BlackBerry PlayBook as Primary Home Computer - 2 Weeks In
It's been 2 weeks since I decided to stop using the custom-built desktop computer, sell it, and start saving for the computer I really want: a Mac.
In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to try using my BlackBerry PlayBook + Mini Keyboard combo as my primary computing device.
Overall, I'd say it's been a success. My PlayBook obviously cannot do everything a full-featured desktop computer can, but it does the basics very well. For me, those basics are surfing the web, viewing and writing emails, viewing and managing calendars, and viewing and creating basic documents.
I am having some gaming withdrawal, but that's probably not a bad thing. I have cheated a bit in that regard and brought my work laptop home on the weekends for some weekend gaming. But for everything else I've tried to use my PlayBook.
Here are a few apps that have made this experience so much better:
OrigamiBrowser - This is a great FREE alternative to the stock web browser. It offers many more features for customization and ease of use. My favorite is full-screen mode so I can maximize the usable area of the PB screen while surfing the web. You can also use some bezel gestures to navigate and perform certain functions, but I ended up disabling those out of personal preference.
Files & Folders - This is an essential app. Not only does it have a sleek interface that allows you to easily access any directory or file on your PlayBook, you can also link many cloud accounts to it, including SkyDrive, DropBox, and Google Drive. Having access to all my cloud storage through one app has been fantastic, and made it very easy to get files on and off of my PlayBook. This is a paid app, and worth every penny. But they do offer a 3 day trial version if you want to try it risk free.
Amazon Kindle - This app is not available through BlackBerry World. I managed to find an Android version that I was able to side-load. Now I can easily access and read my Kindle Library, and the PlayBook is the perfect size for an eReader.
In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to try using my BlackBerry PlayBook + Mini Keyboard combo as my primary computing device.
Overall, I'd say it's been a success. My PlayBook obviously cannot do everything a full-featured desktop computer can, but it does the basics very well. For me, those basics are surfing the web, viewing and writing emails, viewing and managing calendars, and viewing and creating basic documents.
I am having some gaming withdrawal, but that's probably not a bad thing. I have cheated a bit in that regard and brought my work laptop home on the weekends for some weekend gaming. But for everything else I've tried to use my PlayBook.
Here are a few apps that have made this experience so much better:
OrigamiBrowser - This is a great FREE alternative to the stock web browser. It offers many more features for customization and ease of use. My favorite is full-screen mode so I can maximize the usable area of the PB screen while surfing the web. You can also use some bezel gestures to navigate and perform certain functions, but I ended up disabling those out of personal preference.
Files & Folders - This is an essential app. Not only does it have a sleek interface that allows you to easily access any directory or file on your PlayBook, you can also link many cloud accounts to it, including SkyDrive, DropBox, and Google Drive. Having access to all my cloud storage through one app has been fantastic, and made it very easy to get files on and off of my PlayBook. This is a paid app, and worth every penny. But they do offer a 3 day trial version if you want to try it risk free.
Amazon Kindle - This app is not available through BlackBerry World. I managed to find an Android version that I was able to side-load. Now I can easily access and read my Kindle Library, and the PlayBook is the perfect size for an eReader.
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