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Old 03-07-2013, 12:36 PM   #1
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Default Playbook Education

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Lots to learn about the Playbook. It, like most devices, has weirdities that throw a kink in the learning curve. I still like the machine but have a couple questions. As a reminder for those who have not been breathlessly awaiting the next post and so don't remember history, I've had my Playbook about a month and have viewed all the Blackberry demos.

Is the Playbook, well, unstable?
When took it off the charger last night speaker sound was just a bunch of static. Plugged in a headset and the sound was the same. A bit later it worked fine.
Another example is the touch screen. Sometimes it seems a breath of air will bring an action. Other times I can pound on the screen, tap and hold, whatever, and Nothing. I've tried different keyboard settings with no change.

Is there a way to edit the autospell dictionary? Is there a way to command spellcheck? I'm used to finishing a document and then doing a last spell check of the whole document. Haven't figured out a way to do that.

Is there a way to print from the Playbook? They use the word Print a lot. There is even a Print To Go thingy. But, none of that seems to be able to actually put a document on paper. Yes, I could make it an email attachment, send it to another computer and print from that one. But, from the Playbook?

Enough for now.
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Old 03-09-2013, 08:22 PM   #2
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Well, since no one has jumped in I guess my assumption that they are PB Unique is correct.
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Old 03-09-2013, 08:29 PM   #3
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Default Re: Playbook Education

My two cents - and I bought one the day it came out; a full priced 64GB one. My worst technology purchase ever.

It's a dud. Very few were bought. Few people here have them. Perhaps another forum could be more helpful. But it's not a widely used device.
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Old 03-09-2013, 10:01 PM   #4
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry View Post
My two cents - and I bought one the day it came out; a full priced 64GB one. My worst technology purchase ever.

It's a dud. Very few were bought. Few people here have them. Perhaps another forum could be more helpful. But it's not a widely used device.
Definitely not a broadly used thingy.

This thing is puzzling. It does some things really well. But, similar to the smartphones, it reeks of being designed by an old fashioned computer guy whose connection to the real world is tenuous at best. Then being puzzled why people would want anything different or not understand his language.

Who else would call a utility that apparently merely copies a document from another computer to the PlayBook "Print To Go"?

But, as I said before, at the price I paid it is a good value for what it does. What devices we end up with six months from now is definitely up in the air
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:06 AM   #5
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Default Re: Playbook Education

"Print To Go" doesn't mean literal printing. It's a way of "printing out" documents on your PC, which are then transferred via WiFi to be accessed electronically on the Playbook. The tutorial when you first access this app is rather clear in this regard.

I've never had the hardware issues that you describe with my Playbook. However, I do note that some web apps, such as Twitter, tend to be very specific where touch will register on buttons. Or touch response is sometimes delayed when using such web apps.

The 'spell check' mechanism is active...it monitors your input as you go along. Thus it is not necessary to initiate the functionality once you've completed typing a message. There is no way to edit the spellcheck, as it's adapting to your writing skill, and presenting you with options based on what it's 'learned'.
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:11 AM   #6
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry View Post
It's a dud. Very few were bought. Few people here have them. Perhaps another forum could be more helpful. But it's not a widely used device.
The PB is currently outselling the latest iPad with retina display in the UK.

While it's initial launch was disappointing due to it's lack of functionality, they've since corrected this and improved things drastically. And no other tablet device on the market multitasks or manages media as well as the PB. I regularly use mine to watch full 1080p movies--via the HDMI port--on my big screen HDTV. No lag or need to downscale. And no need to buy expensive adapters to enable you to connect to your HDTV.

This particular forum is an anomaly in that there are not many PB owners here. I wouldn't use that as a judge to this device's popularity.
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Old 03-10-2013, 07:46 AM   #7
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Only someone in Waterloo would spin Playbook sales. You are proud and that's your right.

The Playbook was a complete and total failure and was a waste of precious resources at RIM/BlackBerry. How many TOTAL were sold? 2 million? 1.75? The original iPad (never updated) is almost two years old. And the "new" 4G iPad - please, it was barely even marketed. And to those who have said "it was the basis for the QNX based Z10" then the coders didn't learn enough from it.

