed pelvis fell out of the bloody shipping container. Maggots had already eaten most of it and the stench was unbearable.

As for the sex, I'd give it a 5.4.

Re:phones also suck

[Anonymous Coward]

when compared to iOS and DroidOS they simply have nothing to offer

Do you mean Android or is there really something called "DroidOS"?

The ROKR was an iTunes branded phone

[brokeninside]

It didn't just access iTunes, it ran iTunes. Motorola licensed a fair bit of technology from Apple to make it work. Advertising ran the iTunes logo just as prominently as the Motorola logo and the music player looked identical to the iPod interface.

But it is true that RIM holds sole responsibility rather than responsibility being split between two companies (Moto and Apple). On the other hand, I think I recall TFA saying that the Playbook atually runs QNX.

In any case, they do need to fix something quick if they're going to be anything other than an also-ran.

Re:phones also suck

[BronsCon]

It does, but moving a cursor (1 finger) is quicker and easier.

I like your consumer/enterprise point

[brokeninside]

In the past few years, mobile devices have become predominantly consumer appliances rather than enterprise tools. And when they are used as enterprise tools, the users expect them to operate the same way as the consumer appliances that they're familiar with.

But I think that just makes life more difficult for Blackberry. I think the real issue is a corporate culture that takes its former success for granted and not staying lean and hungry. That happens to quite a few enterprises.

Clear example of why specs do not make a product

[pslam]

This article from the Ottawa Citizen [ottawacitizen.com] sums it up nicely. The Playbook is sleek and well designed. It supports Flash and QNX is the best mobile operating system available. The PB's smaller size makes it more portable and therefore more useful. It fits in my jacket pocket or my wife's purse. It is much lighter than carrying a laptop. Wifi is all I need at home or in a hotel room. The bridge to my Blackberry works well when wifi is not available.

And yet... if you asked a potential customer whether they'd buy this or an iPad 2, they're more likely to buy an iPad 2. This is what all the other companies haven't figured out yet: the age of winning on specs and back-of-the-box check marks is over. This just isn't a well executed product. You either understand this, or you scratch your head wondering why you can't sell, blaming some phantom "halo effect" or other nonsense.

Re:Wait, It's "unusable" but it got 8/10 on usabil

[alexjohns]

Usability in this case is based on the user interface, not usefulness of the device overall. Welcome to English, where ambiguity in word usage is our middle name.

Originally I was bummed out at HP's Touchpad plans

[aapold]

They had a big announcement then pushed its launch out to sometime this year, late summer maybe, nothing firm. Most of the palm fans were screaming about how can they wait that long apple is launching stuff now we have to get it out there and OMG the playbook is also launching way way ahead...

Now I think that was probably a better choice.

No market for tablets

[fatwilbur]

I had a chance to try both an iPad2 and PlayBook recently. They are very fancy devices. Video on the playbook looked incredible. The iPad is almost ridiculously large compared to the PlayBook, which seems a better size for a tablet.

I'm still not sold on the future of tablets at all. Apple has created a market for the iPad, not for tablets. People love it because it's an Apple product, and conveys that coolness people look for when buying Apple products. I think Apple's recent quartlerly sales numbers are starting to show this, a smartphone for mobile and a laptop for larger tasks makes sense, I still can't figure out a slam dunk use case for any of these tablet devices.

Re:No market for tablets

[green1]

I had a chance to try both an iPad2 and PlayBook recently. They are very fancy devices. Video on the playbook looked incredible. The iPad is almost ridiculously large compared to the PlayBook, which seems a better size for a tablet..

I think what you fail to grasp is that different people have different needs for a tablet. You may want it smaller, but I don't. I already have a small screen device that fits in my pocket (my phone), I want the tablet to be big. The playbook is too small to be useful, the iPad is pretty marginal, my ideal tablet would have a screen the size of a normal A4 piece of paper.
But I also realize that I'm not everybody, and different people want to do different things with their devices. That's why I'm glad many companies are releasing tablets in different sizes, with screens from 4 inches all the way up to just over 10 inches (IMO still a little small, but it's a start) it gives people the choice to find the one that best suits their personal needs.

As for the future of tablets... When the ipads first came out I thought they were really cool, but couldn't for the life of me figure out what I'd want one for. As time has passed though I start to see a real use for them. especially with the ability to dock them with full size keyboards and monitors. With this docking functionality and the right apps they can almost completely replace a full computer for many (not all) people, giving you the advantage of the large keyboard and monitor at home/office, while still having the potability to use it as a stand alone device on the bus/train/plane or wherever else you go. I agree that they aren't going to replace conventional computers overnight, but I think tablets and smart phones with appropriate docks will end up replacing a large percentage of desktops/laptops over the long term.

