back to article No BBM app for PlayBook soon, admits RIM

RIM has delayed the release of the next major upgrade to its BlackBerry PlayBook's operating system - and won't be including BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) at launch. "We expect to deliver the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS to customers in February 2012," blogged David J Smith, RIM's PlayBook chief yesterday. App developers were …

COMMENTS

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  1. LomaxFairchild

    They really seem . . .

    . . . keen for this thing to fail.

  2. Scott Earle
    WTF?

    Amazing

    This thing's doomed, isn't it?

  3. Khaptain Silver badge
    FAIL

    Did anyone actually buy this thing

    If I had a user base of 3, I would probably delay the next release too.

    1. GavinC

      yea, I did. On the back of advertisements promising native email coming soon, and the ability to use android apps. With 2.0 scheduled for February, It will be almost a year since I bought it before these things are finally added.

      I used to be a blackberry fan, but this coupled with the recent outages of their servers, has really made me consider switching to android...

  4. f1rest0rm

    Agree with the above ....

    RIM really are screwing any chance this thing has of success.

  5. Simon Buttress
    FAIL

    What a clusterf***

    Honestly, do RIM employ anyone in upper echelons that is capable of critically assessing a product spec & function before moving from alpha to prototype to production? Are they all deep-cover Android & Apple execs?

    This 'device' will surely be held up as a shining example of how NOT to do a tablet. Honestly, if there was a process flow diagram I'd bet money that the RIM executives travelled down every 'No' branch on the page to arrive at the fail known as the Playbook. And that includes the naming process.

  6. DrXym

    You know when

    You see a project which could be saved if they bothered to change direction but they don't? A project with obvious flaws which have an obvious remedy? A project which is doomed to fail?

    That's the Playbook. You could see the wheels coming off this thing when they lamely stated the thing couldn't even read email without tethering it to a phone.

    The hardware and OS look fine, it's just the business functionality which sucks. RIM's one selling point is email on the go and business friendly solutions. They appear to be doing everything with this product (and screwups like the recent email blackout) to drive businesses to examine other solutions.

  7. Anne Frank
    FAIL

    RIM's intelligence is in single figures....

    so, they seem to have no bounds to their ignorance... the Playbook is nothing more than a monitor for the BB it seems - why are people going to want a Playbook, which is wifi only or can be tethered to their Blackberry, and their view is you don't want a native email client in the Playbook as there's one in your other hand on the Blackberry.... therefore why bother with a Playbook??

    at least Apple see their iPad as an independent device from the iPhone, so the owner can hold ONE device in their hand and have access to email and other apps on their iPad, without having to have it tethered to their phone in order to use email!

  8. jai

    What happens after a corporation shoots itself in the foot?

    It aims for the other one, evidently.

    This is the one thing that everyone has been loudly complaining about since the Playbook was first announced.

    It evidently isn't their highest priority, which means they're trying to target a totally different audience than the one that's shown interest in the device.

    Which seems daft.

  9. JeffyPooh
    Pint

    "...the lack of a native email client..."

    It's worse than that I'm afraid...

    The PlayBook (Yes, I have one) can't even reliably access Gmail's *webmail* GUI. Seriously. Clicky-clicky no worky-worky.

    Even if you follow all the work-arounds and clear the Local Cache, etc., then take it outside and shake it, then sacrifice a pengiun, etc. etc. ...Once one get it working and can finally check your Gmail, then it immediately falls over and refuses to play nice with Gmail. It simply will not work with Gmail - crazy considering it's just a web interface...

    I'm sure that they'll eventually fix it, but geesh...

    The good news is that it is a wonderful gadget overall. My iPhone is getting to be too small for my eyes, so having a 7-inch tablet for $300 makes a very nice browsing / YouTube device. The fact that the PlayBook also includes Flash makes it vastly superior to Apple iDevices that refuse to play nice with Flash.

  10. tmTM

    another blunder

    At least they're consistent with the stupid mistakes on this device.

  11. Craig Vaughton
    FAIL

    Relegated

    So lets see, no BMM or onboard mail in your first release, but you boldly keep at it. iPad2 sells by the bucket load and before Xmas arrives, Amazon launches the Fire (in the US only it seems) and you're 2-0 down by half time at the the of the year.

    You make an attempt at pulling a goal back by releasing an update, but still omit BMM and score an own goal instead, then Apple show the iPad3 a month later, possibly introducing a smaller form factor as well or even making the iPad2 the cheaper version as they have with the iPhone.

    Come April, you're relegated to either axing the playbook altogether, or cutting the price so any mug buys it. I'd be worried about letters of support from the board in the meantime as well!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hoping the price crashes

    If this thing goes the way of the HP pad and i can pick this up for a wunner, and i can have my BBM in February, then i'm all good.

  13. Anonymous Coward 101
    FAIL

    Best thing HP did in their recent past...

    ...was shoot the Touchpad. It was a failure, and to carry it on would have thrown good money after bad.

    RIM, do the necessary.

  14. Shane Kent

    I got one...

    for $270 Canadian and got free $30 sheild. For the price it is great. I am happy with the functionality, and I can wait for updates. Not a BB user so could care less about messenger. I got PC for email, so could care less about that as well. It is my first QNX device and I guess more of a toy than anything. But I would assume there are a lot of users who don't feel the same, as the 2.0 was supposed to be out shortly (according to crackberry forums) and I would say next year is not shortly.

    1. alexh2o
      Headmaster

      Watch this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

      (Sorry I only jest! I do actually agree with your post as I'm in the same boat!)

  15. Blubster
    Unhappy

    @"...the lack of a native email client..."

    "The PlayBook (Yes, I have one) can't even reliably access Gmail's *webmail* GUI. Seriously. Clicky-clicky no worky-worky."

    No native calendar nor can it synchronise with Outlook.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    iBlame

    iBlame poor sales on its stupid name and the fact it's not an iPhone.

  17. a_been
    WTF?

    "We expect to deliver the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS to customers in February 2012,"

    They have customers for the PlayBook!

  18. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    This is something I REALLY wanted to buy...

    ...but the fact that RIM chose NOT to include e-mail & a calendar is so stupid, as to question whether or not BOTH RIM CEOs should still have their jobs.

    What were they thinking? RIM made its business on messaging, and not to have this in a new product is sheer lunacy.

    And then, to bring it out with one OS...then announce to the world that it will be getting a completely different OS in the future...SOMETIME...is asinine.

    And don't get me started on how behind the curve RIM are with their handsets.

    And now this? Good luck RIM, 'cause you're going to need it to stay in business after these bone-headed decisions...or the lack thereof.

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