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- Slacker Radio Comes Preloaded on the BlackBerry PlayBook
- BlackBerry PlayBook: Picasa, Google Reader, Calendar, Pandora, Slacker…
- BlackBerry PlayBook Unboxing and Initial Setup Pictures
- Can the PlayBook Browser Be an App? Picnik Photo Editor
- Gmail On the BlackBerry PlayBook – Looks Awesome!
- My Favorite Feature on the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS
- Guess What? Hulu.com Works on the BlackBerry PlayBook
- My Favorite Twitter v1.1 Shortcut on the BlackBerry Torch
- RIM Posts Footage from Foo Fighters Garage Tour
- PlayBook Accessories On Display At Staples
- Desktop Software Updated to Support PlayBook
- Newegg Mobile for BlackBerry Updated to v1.3 for Bug Fixes
- Syncamatic Releases Updated Outlook and BlackBerry Apps
- BlackBerry PlayBook In the Wild: First Impressions
- BlackBerry Trade Up Program Opens Up to Canadians
- Early BlackBerry PlayBook Reviews Roundup – Promising?
- Carrier Billing results in twice as many people buying applications
- Staples Canada Stocking BlackBerry PlayBooks – 16GB and 32GB Sizes for Now
- RadioShack Opens Up BlackBerry PlayBook Preorders
| Slacker Radio Comes Preloaded on the BlackBerry PlayBook Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:48 PM PDT
I remember hearing that the 7Digital Music store would come preloaded on the BlackBerry PlayBook but mine also came with Slacker Radio preloaded. It does not have the cool feature of caching radio stations like the BlackBerry smartphone version but it does look much cooler. It has some slick transitions but I have noticed a bug when I cannot ban any songs… Still I can see how this app works better than simply using the browser since the buttons are a bit bigger but its the same idea. So far I have been playing with making YouTube music playlists out of videos…
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 15, 2011, 1:48 am. | Slacker Radio Comes Preloaded on the BlackBerry PlayBook | Leave a comment |
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| BlackBerry PlayBook: Picasa, Google Reader, Calendar, Pandora, Slacker… Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:39 PM PDT I just cannot get enough of this. The BlackBerry PlayBook is the first alternative non-desktop/laptop device that I have ever had which provided me access to the full web. Everything else I have used have been a compromise until this point. I was blown away that you can use the BlackBerry PlayBook browser to upload pictures to Picasa from their website. You can even upload more than one picture at a time! I then tried both Slacker and Pandora and while they both work they stop playing music when you switch to another browser tab. On the other hand if you switch to another app they keep playing. The weird part is you can keep both Pandora and Slacker open at the same time and when you switch between the tabs the music switches on instantaneously!
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 15, 2011, 1:39 am. | BlackBerry PlayBook: Picasa, Google Reader, Calendar, Pandora, Slacker… | One comment |
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| BlackBerry PlayBook Unboxing and Initial Setup Pictures Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:18 PM PDT Unboxing the BlackBerry PlayBook was a bit of a religious experience but nothing really blew my mind. The packaging was nice a clean and looked really modern reminding me of Apple and old Creative Labs product packaging. The only really surprise in the box was the inclusion of a neoprene sleeve for the PlayBook. I am not sure if that will be coming standard on all devices but its nice of RIM to throw it in there. Along with that we also have a MicroUSB cable along with a MicroUSB wall charger.
Once you turn on the device it will ask you to swipe to continue while I missed the animation on the bottom of the screen showing how to swipe. You simply swipe on the bottom middle of the screen from the left to the right to swipe between the setup screens. Once you get past the initial first screens and setup of Wi-Fi it will prompt you to do a pretty large OS update at almost 300MB. It took my device about 20 minutes to do that and restart over a 10Mbps connection at home. Pretty sweet for an OS install and reboot. PS: Its kind of fun listening to Pandora on my PlayBook (browser) while writing this…
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 15, 2011, 1:18 am. | BlackBerry PlayBook Unboxing and Initial Setup Pictures | 4 comments |
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| Can the PlayBook Browser Be an App? Picnik Photo Editor Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:00 PM PDT
You know how I was saying that the strongest part of the BlackBerry PlayBook was its browser? That just proved itself true again when I tried to use the flash heavy Google Picnik photo editing site from my PlayBook. It works like a charm and allows you to upload any picture from your PlayBook and edit it any which way you please. Kind of makes you wonder if an app is necessary in that case for photo editing…
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 15, 2011, 1:00 am. | Can the PlayBook Browser Be an App? Picnik Photo Editor | 5 comments |
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| Gmail On the BlackBerry PlayBook – Looks Awesome! Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:42 PM PDT You know how everybody is harping about the BlackBerry PlayBook not having native email? First thing I did was open up my BerryReview Google Apps email through the browser and guess what I was welcomed to? A totally tablet and touch optimized email experience. It is even better than when I am at my PC… I have not used an email app on my PC for about 2-3 years now so its nice to see that the experience is carried over to my PlayBook!