Re:No market for tablets

[jbplou]

You sound like the executive at IBM who said there would be a market for about 5 computers world wide. Tablets are the future of portable computing, laptops are dinosaurs. Look at the ad sales numbers they are incredible and it is not because people want to own an apple product, if they did they would have plenty of other options. The tablet already has the ability to replace laptops and desktops for most home computer users. If you take away tech geeks and graphic artists the iPad and Xoom can pretty much do everything a home user wants games, browse, mail, video, word processing even.

Boneheaded move

[Anonymous Coward]

By AT&T. If they didn't want to launch with Blackberry Bridge, they shouldn't have put it on sale. Bridge works just fine here in Canada/Rogers Wireless.

Lies, damn lies, and stats ...

[tomhudson]

I agree, the playbook stats are meaningless without context, and the context in this case is applications. Any computing device without applications is a brick.

For the stat-enthused: Put one foot in a bucket of boiling water, and the other in a bucket of ice. On average, you should find the temperature quite comfortable.

It's not only that.

[Slutticus]

I've been to three different best-buys in the area and haven't had an opportunity to successfully test drive a xoom (let alone any other non-apple tablet device). It's almost like these other manufacturers aren't even trying to sell units. Either the store that carries them don't have a working display (what's up with the fake screens showing the homescreen UI?), or the working displays are horribly crippled or broken (hello windows phones and most android displays...). This goes for tablets as well as smart phones. The iPads at best buy not only work (complete with WORKING network connection so you can try out the email and web interface), but they also set up a pair of iPads so that people can try out the Face Time app. If I was Motorola or Microsoft or Samsung I would blanket every store in the area that carries my product and ENSURE that the displays are not only enticing for the customer....but are freakin' working for god's sake. It remains to be seen wether or not the blackberry displays will feature fully functional units for me to play with.

Re:It's not only that.

[Paul1969]

You ever consider that, just maybe, Motorola and Samsung have told Best Buy to ensure that their tablets are NOT in full working order, so that customers can't do an easy side-by-side comparison with the iPad?
They might figure they would get more sales that way, you see...

i don't think that word means what you think...

[Anonymous Coward]

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: Unfinished, Unusable

Usability: 8 [of 10]

tomhudson's lies, and no stats

[Anonymous Coward]

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2088808&cid=35885152 or 4 SIMPLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED EITHER.

Which is the more incoherent RIM co-CEO?

[Paul1969]

When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like an nail. So you own an IPOD, and that is your hammer.
Nothing more to say except IPOD1 was the pits, an IPod version had antenna problems, and Apple still milks developers for any software that could be installed therein.
Blackberry has security built-in. Blackberry is not for gamers or teens, it is for business people who work in finance, government, or other professions where security is essential to keep information confidential.

I think he just posted here under an assumed name. ^^^

RIM should instead Port its Apps to iPad & And

[Anonymous Coward]

The failed launch of the Playbook is really just a symptom of a bigger problem. RIM should not compete as a platform. Instead RIM should focus on its market leading messaging and collaboration applications -- and port them to competing platforms to expand their addressable market. There is evidence that RIM is internally conflicted about this. See the brief analysis here: http://franciscokattan.com/2011/03/20/is-rim-in-the-smartphone-business-or-the-messaging-business-time-to-decide/

It's a shot and a miss!

[roliaz]

From RIM's perspective, ...it's hard to take aim and shoot when a grizzly bear is closing ground and about to eat you alive.

Sometimes you shoot to early and miss, hopefully there'll be enough time for a second shot.

RIM's not looking to overtake Apple/Android

[southlander]

They are looking to sell to current BlackBerry users. That is possible. Winning vs. iOS and Android is not at this point. Given that, I am not sure why this reviewer had so much trouble using the PlayBook with his BlackBerry. I linked mine up just fine. The bridge has a few issues but mostly works well. Other than that, there is a lot to like about the PlayBook. So I'd say the hyperbole in calling it "un-useable" is not justified. I've used the heck out of mine. The web browser alone does a fantastic job.

Brand new Blackberry playbook cost $450usd

[Anonymous Coward]

Blackberry playbook cost $450usd
Apple iphone 4g hd 32gb $400usd

iPhone 4G 32gb
Stereo headset
Dock connector to USB cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation
Cleaning / polishing cloth
SIM eject tool.

HTC HD2 $400usd
Nokia n80...................$300usd.
Apple iphone 3Gs 32gb........$350usd
Samsung i8910 Omnia HDUnlocked..$400usd
Blackberry bold $250usd
Blackberry storm..$280usd

a.usmanltd@yahoo.com
a.usmanltd@live.com

skype: hassanusmanltd

Shipping Company Name : UPS/FEDEX/DHL
Deliver Time: 24Hrs to 48Hrs Time
Minium Order : 1 - 50 Units
Delivery : To any Location worldwide.