Actually, this week's Staples flyer (25/1) has them at the prices before Xmas 199 for 16 Gb and 249 for 32 Gb. No mention of the 64 Gb model. When all models were 299, I think they were trying to decrease their inventory.
I would have bought another PB if I didnt already have the Acer Tab. video quality and browser are so much better in comparo. only problem is lack of apps and lack of external storage interface on the BB PB.
With the imminent (February?) release of QNX2.0, there should be a lot more apps becoming available. Even with QNX1.0, with the volume sales over the holiday season, there are a lot more apps to be seen on their App store.
Also noticed that a new USB-type external storage unit gives Wi-Fi connectivity from the PB, if you need it. (Seagate GoFlex 500GB Wireless Hard Drive)
Lastly, with QNX2.0, I understand one will be able to load DRM-protected books from your public library (see above). Already being done on the beta release.
PS - I'm biased - I love my Playbook!
I got the 16 GB BB PlayBook as a very big Christmas surprise.
I'll add to the already glowing reviews here - I really love it. Excellent build quality (it's so rigid it feels like it's machined out of metal), very intuitive and easy-to-use, very fast, good battery life, excellent built-in speakers, excellent video (perfect at 1080p over HDMI using the built-in micro-HDMI port), plus true multitasking using a dual-core CPU...and Flash.
Yes, there isn't an app for everything with the PB. Some of the apps are also less-than-beta quality. However this is improving and will improve tremendously with the OS upgrade next month when Android apps will become available.
It may not be obvious, but the good build quality extends to the OS. QNX has been in active development since 1982 (!) and is extremely secure and stable.
I wonder if the apps for the PB will increase or if it is already too late. Ironically the PB may catch on more with the consumer than with enterprise market as that market is more price sensitive. I bought a PB through my company and tried it out - it was a big dud (see post #100 in this thread). We had 4 or 5 other people try out the PB and none of them were sold on it. My conversations with other folks in my industry (finance) is similar. About half of my peers now own iPads that they purchased on their own.
To cut a long story short we are starting to support the iPad for the corporate envirnonment but not the PB. The killer app for many of us on the iPad is document reading. The PB screen is just too small for that and document/file management on the PB is very weak. So our staff will now be carrying around BBs for their phones and iPads for those who can justify a business need for it. We will now also be able to get our email, calendaring and contacts through the iPad as well, although I imagine folks won't be giving up their BBs. But people may no longer require laptops as road warriors that are not spreadsheet jockeys can likely get away with an iPad and BB - perhaps supplemented with a wireless keyboard.
Now that we support the iPad supporting the iPhone is trivial. We won't be doing that immediately but 12 months from now it may be a different story. I don't imagine that our company is unique and that is why RIM is in such a difficult situation today. Apple now has their foot in the door in many enterprises, particularly in North America, and they have the opportunity to kick the door wide open. I still prefer the combination of a BB and iPad but others will trade in their BBs for iPhones at the first opportunity.
we are starting to support the iPad for the corporate envirnonment but not the PB. The killer app for many of us on the iPad is document reading. The PB screen is just too small for that and document/file management on the PB is very weak. So our staff will now be carrying around BBs for their phones and iPads for those who can justify a business need for it. We will now also be able to get our email, calendaring and contacts through the iPad as well, although I imagine folks won't be giving up their BBs. But people may no longer require laptops as road warriors that are not spreadsheet jockeys can likely get away with an iPad and BB - perhaps supplemented with a wireless keyboard.
Same here, by about April we will be handing 3G IPADs out. We have deployed McAfee EMM as our management software. Currently still testing it, but it looks pretty good.
QNX 2.0 is actually going to be called Blackberry 10. (IIRC) There is also supposed to be an Android engine / emulator (IIRC) so Android apps will also work. There is a new BES Server coming out along with this update or shortly around the same time. It is no longer called BES I forget the name but it is basically BES for PB and new BB handsets based on Blackberry 10. The current BES is a legacy server for all previous handsets.
Just curious and this may be a dumb question. If Blackberry goes under, or bought out, would the playbook still work as a tablet using wifi? Or once RIM is done, the playbook stops working?
You're really optimistic about RIM's future, aren't you? Worst case scenario is that all existing apps will continue to work and it will work as a web browser. It is supposed to be very easy to port Android apps to this OS so we will see if that happens.
Best case scenario is that the QNX OS is Open Sourced and a community sprouts up to support it.
I am pretty optimistic on enterprise adoption once the BES replacement server comes out. A couple of BES administrator buddies of mine with a small sample of mobile users with PBs and IPADs also agree. Time will tell for sure though.
I'm not so sure. I've read that BES mail support for BB10 will be limited to providing a secure connection. Mobile Fusion, the next version of BES, communicates with Exchange over ActiveSync, then relays that data to BB10 device with encryption.
Will this be more secure than using an iPad or Android tablet with Exchange ActiveSync over SSL or IPSec VPN?
And now, if RIM is switching to ActiveSync, what makes them different? Google licensed ActiveSync as the technology inside of Google Sync, which pushes Gmail to mobile devices. Microsoft uses it for Hotmail (and obviously Exchange Server). Is RIM just becoming a me too player on email? If so, why should carriers keep paying? At least that's the question I want to try to answer.
It was probably a good move if you’ve been sitting on the fence about getting the heavily discounted BlackBerry PlayBook. Over the past few weeks we’ve seen RIM’s tablet hit a low of $199.99, but starting tomorrow, for 1-week only, TELUS locations will be leading the way by selling the 16GB and 32GB PlayBook for a wickedly low $149.99! The 64GB version will stay the same price at $299.99. Bottom line… this is a mind-blowing good deal especially since PlayBook OS 2.0 is coming in a few weeks.
I wouldn't just yet. RIM still has a colossal PB inventory problem, so I'd say FMV accounting rules will force them to take another charge to blow out their initial build at sub-$100. Once Apple shows their cards for iPad3, RIM will start desperate measures.
Besides, the hardware itself isn't that bad...a backup unit probably isn't necessary.
Got mine this morning - 32gb - at the Telus store in the Oshawa Center. Went last night after I learned about the sale and secured it for pick-up this morning. My work partner went with me once he learned about the sale, but had no luck. It seems there are none left unspoken for within the entire GTA. I got lucky.
At this price I couldn't resist. This will be a nice gap filler until the 'fixed' Transformer Prime comes out in Q2, then my wife gets the Playbook. She already has a BB, so everyone wins!
Love mine so much will grab one as a gift for my brother. I am thinking of getting a BB when my term is up on the iphone. But...not sure if I would be grabbing onto a dead horse. I hope not.
Wow! Edmonton sold out quickly. Nobody is price matching b/c of the limited quantities. I struck out at 3 different stores and wife and I both calling around. I guess I will have to wait to post my review when the next sale comes around.
I attempted that at Best Buy as well, they had a memo from head office to not price match b/c of limited quantities. FS same thing. Wife however did find two in a small town 1hr drive from Edmonton so I did end up getting one as well.
Just read that RIM is offering FREE Playbooks to any developer who writes and submits an Android app to the Blackberry market (or whatever they're calling it) prior to February 13.
Actually, a pretty decent move by RIM: move dead inventory, and get some apps into your appstore.
i have to say im really liking this litle tablet. It doesn't seem Fisher Price like the iPad. The multitasking is sure the way to go, i wish my iPad did that like this thing does.
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