No, it's a dud. I am sure you can spin numbers anyway you like, but try to be honest. The PB barely is mentioned when tablet sales numbers are published. It is lumped in with "other".

I am sure the user base is quite passionate about it - and on another forum they KNOW they are right and the rest of the world is wrong, but that doesn't change any of the numbers. It's a dud.

Last edited by NJBlackBerry; 03-10-2013 at 07:48 AM..
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Old 03-10-2013, 07:50 AM   #8
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Yup Jase88 is right, visit the playbook forums at forums.crackberry.com
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Old 03-10-2013, 07:57 AM   #9
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Just don't say anything bad about the PlayBook - or else you will be branded as a Troll.

Admit it - it happens all the time there.
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Old 03-10-2013, 12:47 PM   #10
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jase88 View Post
"Print To Go" doesn't mean literal printing. It's a way of "printing out" documents on your PC, which are then transferred via WiFi to be accessed electronically on the Playbook. The tutorial when you first access this app is rather clear in this regard.

I've never had the hardware issues that you describe with my Playbook. However, I do note that some web apps, such as Twitter, tend to be very specific where touch will register on buttons. Or touch response is sometimes delayed when using such web apps.

The 'spell check' mechanism is active...it monitors your input as you go along. Thus it is not necessary to initiate the functionality once you've completed typing a message. There is no way to edit the spellcheck, as it's adapting to your writing skill, and presenting you with options based on what it's 'learned'.

Thanks for the post. It helps make my point.


Using a common word like "Print" to mean something else and then defending that oddball usage is a bad hangover from the bad old days. That the tutorial says that doesn't change the facts. When I bought the machine I didn't do all the tutorials first. I assumed Print meant Print, not Copy.

Now, why in the world would anyone who is thinking make a word processor without a Spellccheck beats me. Deliberately misspelling "Spellcheck " makes my point. Now both the correct and incorrect spellings are in the dictionary, with no way, apparently, to edit.

Two humble examples of a mindset that doesn't consider human factors and is, apparently, at the heart of Blackberry's problems.
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Old 03-10-2013, 03:17 PM   #11
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoBox View Post
Using a common word like "Print" to mean something else and then defending that oddball usage is a bad hangover from the bad old days. That the tutorial says that doesn't change the facts. When I bought the machine I didn't do all the tutorials first. I assumed Print meant Print, not Copy.
I'm not defending anything. Merely explaining something to someone who admittedly didn't bother to read the brief tutorial when they launched the app.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoBox View Post
Now, why in the world would anyone who is thinking make a word processor without a Spellccheck beats me. Deliberately misspelling "Spellcheck " makes my point. Now both the correct and incorrect spellings are in the dictionary, with no way, apparently, to edit.
AFAIK, you can't edit the dictionary on MS Office either. Which, given the regional differences in spelling between the UK, US and Canada, can be a PITA, as the application is written based on US English.
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Old 03-10-2013, 03:37 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry View Post
Only someone in Waterloo would spin Playbook sales. You are proud and that's your right.
Don't confuse my city of residence with blind pride for a local success story. Our community is successful in technology partly due to Blackberry, and not because of it. I'm a fan of technology that works for me. And the PB impresses.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry View Post
No, it's a dud. I am sure you can spin numbers anyway you like, but try to be honest. The PB barely is mentioned when tablet sales numbers are published. It is lumped in with "other".

I am sure the user base is quite passionate about it - and on another forum they KNOW they are right and the rest of the world is wrong, but that doesn't change any of the numbers. It's a dud.
I don't dispute that the PB is a vastly underrated product. Which, unfortunately, came to be due to the disappointing functionality that existed with the device when it was first launched. That lack of functionality has since been corrected.

