Tablets - iPad, Galaxy Tab, Playbook, XOOM & More

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by SinceDay1

i use Book Reader from Untangled Development. Works with several formats as long as they're DRM-free. $0.99 on BB App World.

Same here. Works like a charm.

[Anduril]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I have become really frustrated about the charging time of my playbook recently. Plugged into a PC or my phone charger and it doesn't charge hardly at all. The MicroUSB charger that came with it is a little better but not much.

There is the option of purchasing the rapid mag charger, but for $40+ a charger that will only charge my playbook doesn't make sense unless it really is a lot faster. Anyone have one that can attest to how fast it charges?

Their claims of twice the usual speed are pretty accurate. After all, it's more amperage but just a regular 5v charger.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I have become really frustrated about the charging time of my playbook recently. Plugged into a PC or my phone charger and it doesn't charge hardly at all. The MicroUSB charger that came with it is a little better but not much.

There is the option of purchasing the rapid mag charger, but for $40+ a charger that will only charge my playbook doesn't make sense unless it really is a lot faster. Anyone have one that can attest to how fast it charges?

Plugging any device into regular USB is only 0.5A.

My ASUS motherboard has an AI Charger + feature that I can turn on where it pushes 1.2A through USB 3.0 into devices that support BC 1.1. Charges my phone twice as fast. Mag chargers, I hear, are 2A so that would be even faster.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Do you think using the 10W USB power supply that is available for the iPad would help? It noticeably improves the charging speed of our iPhones, and is the fastest way to charge an iPad, and it's just a brick with a USB out, so I assume it could provide more current to the Playbook charging circuitry as well. It would also be easy to find locally.

If you work downtown, you could borrow mine and test it out.

Just to follow up, the iPad charger did not work at all, but I suspect the cable I am using is to blame, somehow. It will charge my phone no problem, but wherever I plug it (other than a PC) it refuses to charge my Playbook. On the PC it charges super slow, which is expected.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Do you think using the 10W USB power supply that is available for the iPad would help? It noticeably improves the charging speed of our iPhones, and is the fastest way to charge an iPad, and it's just a brick with a USB out, so I assume it could provide more current to the Playbook charging circuitry as well. It would also be easy to find locally.

If you work downtown, you could borrow mine and test it out.

What's the voltage and amperage on that?

IE: regular USB is 5V x 0.5A = 2.5W

The ipad and mag charger is probably 5V x 2A = 10W

Apple devices are always telling me I am not using authorized chargers, etc. though. Is there some kind of extra logic or something?

[Hack&Lube]

Just checked my buddy's Playbook charging brick/wall charger (no detachable cable). Do you not have one Rathji? It says 5V, 1.8A = 9W

Should be plenty fast.

[Rathji]

The included charger is good. The only time it gets used is if I leave it overnight, so I don't know for sure exactly how long it takes.

The biggest concern I have is that I am looking for another charger to have one at work and at at home, but $40-50 for the mag charger seems really steep for something I won't be able to use on any other device. If the mag charger is 10w and the included Playbook charger is 9w, I will probably go that route. At least I then can use the charger on another device.

Thanks for explaining the charger wattage stuff. This is all stuff I should know in theory, but in practice I never think of it like that.

edit: Just found the specs on the mag charger 12V and 2amp, so it is a lot more powerful than the USB charger. Might have to consider with that option then.

[Hack&Lube]

http://ca.crackberry.com/products/Bl...A-version.html

Yeah, $50 but 24 freaking watts. That's like 10x the power of USB 2.0. You wouldn't mix up other devices with it either since it uses the mag port instead of USB too.

[Rathji]

16 and 36 GB Playbooks $149 at Telus Stores for 1 week?

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-pla...one-week-telus

Can anyone confirm?

[DrJ]

Originally Posted by Rathji

16 and 36 GB Playbooks $149 at Telus Stores for 1 week?

http://crackberry.com/blackberry-pla...one-week-telus

Can anyone confirm?

Boo ...So I called Telus and they are sold out.

Also called Best Buy and Futureshop and they have notices telling their managers to not price match.

Wal-Mart apparently only matches physical advertisements.

Reading through some of the comments on your Crackberry link, it seems like they sold out super quick.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Why would Best Buy and Futurshop not match?

I thought that's what they did.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Why would Best Buy and Futurshop not match?

I thought that's what they did.

Maybe because Telus held that sale and then wiped all traces of the Playbook from their site? I was surprised to see that they don't offer the Playbook at all anymore.

[Violator]

Originally Posted by Rathji

The included charger is good. The only time it gets used is if I leave it overnight, so I don't know for sure exactly how long it takes.

The biggest concern I have is that I am looking for another charger to have one at work and at at home, but $40-50 for the mag charger seems really steep for something I won't be able to use on any other device. If the mag charger is 10w and the included Playbook charger is 9w, I will probably go that route. At least I then can use the charger on another device.

Thanks for explaining the charger wattage stuff. This is all stuff I should know in theory, but in practice I never think of it like that.

edit: Just found the specs on the mag charger 12V and 2amp, so it is a lot more powerful than the USB charger. Might have to consider with that option then.

it takes about 2.5 hours to charge with the included wall charger from 9%.

Trying to decide if its worth the money to sink into this playbook

[Slava]

Playbook 2.0 comes out on the 21st (the full, non-beta). Should be pretty good from all indications...

[Hemi-Cuda]

so for those that bought the Asus Transformer Prime, how are you liking it? i'm looking at getting a tablet soon, and want to stick with Android since i have so many paid apps on my Galaxy SII. the Prime seems to be the only one that can take on and beat the iPad 2, so does it live up to the hype?

[Bobblehead]

I don't have much of a frame of reference, but I really like the Prime I haven't found any reason to be disappointed.

[MrMastodonFarm]

When does OS 2 for Playbook come out?

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

When does OS 2 for Playbook come out?

Originally Posted by Slava

Playbook 2.0 comes out on the 21st (the full, non-beta). Should be pretty good from all indications...

there you go

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Maybe because Telus held that sale and then wiped all traces of the Playbook from their site? I was surprised to see that they don't offer the Playbook at all anymore.

Is the sale anywhere online, Telus Website?

London Drugs is always pretty good for price matching in this situation. If you point them towards the website, they'll do it.

[MickMcGeough]

March 7 all but confirmed for the iPad 3 announcement.