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 15, 2011, 12:42 am. | Gmail On the BlackBerry PlayBook – Looks Awesome! | 6 comments |
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| My Favorite Feature on the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS Posted: 14 Apr 2011 09:27 PM PDT While at the BlackBerry PlayBook launch event I confirmed that my favorite feature of the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet managed to make it into the launch OS. The BlackBerry PlayBook has a feature called Storage and Sharing that I absolutely love. It allows you to access your BlackBerry PlayBook file system and storage over Wi-Fi from your PC with NO CABLES. I personally think that every device should have this feature but the BlackBerry PlayBook is the first non-Desktop device to have this feature. I have been using it all night and I absolutely LOVE IT! It is a bit slower than I would like (I am seeing about 100kbps) but in my opinion is one of the most innovative things RIM has done with the Tablet OS.
You simply setup a network name for your device along with a password and then mount it like any other network drive. When you mount it you are given three main directories: Certs, Media, and Print but all of them are empty except for Media which has all the subdirectories you see in the screenshots.
Let me know if you have any questions about the feature! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 15, 2011, 12:27 am. | My Favorite Feature on the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS | 5 comments |
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| Guess What? Hulu.com Works on the BlackBerry PlayBook Posted: 14 Apr 2011 08:35 PM PDT I just got back from the BlackBerry PlayBook launch party with David and the first thing he had me try was Hulu in the PlayBook browser. The crazy part is it works like a charm. I am not promising that Hulu won't decide to go ape-$#i+ and block the BlackBerry PlayBook tomorrow but it is still pretty damn cool!!!
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Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 11:35 pm. | Guess What? Hulu.com Works on the BlackBerry PlayBook | 5 comments |
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| My Favorite Twitter v1.1 Shortcut on the BlackBerry Torch Posted: 14 Apr 2011 03:08 PM PDT RIM added a new shortcut in the recently released v1.1 of Twitter for BlackBerry that I really like. Alex Kinsella pointed it out to me a few weeks ago and I totally forgot about it until this week. I am always opening up Twitter and wanting to refresh my timeline. That used to require me to hit the menu button and scroll down to refresh every time. In Twitter for BlackBerry v1.1 RIM simplified that for BlackBerry Torch users (not sure if Storm users are included). All you have to do is touch and drag down on the compose button and you will automatically refresh your Twitter timeline. I wish it worked for @mentions but it is nice and intuitive. Just what I was looking for on my BlackBerry. Now if only they would let you swipe left and right to switch between the different tabs… Let me know if you have your own little known app tips and tricks! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 6:08 pm. | My Favorite Twitter v1.1 Shortcut on the BlackBerry Torch | 2 comments |
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| RIM Posts Footage from Foo Fighters Garage Tour Posted: 14 Apr 2011 01:06 PM PDT Just a quickie about the Garage Tour contest RIM was running that ended last month. They have kindly posted up footage from the Garage Tour in the form of pictures and a video. You can check out the pictures and video in this gallery. Makes me wonder who won! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 4:06 pm. | RIM Posts Footage from Foo Fighters Garage Tour | Leave a comment |
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| PlayBook Accessories On Display At Staples Posted: 14 Apr 2011 12:31 PM PDT
Some of the accessories on display included the rapid charger, the journal case, and the table case. The protection coverage offered by staples is decided on price range for tablets. Similar to what they have been offering for other devices already. The plan is for a 2yr protection plan.
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Posted by Luis Merlos for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 3:31 pm. | PlayBook Accessories On Display At Staples | 6 comments |
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| Desktop Software Updated to Support PlayBook Posted: 14 Apr 2011 11:49 AM PDT C0rinne let us know that the Desktop Manager has been updated to version 6.0.2.42 with PlayBook support. It looks like RIM is a little bit ahead of themselves because when I went to check www.blackberry.com/desktop/docs to look for more details, 6.0.1 was the latest version. I assume the guide for 6.0.2 will be coming soon. Here's what they mean about those extra preferences mentioned above.
Let us know what else you find out about this new version in the comments! Thanks for the tip C0rinne! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by jforce for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 2:49 pm. | Desktop Software Updated to Support PlayBook | 6 comments |
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| Newegg Mobile for BlackBerry Updated to v1.3 for Bug Fixes Posted: 14 Apr 2011 11:15 AM PDT
I am a big fan of Newegg's BlackBerry app and use it regularly on my BlackBerry due to its ease of use much like the Amazon app. DavidB let us know that Newegg has rolled out another small update from v1.2 to their BlackBerry app bringing it to v1.3 over the weekend. The notification from App World simply says "Bug Fixes" in the change log so who knows if its worth the update.
