Comments on: A Half-Baked PlayBook is the tip of the Firmware Nightmare

By: Mark Mcpherson

Mark Mcpherson — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:44:00 +0000

Another apparently fearless early adopter here. The nightmare you describe is nothing of the kind, at least when it comes to established companies like RIM, with it history of carefully and continually revising and updating the firmware for its products. For those of us so inclined,upgrading software does not induce night-sweats and often brings important added features and added value to our products. RIM was caught between a rock and a hard place, being attacked for releasing the Playbook too soon and too late. I am happy to have it now as it is a nifty device with many useful functions, and I look forward to further refinement in the months ahead. I am certainly glad they did not hold it any longer, needlessly awaiting unattainable software perfection. It has been surprising to see the idiotic and hyper critical attacks based on the launch limitations in apps and certain operations without even bothering to note how well the Playbook runs which clearly indicates that all of the reviewer whinging will be obsolete even as the device gets its legs.

By: Mexicano Chingon

Mexicano Chingon — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:53:00 +0000

I hope HP/Palm will be “that” company at least they are taking their time to get their TouchPad and Pre 3 well cooked before release.

By: J-Credible

J-Credible — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:10:00 +0000

I agree the Playbook doesn’t have a lot of key features to make it comparable to the iPad2 in its current state. However, all the things the Playbook already CAN do, it does better than the iPad2. (surfing the internet, HDMI output, playing music, watching videos, editing documents, editing excel docs, bluetooth keyboard/mouse support, wifi network support for adding/removing files fom the device, taking photos, and taking videos.) Once the full feature set of the Playbook is rolled out, it will be incredibly difficult for the iPad2 to compete. Apps are only a matter of time. The iPad3 will have to step up its game and make a HUGE step forward, especially in terms of how it handles iTunes, multitasking, iOS integration, and a 16:9 screen.

By: Yves

Yves — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:28:00 +0000

I personally own a Blackberry PlayBook and love it. Among all the tablets I’ve used, I’m still shocked at how much negative press it receives. The only tablet currently on the market that is better than it is the iPad2. Any tech savvy person should be able to see that the Xoom, Galaxy Tab, G-Slate, and Dell Streak are all nowhere near as good devices in the hardware or software department as the PlayBook. It’s definitely no iPad, but it’s the next best thing.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:45:00 +0000

I would argue that playing videos from USB is not the primary function of the xbox360; therefore, adding that functionality later in the upgrade cycle was perfectly acceptable.

The issue being discussed here is that many new devices get released without stable core functionality.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:45:00 +0000

I would argue that playing videos from USB is not the primary function of the xbox360; therefore, adding that functionality later in the upgrade cycle was perfectly acceptable.

The issue being discussed here is that many new devices get released without stable core functionality.

By: Techni Myoko

Techni Myoko — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:35:00 +0000

“The very best example I can come up with for a device that meets that criteria is the Microsoft Xbox360″

I disagree. it only got the ability to play videos off USB sticks a few days before PS3 came out, and still lacks functionality PSP launched with. That and its ui keeps getting worse and worse with every update

By: Techni Myoko

Techni Myoko — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:34:00 +0000

3DS did this to me. first thing I ever bought that came with less than its promised features

By: Andres Martinez

Andres Martinez — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:17:00 +0000

Great post, I completely agree with everything you said.

By: Andres Martinez

Andres Martinez — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:17:00 +0000

Great post, I completely agree with everything you said.

By: Greg Bester

Greg Bester — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:53:00 +0000

Half baked certainly is the agreed upon narrative of the tech press.

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:52:00 +0000

I can’t fathom why any manufacturer even tries to keep up with the current proven technology.

Either be innovative or get out of the way….getting tired of all these copycats…too many of them.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:44:00 +0000

There’s also something to be said for the introduction of “open-source” OSes plus the increasing ability of consumers to modify devices. When we see people like those on XDA make mods that far exceed the capabilities of manufacturers, and then see those manufacturers become locked into battles with modders, it creates even more conflict.

Google and HTC had the perfect formula with the Nexus One. It was the perfect device for modders, it was left open and raw, and HTC and Google both agreed not to persecute those who sought to build on their excellent starting points.

That’s what these manufacturers are just not able to grasp, and until they do, there will be conflict, heightened expectations, etc. My advice: build wonderfully well put-together devices like the Nexus One, and leave them open to be developed. Embrace and learn from those, and then based upon the innovation that results, build devices that at the outset, are recognized as closed. It’s exactly that dual-platform model that has worked very, very well for HTC.

The tablet that will do well will be the Nexus T–a high-powered tablet with raw Honeycomb that is expected to have software issues, but that can be developed by consumers, without all of the harassment that these follower-manufacturers keep causing by releasing locked-up, underpowered models that people expect to just work.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:44:00 +0000

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:44:00 +0000

what a great post!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:44:00 +0000

what a great post!

By: Tarwinia

Tarwinia — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:39:00 +0000

I agree. My own personal experience is limited to the HTC Touch Pro2 (I will be upgrading my phone this year but since I buy off contract I like to make it count and last). The Touch Pro2 was great in this respect except that the last firmware actually broke lots of functionality and they never came out with a new one to fix it. I do like getting the extras that firmware upgrades provide. At times it’s like getting a new device without the expenditure. But I will never buy a device that doesn’t meet my needs at the time of purchase (there are a few exceptions). One exception to this would have been flash support on the xoom because that was coming but on behalf of adobe, not motorola. The microSD slot on the other hand is a deal breaker (not to mention the price). I am also willing to live with a few bugs, as long as they are few and don’t seriously hamper the usability.

Though firmware upgrades might be nice we live in a world when they are not a guaranteed thing, a world where they sometimes break more than they fix. As such I believe that if a device doesn’t do what you need it to or work as you need it to then it’s best to wait till it does before purchasing. Either that or buy something from the competition.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:14:00 +0000

“Give me a device that serves its purpose 100-percent of its life, rather than something I’m expected to coddle until the potential catches up to the promise.”

The very best example I can come up with for a device that meets that criteria is the Microsoft Xbox360. From the beginning, it did what it was meant to do: play games — both on and offline. Every year, MS has boosted its usefulness and extended its life with upgrades that add new, and often unexpected, functionality.

It’s a sad state of affairs when tablets and other devices (media players come to mind — ie. Boxee Box) fail outright in their base functionality when they’re first released, thus condemning their entire upgrade cycle to a seemingly never-ending game of “catch up.”

At the other end of the spectrum, you have Apple. While they seem to understand the need for fully functional and stable devices at release, their own update cycle becomes a never-ending game of boring and uninspired additions of last year’s functionality.

I agree with everything you wrote above. We desperately need to find a tablet manufacturer that sits somewhere between Apple and Motorola in terms of release functionality and the update cycles — the Xbox360 of Tablets, if you will…