Hasta La Gadget!

Today is the PlayBook’s official launch day in the UK, but one of the island kingdom’s biggest mobile players won’t be taking part. O2 has apparently been reaching out to subscribers who’ve expressed an interest in acquiring RIM’s 7-inch tablet on the network with word that the company “will not be selling the device.” The communiqué to those users states that “unfortunately there are some issues with the end to end customer experience,” though O2 continues to work with RIM on future PlayBook products and releases and doesn’t rule out carrying this particular slate in the future. We reached out for an official statement and the company confirmed that it has no plans to sell the PlayBook at this time. Maybe once it gets a native email client, eh?

[Thanks, Stephan]

O2 UK spurns BlackBerry PlayBook, cites issues with ‘end to end customer experience’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The PlayBook isn’t even two months old yet and it’s already scored a second update to its QNX-based OS. First up from BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.5 is an upgraded Facebook app, which is now a preloaded part of the system software and can do some really neat things… like delete unwanted messages. Devs will be happy to hear that they can include in-app payments, while our European friends should be excited about the expanded language support. There are a few other welcome changes, including some enterprise-friendly tweaks to video chat, a new pop-up power menu (pictured above), and the ability to charge even when the device is turned off — a constraint we’re sure had at least a few owners pulling a Picard-like facepalm. The update is available now and, while you wait for it download, check out the source link for more details.

BlackBerry PlayBook gets updated with new power menu, better Facebook app, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Adobe-Apple Flash war used to be one of the juiciest catfights around, but, much like two aging boxers, both sides now appear willing to act like adults put it all behind them. Speaking at yesterday’s D9 conference in Palos Verdes, California, Adobe head Shantanu Narayen confirmed that he and Steve Jobs have reached an unofficial armistice, bringing an end to their prolonged war of words. According to the CEO, Apple’s Flash issues stemmed from the company’s “business model,” rather than any legitimate concerns over quality. “It’s control over the app store that’s at issue here,” Narayen said, implying that Flash’s wide-ranging platform compatibility may not have jibed with the Cupertino ethos. He went on to remind moderator Walt Mossberg that developers can still use Adobe’s AIR software to get their products to the App Store, adding that his company is looking forward to the rise of HTML5 and “actively contributing” to its development.

Mossberg, meanwhile, seemed to blindside Narayen when he brought up Flash’s poor performance on Android devices. “I have yet to test a single one where Flash tests really well,” the columnist claimed. “I’m sorry, but it’s true.” Narayen sputtered a bit, before pointing to the BlackBerry PlayBook as an example of the progress that Flash has made. When Mossberg reminded him that the PlayBook doesn’t run on Android, the CEO not-so-subtly sidestepped the question by emptily declaring that Adobe’s mission is simply to provide people with the best tools to create content. Apparently satisfied with this non-answer, Mossberg changed the subject back to Apple, allowing Narayen to wax poetic about their new Pax Romana — and, perhaps, to breathe a sigh of relief. See the full interview after the break.

Continue reading Adobe CEO has no beef with Apple, no answer for poor Flash performance on Android (video)

Adobe CEO has no beef with Apple, no answer for poor Flash performance on Android (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, we’ve been waiting for a PlayBook packing something more than WiFi to rear its enterprise-friendly head, and there it is — sort of. Search Google for “Sprint PlayBook” and the number one (non-sponsored) result is a page “introducing the BlackBerry 4G Playbook tablet,” which means the companies are right about on schedule for that promised summer release. Clicking on the link just redirects you to the Sprint homepage for now and, sadly, price and exact ship date are still anyone’s guess. There’s enough detail in the search snippet to tell us that this is legit and and an announcement page is ready to go, though — so, WiMAX fans, we hope you like QNX.

[Thanks, Josh]

WiMAX PlayBook 4G announcement betrayed by Google search? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 May 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We found the BlackBerry PlayBook to be a pretty solid piece of hardware, but it seems there was a problem batch — an inside source tells us that nearly 1,000 faulty tablets were shipped to Staples, and now they’re being recalled. We’re hoping that Staples (and any other affected retailers) will reach out to customers and inform them of the problem right away, but just in case that doesn’t happen, we’ve compiled a searchable spreadsheet of all 935 alleged serial numbers for you to check against your own. Find it right after the break.

Continue reading RIM recalls at least 900 faulty BlackBerry PlayBooks, here are the serial numbers

RIM recalls at least 900 faulty BlackBerry PlayBooks, here are the serial numbers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 21:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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