If you use the app regularly you can pick up the update in App World here. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 2:15 pm. | Newegg Mobile for BlackBerry Updated to v1.3 for Bug Fixes | One comment |
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| Syncamatic Releases Updated Outlook and BlackBerry Apps Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:01 AM PDT Desktop Video Link | Mobile Video LinkSyncamatic let us know that they have updated both their Outlook plugin to v3.0 and their BlackBerry app to v2.4.2 to address suggestions and complaints from customers. Their new Outlook plugin v3.0 is for Outlook 2007 and 2010 users and adds a smoother install, easier setup, and cleaner data transfer along with a progress bar. They have also added a detailed status to let you know how many items are still being synced. Concurrently they have updated their BlackBerry app with support for Central European daylight saving time and the ability to sync the middle name field. Nothing crazy but they are coming out with a new "Share" feature in upcoming releases which will let users share data like calendars and contacts. Check out Syncamatic at www.syncamatic.com If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 1:01 pm. | Syncamatic Releases Updated Outlook and BlackBerry Apps | One comment |
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| BlackBerry PlayBook In the Wild: First Impressions Posted: 14 Apr 2011 10:00 AM PDT Developers who submitted, and had apps approved are starting to receive their PlayBooks. These are different than the review models that we've seen reviewed on other sites. They are not fully functional…yet. We have it on good authority that everything will be enabled on April 19th. So what works right now? The browser and the camera. There are different stories on this. Some say they can't get past the BlackBerry ID screen and others say they can see all the icons as usual, but only the browser and camera actually work. Here are some interesting tidbits we found out about these preemie PlayBooks. My thoughts are in brackets:
More screenshots below. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by jforce for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 1:00 pm. | BlackBerry PlayBook In the Wild: First Impressions | 10 comments |
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| BlackBerry Trade Up Program Opens Up to Canadians Posted: 14 Apr 2011 08:35 AM PDT Back in February RIM launched a new BlackBerry Trade Up program in the US allowing customers to trade their old BlackBerry devices for new ones. Catton let us know that the program has now been extended to our neighbors in Canada. I am not sure if it is also run by The Wireless Source like the US program but let us know if you find out. As I mentioned last time these trade up programs are usually a raw deal compared to the money you could get if you simply sold the phone on eBay or Craigslist but it is simpler. Personally I still recommend Craigslist instead of a trade up program… but if you are in a bind of have a bunch of devices and cannot be bothered check out the Canadian BlackBerry Trade Up program at this link. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 11:35 am. | BlackBerry Trade Up Program Opens Up to Canadians | 2 comments |
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| Early BlackBerry PlayBook Reviews Roundup – Promising? Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:30 AM PDT At about 9PM last night a slew of BlackBerry PlayBook reviews were released by new sites around the globe. The results seem to convey a bit of confusion on the reviewers part at a device many reviewers feel is a bit "Half Baked" and "Rushed to market." I wish we could dig deeper into that but until tonight at the launch party we won't be able to say either way. I actually reached out to a few of the reviewers and it seems like RIM more or less let the device speak for itself which seems to have blown back in their faces. There is a reason Apple has a seriously coordinated and executed PR plan for reviews. Right now the only people defending the device seem to be in the comments on these reviews. Until we can give our own take we decided to collect summaries of the conclusions from the main reviews. Let us know what you think: Anandtech: "There’s a lot to like about the PlayBook, but unless you’re an existing BlackBerry user you’re better off waiting to see where RIM takes this thing." CrackBerry: "If you like the size of the device and feel of the BlackBerry Tablet OS, it may be the tablet for you, especially if you plan to use it mainly for web browsing, media consumption, and if you own a BlackBerry, to take advantage of the Bridge functionality." Bloomberg: "It's impossible to say whether RIM's bet-the-company strategy will pay off. Still, who would have thought that the maker of some of the world's least exciting smartphones would have produced a product this slick? The PlayBook makes BlackBerry relevant again." AllThingsD: "unless you are constantly glued to a BlackBerry phone, or do all your email, contacts and calendar tasks via a browser, I recommend waiting on the PlayBook until more independently usable versions with the promised additions are available." BGR: "I can't help but feel like the PlayBook, as it stands now, is an unfinished product. The hardware is there but the software is buggy at times,and the apps are severely lacking and almost non-existent in terms of quality. While the Web browser is extremely solid, with no native email or calendar or contact apps, the PlayBook isn't a very good standalone product." Joshua Topolsky: 6/10 "The worst part, however, is that I can't think of a single reason to recommend this tablet over the iPad 2, or for that matter… the