This has created a unique opportunity for consumers: A tablet that has powerful capabilities, but is priced attractively. Nearly two years after it was launched, the device is still selling, and it's still receiving updates from Blackberry.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry View Post
The Playbook was a complete and total failure and was a waste of precious resources at RIM/BlackBerry.
The tablet and it's OS were the basis for devices going forward at Blackberry. In that context, the very resources Blackberry employed in developing PB have formed the development of their entire current product lineup. I can't see how that represents a waste of resources?

Blackberry cannot ignore the tablet market. While tablets don't offer the same revenue opportunities as carrier-linked devices (due to lack of MSF sharing), consumers are flocking to the technology.
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Old 03-10-2013, 04:40 PM   #13
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Default Re: Playbook Education

It's not underrated. It never sold enough to be rated at all.
What matters is does it work for you. It does work for you.
But it is far from a mainstream success and yes - given how much BlackBerry had to write off in order to move the 18 month old inventory - it was a financial drain and partly responsible for the epic stock price drop.
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Old 03-10-2013, 05:41 PM   #14
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jase88 View Post
I'm not defending anything. Merely explaining something to someone who admittedly didn't bother to read the brief tutorial when they launched the app.



AFAIK, you can't edit the dictionary on MS Office either. Which, given the regional differences in spelling between the UK, US and Canada, can be a PITA, as the application is written based on US English.

My, my the aplogetic lengths people will go to. Never said I didn't read the tutorial. What I said was I didn't read it prior to purchase. Like most people I don't read every dot and tittle of every application prior to purchasing a computer. I doubt anyone does.

When read the information I discovered Blackberry had misdirected its' customers by misuse of the word "Print". I chalked that up to just another in the long list of Blackberry mindset failures. Now I'm trying to see if there really is some way to print a document from the Playbook. So, far nada.

We can go on all day; use up a lot of server space; hear a lot of aplogetics but in the end it boils down to Blackberry not coping very well with market place changes. Even Crackberry leads one of their articles with telling Android users they won't have to give up much when they switch to the newest Blackberry. If Blackberry was a properly functioning company they wouldn't have to give up anything; they would be gaining and no one would have to apologize.

As I said at the outset, I have used Blacberries of one type or another for a good many years. They have had their warts. But, on the whole they have done good. Except they have not kept up. In most any race standing still makes it really hard to catch up, let alone win.
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Old 03-10-2013, 05:50 PM   #15
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry View Post
It's not underrated. It never sold enough to be rated at all.
What matters is does it work for you. It does work for you.
But it is far from a mainstream success and yes - given how much BlackBerry had to write off in order to move the 18 month old inventory - it was a financial drain and partly responsible for the epic stock price drop.
I said this purchase was a test. Early on I had the Playbooks all boxed up to return to Amazon. I did that because they fell very short of meeting their advertised performance and my customer service experience was so horrible. People here and elsewhere have made comments about how bad the Playbook is. I don't go that far, at the price I paid.

(But, given that Blackberry was taking a big financial hit anyway, I wonder why they just didn't pull them from the market? The long term effect of selling a product that doesn't measure up is far greater than the short term financial loss.)

Then I changed my mind. I was in a hotel where all the WiFi is in a lobby area. So, I was able to see what everyone was using. Hear and discuss their satisfactions, their problems and their opinons. After that I decided for the Amazon price the Playbooks were good value for some mild internet browsing and as eReaders.

As functioning tools in our small ecosystem they are a near total failure. Combined with comments from new users of the latest smartphones I am a bit apprehensive about continuing as a Blackberry smartphone user. I don't have to make a decision yet so I haven't made one. From advertising there are several new models due out in the next month or two. We'll see what Blackberry does between now and then. As I've said before, I hope they get their minds on straight and produce a good product.

Last edited by NoBox; 03-10-2013 at 05:59 PM..
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:26 PM   #16
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Default Re: Playbook Education

I purchased my first PlayBook on release day and paid full price for it. There has not been on day since that I have not used it. I use it daily. It doesn't do everything I wish it would do but it does enough that I enjoy it a lot. I bought a Surface Pro a couple of weeks ago and it doesn't do everything either. POP3 email does not work on the Surface, and it works fine on the PlayBook. The touchsceen on the Pro is not as smooth as on the PlayBook, but maybe that's Windows 8.

