Playbook for Christmas

[fortkentdad]

My dearly beloved bought me a Blackberry Playbook (32GB ~ not 4G) and I've been playing with it while we've been on our Christmas vacation. They are now almost giving them away ($149).

Surprised by how much fun Need for Speed is to play on his little mobile unit.


I've read on Crackberry.com that there is a way to load most, but not all, android apps onto the Playbook (apparently since version 2). Have not tried that yet.

Disappointed it does not support either Skype or Google's Hangout, it does have its own video chat ~ but that like BM messaging works between Blackberry devices.

I wanted the Playbook as my office mobile system is all Blackberry so I can use the internet connection from my office Blackberry Bold to connect to the internet where no wifi is available. So far finding wifi has not been the problem and I do not have a tether cable to connect my phone to playbook ( I think I have one at home ). It will be used mostly for business.

Anyone here use Playbook? Any "must have" apps for Playbook?

[krazyups]

I've got the same one at home, and have had mild success in side-loading converted Android apps (one's that I've converted myself). I have side-loaded a bunch of .bar files (games mainly, stuff for the kids).

It's a nice little unit as far as I'm concerned, runs well and I haven't come across anything in my use that it couldn't handle.

[Arinoth]

I thought I heard the latest or up and coming version of the playbook OS no longer allows you to run/install side-loading converted Android apps, unless people have found a way around it again?

[BlueByte]

Here are a few apps I have on my playbook that I use a lot, and a few games as time wasters.

Net Share File Explorer - SMB network browsing (might be a better one but I bought this one and it works well enough)
Billable Hours - Good project time recording, I have gotten my accounting system working on my playbook now so I don't use it anymore but it was solid.
Magellan Maps - Sucks, crashes and just sucks
Nobex Radio - Internet radio, works over bridge as well
PewPew - time wasting game
Magic Pen 1 & 2- good game
Remote Desktop - RDP for playbook
LiteFTP - FTP program
Book Reader - open epub and other format reader

I have a few ssh/telnet apps but I have not found one I would recommend to anyone.

[Kerry D]

Originally Posted by BlueByte

Billable Hours - Good project time recording, I have gotten my accounting system working on my .

I saw this and though "Holy Moley, they finally put the show up for sale somewhere!!??!!" Then I laughed at myself. I'll have to try pewpew and magic pen. My kids love the playbooks (dunno if the OP has any) more then the iPods, they're young enough that they really like the "make a scene" games and Plunk! Jetpack Joyride is another favorite that recently came available.

[NyteOwl]

Originally Posted by Arinoth

I thought I heard the latest or up and coming version of the playbook OS no longer allows you to run/install side-loading converted Android apps, unless people have found a way around it again?

The new Blackberry and Playbook OS is based on QNX, a modular, real-time Unix variant RIM bought a few years ago. Unless they have implemented a compatibility layer (similar to WINE in Linux), even apps from earlier Blackberry OSes won't run on it (AFAIK).

[Perineum]

QNX might just be the death march for companies.

The next AmigaOS was supposed to be based on QNX and had some investment from Amiga Technologies at the time.

Now RIM has invested in it and now took a turn for the worst? Hrmmm!

[Gonzo]

Neutron Music Player is a great App if you listen to music from your book.

[fortkentdad]

Been just playing on my playbook. Got totaly hooked on Need for Speed, love the way that you "drive" the tablet and the graphics and should are good (had some old Blackberry headphones). Bought one game, Asphalt 6 (for $ .99) and playing it way way too much. Just like NFS only different cars and tracks. Also got into the free GT Racing HD. Anyone know any more high definition graphic racing games? Have not tried to side load any Android apps. We also have an android tablet (an ASUS Transformer) which I can use for android apps if I want, but it is my dearly beloved's toy. The upside of the Blackberry is the bridge to my blackberry phone which I use for business. Docs to Go looks like it would fit the bill of taking notes at meetings and transfering them back to my main system through the blackberry bridge. It also syncs to all my business contacts, my calendar, etc. It does not have the 1,000's of apps that Apple & Android market place, but so far it has more than I need. How many apps does a body need anyway? And at $149 for a 32 GB tablet that fits into my hand and works like I think it should, I'm not complaining. We don't do Apple in our house but my daughter is a Mac girl. She got an Ipad for Christmas. I tried it, and tired using her Mac computer while we were visiting. I like my Playbook and our Android tablet better than her ipad.

Long live BB ~ I hope.

[ZZLEE]

My sisters KOBO bit the dirt hard so she bought the Playbook 32 GB. Infected my mouthier with it shes got one too after her KOBO had battery or OS failure.

They Read books from Public Library and play games on them constantly. mum checks weather and surfs the web and streams video on it also.

Buy a touch pen it save smudges on the screen,

fist computer my mum uses since an X86.