Xoom." CNET: 3.5/5 The BlackBerry PlayBook ably showcases RIM’s powerful new mobile operating system, but its middling size diminishes many of its best features. GigaOm: "Android tablets have a worthy rival in the PlayBook. It lacks the overall polish of the iPad 2, but give it a little time and RIM could get the hardware and experience right. Even with this first release, it is among my top three tablets picks. I am glad they are in the market and will prove to be a worthy competitor." LaptopMag: 2.5/5 "The BlackBerry PlayBook is a powerful and good-looking tablet, but buggy software and the need to tether a phone to get BlackBerry e-mail and other key apps hold it back." Engadget: "Right now, the BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet that will come close to satisfying those users who gravitate toward the first word in its name: BlackBerry. Those who were more excited about the "play" part would be well advised to look elsewhere, at least until Android compatibility joins the party. Then, well, anything could happen." Gizmodo: "In a lot of ways, the PlayBook is more polished and usable in its beta state than the Motorola Xoom, and it’s straight-up the best seven-inch tablet out there. At the same time, I don’t think anyone should buy it right now—BlackBerry user or otherwise—for at least a few months, to see if the platform has enough legs to carry itself to where it needs to be." NYTimes: "The PlayBook, then, is convenient, fast and coherently designed. But in its current half-baked form, it seems almost silly to try to assess it, let alone buy it." PCWorld: "The BlackBerry PlayBook gets a lot right, but it also feels very much like a work in progress. It could shine in the future, but for now it’s constrained by its limited app selection, software glitches, and choices in functionality or design that should limit the PlayBook’s popularity among consumers." Wired: "It's a well-constructed device with great media-viewing capabilities, solid hardware specs and a price on par with the current tablet market. But with serious gaps in key areas like app selection and Flash stability, you may want to think twice before picking one up." TechCrunch: "As a whole, I'd say that RIM's first attempt at an entirely new product is a valiant effort. The problem they face is the same one that everyone in the space faces: Apple." Let us know if you spot any others. It was kind of painful collecting all of these reviews that are more or less harping on the same lack of email/calendar for the Bridge, buggy experience, and lack of apps. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 10:30 am. | Early BlackBerry PlayBook Reviews Roundup – Promising? | 30 comments |
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| Carrier Billing results in twice as many people buying applications Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:01 AM PDT With the release of Version 2.0 of BlackBerry AppWorld, RIM added an option to purchase applications via carrier billing for select carriers. This is an option that is growing in popularity, and results in twice as many applications being sold by the average customer on carriers who support carrier billing. The above chart shows the comparative amount of sales for the seven largest North American wireless providers, normalized by the size of their BlackBerry customer base. Of these carriers the two that support carrier billing in AppWorld (AT&T and Telus) see their average customer twice as likely to buy applications then a user on any of the other networks. The measurements in this chart are relative to the number of purchases at Verizon Wireless (the largest carrier), such that Verizon would always have a value of 1.00X. The number of purchases is based upon purchases of Pixelated Plus from January-March 2011. Normalization for carrier size was based on data from the free application Pixelated over the same time period. All data was collected through BlackBerry AppWorld at the time of download. If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Eric at Ebscer for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 10:01 am. | Carrier Billing results in twice as many people buying applications | One comment |
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| Staples Canada Stocking BlackBerry PlayBooks – 16GB and 32GB Sizes for Now Posted: 14 Apr 2011 07:00 AM PDT One of our tipsters let us know that BlackBerry PlayBooks are starting to hit the stock rooms of Staples up in Canada. They already have the 16GB and 32GB variants of the device but no 64GB versions are in yet. I really wonder who decides which variants a store will carry but its good to know the stores will have them on hand come April 19th. That is less than 5 days away! If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 10:00 am. | Staples Canada Stocking BlackBerry PlayBooks – 16GB and 32GB Sizes for Now | 5 comments |
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| RadioShack Opens Up BlackBerry PlayBook Preorders Posted: 14 Apr 2011 05:55 AM PDT They are coming a little late to the game but RadioShack has finally put up a preordering page for the BlackBerry PlayBook. It launches in less than 5 days so its not much of a preorder but if RadioShack is your favorite destination for high end electronics this is your lucky day. Just head on over to this page on the RadioShack website to preorder. Kudos to Tim for sending this one in via BGR If you liked this article, you might find these interesting:
Posted by Ronen Halevy for ©BerryReview, April 14, 2011, 8:55 am. | RadioShack Opens Up BlackBerry PlayBook Preorders | 2 comments |
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. I'm not sure what is included in the retail package)
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