BlackBerry® PlayBook™

[rafski]

"As long as the product leaves the shelves, the bosses are happy."
Actually, that type of thinking almost destroyed the automotive industry, particularly the American automotive industry where the Japanese simply outperformed American cars in all areas except for horsepower and size. It's too bad they got bailed out. 

In the electronic world, Apple's reliability (and customer support) is a lot better than Blackberry's. I've had my Macbook Pro since 2008, and it's been going strong since. My next computer will be 100 percent an Apple, no matter what because of this reason. It's a product I can trust.

I cannot trust Blackberry because of my experience with this Playbook in light of all the other criticism is has been getting  - it's obvious that they believe in that in the electronics industry, "something will always go wrong, deal with it". 

Times are a changin'. I look forward to seeing poorly built electronic companies fail.

[jerryg50]

In every mass produced device sold, from cars to computers there will always be a level of defects. This is normal statistics. If you were to look at manufacture statistics the average rate of return is 3%. 

I know of people who bought Apple, Samsung and others for tablets and computers. They also had faults that had to be corrected. The parts are all mostly manufactured at the same factories. What makes the big difference is the finish or packaging of design, the internal firmware, the operating systems, and how the devices are interfaced.

One big thing I like about the RIM is their products are built in Canada which makes it North American built. The parts can come from various different places as like the other products. At least they are doing some operations in North America, which contributes more to our society.

One big thing I like about the RIM and a few others, is their interconnects are very generic, and it is easy and low cost to find spare cables, chargers, and etc.

I am very critical about security since I use my phone and tablet for business and financial management. I need mobile communications that are extremely secure.

Jerry G.

[jerryg50]

In every mass produced device sold, from cars to computers there will always be a level of defects. This is normal statistics. If you were to look at manufacture statistics the average rate of return is 3%. 

I know of people who bought Apple, Samsung and others for tablets and computers. They also had faults that had to be corrected. The parts are all mostly manufactured at the same factories. What makes the big difference is the finish or packaging of design, the internal firmware, the operating systems, and how the devices are interfaced.

One big thing I like about the RIM is their products are built in Canada which makes it North American built. The parts can come from various different places as like the other products. At least they are doing some operations in North America, which contributes more to our society.

One big thing I like about the RIM and a few others, is their interconnects are very generic, and it is easy and low cost to find spare cables, chargers, and etc.

I am very critical about security since I use my phone and tablet for business and financial management. I need mobile communications that are extremely secure.

Jerry G.

[rafski]

I also liked the fact that RIM was Canadian - that was a big factor with why I went with them. I wanted to see a Canadian company do well in such a highly competitive market. But, when I called tech support to repair my Playbook, I was calling someone outside of Canada. 

Digging further, not all Blackberries are made in Canada: 

http://www.blackberrycool.com/2011/09/07/poll-where-was-your-blackberry-manufactured/

http://crackberry.com/argentina-start-manufacturing-blackberry-smartphones-october-2011

So, it's not really a Canadian company, just a few Canadians getting rich. Heck, they might not even be Canadians, it's just established in Canada. 

Aside from me being surprised how un-Canadian the company was, these types of management issues do not help in any way: 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20075817-260/anonymous-letter-bemoans-rim-management-woes/?tag=mnc...

I bet A LOT more than 3 percent of Playbooks are faulty. I bought two for my household - if the other goes, I'll have full confidence that this company will be no more unless they get a complete facelift. As a Canadian, to other Canadians, I hope that RIM does step it up. I love my Blackberry phone, I like the keypad, I don't want to switch to an iphone because of that. I also love the size of the Playbook, it fits very well in my hand, unlike the iPad which requires two hands. 

RIM needs better leadership, and it needs it now. 

[jerryg50]

So far I have been lucky with the number of phones and tablets that we own. When I needed any tech support I was able to have it. 

I have been reading articles about how RIM has been going down. We can see how their stock price and revenue reflects the real world out there. 

As for myself, I was able to ahve the iPhone for a few days for a tryout. I also tried the iPad. These devices do work well. I found their quality level was not the same as the RIM, but they were very applealing to use.

For example, the iPhone camera does not have a flash. It does not do macro photos as well as the RIM. The devices I tried do not run Flash, which I need for the type of use I require the devices for. 

My big consern was the security for the type of job applications I require. Then there is the compatiblity to be more universal for interconnect and usage with PC computers. RIM has most of the others beat for this part. 

If I was forced to change phones and tablets, I would be seriously looking very seriously at the Samsung for the tablet. For the phone, I like what I saw in the higher end of the HTC phones. The high end Samsung phones are also very good. 

As for HTC and Samsung support, I have no experience with them, so I cannot comment. I know their products work well, and I have not heard any negative issues with them. Infact, I heard more negative issues with the Apple products than with these. My biggest consern would be for the security aspects. 

For now I will be sticking with the RIM products. I am used to them, and I am familiar with them for supporting them. 

Jerry G. 

[shamsidris]

Hello guys,thx for your contributions and suggestions. I tried connecting and disconnecting the charger to and from the playbook. Hurray!!! Its charging now.

[rrbrg]

i have the same issue.... up to now ...i keep on trying to to the reset button and when i touch the cord red then green light blinks

[shamsidris]

Plug the charger,the red light will come on,immeditely it goes off,u unplug the charger,try that for like 10x, then plug and live for a while. I'm sure it will come on.

[jpbergerinoc]

I've have my Playbook for about a year now and I am now having the same power issue.... Not at all pleased with RIM support nor their handling of this issue. Come on RIM, support your product or get out ... your loosing your brand loyalty every single day.

John Berger

Southern California 

[rafski]

Their support is BRUTAL eh?! It was such a bad experience for me. I'm waiting for FedEx to pick up my playbook now. But I just want my money back.