Research in Motion’s (RIM) First BlackBerry tablet reviewed by Jon Rettinger of TechnoBuffalo.
I have owned a PlayBook since the spring. The smaller size allows me to fit the Playbook in the outside pocket of a sports coat. The BlackBerry Bridge allows me to see all of my Outlook data on the PlayBook. A Bluetooth connection allows the BlackBerry smartphone to communicate with the PlayBook. When I am on the phone and need to access my calendar, this feature is extremely handy.
This review is very extensive and is one I would recommend anyone watch before making a decision to purchase or not purchase a PlayBook. With the reduction in price, we can expect the PlayBook to receive some much-needed attention.
Naya Saal
December 29, 2011 9:36 amJust purchased the Playbook. What is the reason many apps are not available for the device? For instance, it says the TSN app is available, but when go to download, it says not available. Finally, will BB ever have Skype???
Dr. Frank Buck
December 30, 2011 10:06 amThanks for commenting. I hope I can be of some help.
In the U.S., the growing popularity of the iPhone and Android systems is driving the demand for apps. At the same time, I have to ask myself just how many apps I need. When I see something for iOS or Android that looks good, I search BlackBerry AppWorld and generally find something comparable. In addition, you can find websites that do what a particular app does. You can then turn that website into an app on the Playbook by just creating a shortcut.
I am not sure why there is a problem with the TSN app you mentioned. Go to my post from Novemeber 25 and take a look at ScoreMobile. It is free for the PlayBook and is a great app.
As far as Skype, I too would like to see that capability for the PlayBook. Here is something I saw recently. Hope it helps:
As of yet there is no native Skype app for the BlackBerry PlayBook, but there is a nice workaround that allows you to use Skype from your PlayBook by taking advantage of Adobe Flash v10.3 support in the browser. The same goes for using GTalk, Yahoo, MSN, and a few others as well. How does it work? Simply go to http://imo.im/ from your PlayBook’s browser and then sign in to one of the many messaging application options.
I tried it myself, and the Skype calling works pretty good. The PlayBook’s QNX microphone picked up the sound very well, and the speed was pretty fast, not much delay. Let us know if you give it a try, and how it works for you?