Adobe AIR Development

[janetsa]

Live switching from landscape mode to portrait mode and then back to landscape mode at around 10:50.  Note that this was the "secret" engineering hardware that requires RIM to put a case on the playbook.

http://lotuspherepodcasts.com/lsp/lsp.nsf/dx/lotusphere-podcasts-blackberry-playbook-hands-on.htm

[JRab]

hey janetsa,

thanks for the vid! i saw it earlier in one of the earlier threads today. but im still wondering what was so secret about the other one that he couldnt uncover it. maybe just an ugly prototype design? or maybe an updated look?

[janetsa]

In the first couple of minutes --- there were a couple of leads:

(1) the demo playbook is mentioned to be the playbook that is not connected because wifi in conferences are bad --- which meant that the "secret" playbook is connected with a cellular network.

(2) the RIM guy mentioned that AT&T is supposed to launch the playbook as well.

My guess is that there is an AT&T sticker on that secret playbook.

[JRab]

ahh yes, you make reasonable points. definitely something they'd try to hide before any official announcements. well my curiousity is pleased. thanks haha

[TheDarkIn1978]

video @ 6:10: did he just say they're expecting to extend the free playbook offer again, past march 15th, forDomino developers?

[JRab]

yeah, just went back to the video and he definitely said there will / might be an extension. it could be taken as an extension for a select group of developers (domino) or maybe everyone.

[janetsa]

In the keynote, Balsillie mentioned that the top 25 Lotus apps will get promoted by RIM at Blackberry World in May.

http://socialaboration.blogspot.com/2011/01/lotusphere-2011-ogs.html

[peter9477]

---

janetsa wrote:

 (1) the demo playbook is mentioned to be the playbook that is not connected because wifi in conferences are bad --- which meant that the "secret" playbook is connected with a cellular network.

---

That's a pretty reasonable guess, but I don't think that's it.  He does mention that the other one has Bluetooth and WiFi (and the icon shows it's connected), and earlier when they talk about the first not being connected, he does say it's because of Lotusphere WiFi flakiness but I think they imply that it's just the one unit that couldn't connect.  

In other words, I think the other is connected on WiFi, but has something more technical and interesting than a mere AT&T sticker that they've masked.  If it were just that, they'd probably just stick some opaque tape over it.

Could be anything... flash for the rear camera... exposed port for micro SD (that previously white patch on the bottom?)... removable battery cover... :-)

[urbanglowcam]

I'm gonna go with it being a carrier logo from AT&T. They can't show it since they have not officially announced it. Seems Verizon will be getting it too if this site is any indication. http://www.playbookwithoutlimits.com 

[JRab]

i havent heard anything about it going to verizon. always a possibilty though. i did a whois lookup on the domain and its registered under GoDaddy via a company called Marketing Werks ( marketingwerks.com ).

that seems kind of shady to me but who knows if they brought on a third party company to run the website.