There are at least 2 good apps I know of for the PlayBook that will let you print from the PlayBook to a wireless network printer - works fine.

The predictive text on the PlayBook improves the more you use it. The Surface Pro doesn't have predictive text. Copy/paste on the PlayBook is smoother than on the Pro.

Bridge on the BlayBook is awesome - I rarely have needed to use my Mifi device until now because there is nothing like Bridge for the Surface Pro.

The PlayBook has never been unstable for me. However, less than a week after I got the Surface, for some reason still unknown, it crashed badly and I ended up having to reinstall all the apps, including calling Microsoft to help with reinstalling Office 2013.

People complain about lack of apps for the PlayBook, and BlackBerry in general, but apps in the Windows store are sorely lacking. If I had bought the Surface RT which can only run apps in the Windows store, instead of the Pro, I would have been very unhappy.

I got the Surface to use on the road for work instead of the heavy, slow company issued laptop, which I hate. I could do some work functions with the PlayBook but not everything I need.

After the prices came down on the PlayBook, I bought 2 more for family members and both love it.

The bottom line is use what works for you.
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Old 03-10-2013, 08:05 PM   #17
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Daphne

Thanks for getting to the point of my original post in this thread.

What are the printing applications? Where do I get them?

In your experience do they work with everything? Or just some parts of the PlayBook?

When you say POP3 works on the PlayBook I assume you mean to send and receive emails, not sync with my PC? If so I quite agree.

One of the frustrating and unfathomable discoveries was that POP3 can be synched between the laptop and the smartphone, but not with the PlayBook. If there is a way BlackBerry Support doesn't know about it.

Synching and printing would go a long way to making it a useful tool.

Oh yes, there was a person in the lobby who was on his second Surface Pro. The first one just crashed; hardware failure he said. MS quickly sent him a replacement. Don't know how he made out with that one.

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Old 03-10-2013, 08:33 PM   #18
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Default Re: Playbook Education

In BackBerry World on the PlayBook, search for Print. The first app in the list (that I see) is simply named Print, the developer is David Bigham. This is the one I installed. You have to install a small utiity on your PC to work with it. The second one is named Print My Files by Runisoft and it appears to work similarly. I've only used Print for documents, I haven't tried to print pictures or anything else.

You can set up POP3 email by going to Accounts in Settings. Follow the instructions. Then your email will be delivered into Messages on the PlayBook and you can send emails from there as well.

POP email does not "sync" fully on the PlayBook as you cannot see all the folders, etc. like you have in Outlook on a PC. Be aware that even if you set the PB to leave mail on the server, when you delete it on the PB, it will be deleted on the server. That's a known bug that has not been fixed yet.

Have you browsed apps in BlackBerry World on the PlayBook? There are a lot of very useful ones that enhance its functionality. I use Print To Go a lot for "printing" documents, even web pages that I want to save, from my PC to the PlayBook when going on the road. Saves a lot of paper.
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Old 03-11-2013, 03:52 PM   #19
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Default Re: Playbook Education

Thanks again. I'll take a look at those. If a person could print directly from the PlayBook it would go a long way toward it matching expectations.

On the POP3 accounts I should have been clearer. No problem at all with emails. The problem is with Contacts and Calendar. According to Customer Support there is no way to synch those between the PlayBook and the PC. If they were on the Web somewhere it could be done.

Since My BlackBerry smartphone synchs just fine through Desktop Manager the PlayBook not being able to is weird indeed.

My expectation was that all three, PC, Torch and PlayBook would have the same calendar and contacts. Haven't found a way to do that. Anyone have an idea?
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Old 03-12-2013, 10:22 AM   #20
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No, there is no way to sync contacts and calendar on the PlayBook directly. What I did is use outlook.com/hotmail. I downloaded Outlook Connector from Microsoft on my PC, copied my Outlook calendar to the hotmail calendar, set up the hotmail account on the PlayBook.It works just fine and syncs instantly when you add an event on your PC or on the PlayBook. Others have done the same with contacts also. It's not ideal but it works.
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