Will the $199 PlayBook Kill the Vox???

pokee · 11-21-2011, 02:40 AM

I already know two people at work who bought one on the weekend after the price drop a few days ago. I asked them to bring them in so we could compare tomorrow!

I've seen posts where people who bought their Voxes in the past few weeks at FS or BB are planning to return them and buy a PlayBook instead.

I, for one, am very happy with my Vox - and won't be returning it - even though I have another week left in my 30 day return window. I am sticking with it - even with some of the challenges and software issues I've been having. I think the reason I am sticking with it is because I love having direct access to my Kobo books and library. I also have already purchased a handful of Vox only books, that do not seem to be compatible over other devices yet (already tried with my hubby's iPad with Kobo app).

Kobo really, really needs to pull up their socks if they want to compete...I wish them luck!

markT4 · 11-21-2011, 02:55 AM

I decided against the playbook because it's total POS for PDF's. It only has acrobat reader which doesn't have highlighting, can't handle large pdf's and constantly crashes. They're suppose to be having an update that will allow for android apps to be able to run on the playbook but RIM been promising a lot of things lately and not fallowing through. Plus, the Vox supports e-mail

.

pokee · 11-21-2011, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markT4

I decided against the playbook because it's total POS for PDF's. It only has acrobat reader which doesn't have highlighting, can't handle large pdf's and constantly crashes. They're suppose to be having an update that will allow for android apps to be able to run on the playbook but RIM been promising a lot of things lately and not fallowing through. Plus, the Vox supports e-mail

.

Hmmm...interesting. I knew about the lack of android apps, but didn't realize there were issues with large PDFs. And...what's the deal with email? It looks like it has the same email app as the Vox...?

The ONE thing I wish the Vox had that the PlayBook has is HDMI output

Graycee · 11-21-2011, 06:00 AM

I went to futureshop and played around with the playbook and I thought it worked pretty well. It seems like a good deal for $199. I considered buying it and returning my Vox, but I have my Vox all set up just the way I like it and it's running smoothly (knock on wood :-) so I'll stick with the Vox.

taming · 11-21-2011, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokee

Kobo really, really needs to pull up their socks if they want to compete...I wish them luck!

You have a real flare for the dramatic.

49Kat · 11-21-2011, 07:33 AM

Don't you have to have a BB already to use a PB? And given RIM's recent woe's, I? their future. Most see the drop in PB $ as 'blood in the water' so to speak.

coinín · 11-21-2011, 07:54 AM

BB has said they're discontinuing the 16gb playbook, so once these are gone, they're gone. There simply aren't enough of them to go around to kill the Vox.
And no, you don't have to have a BB to use the playbook; if you do have one, you'll get a little more out of it because you can bridge the two together and use the playbook to access your BB functions securely.

Haesslich · 11-21-2011, 08:47 AM

Given that it's not a permanent price (fire sale for the 16gb), I don't see it killing the Vox. A bigger threat would be Amazon shipping the Fire to Canada and overseas wile offering the Amazon App Store and Amazon Prime. And as I've said elsewhere, the lack of apps hurts the BB - I can get a decent PDF reader on iOS and Android, but on the BB (or WebOS) you're stuck with the awful Adobe Reader.

pulsar · 11-21-2011, 09:29 AM

Software is as important for computers as hardware; one of the reasons I got Kobo Vox because it looked like an easily hackable Android device, with lots of apps, and bright future. To me, it's well worth the slightly slower cpu and a lack of some hardware when compared to Playbook. AFAIK PB is not even rootable, and the future for its OS and apps looks very uncertain.

BTW, Kobo does try to be competitive: I think in the current FS flyer they list the Vox with a larger (25$, vs the original 10$) Kobo gift card.

Jesslynne · 11-21-2011, 10:16 AM

I still don't think I would have gotten a Playbook in replace of a Vox. I know how glitchy it's system is, much more than the Vox seems to be. It should have been at this cost to begin with imo.

It's not going to replace it at all, I know my store is never getting more in.

borisb · 11-21-2011, 12:04 PM

I considered the RIM playbook after the Kindle Fire announcement (since the Fire wouldn't be available in Canada), but after reading some forums and considering RIM's poor public record for support of the Playbook I decide to pass on the Playbook for poor software support by the company (i.e., they just didn't seem serious or even plain competent in stocking the device with apps).

pokee · 11-21-2011, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taming

You have a real flare for the dramatic.

I've been known to be called a drama queen once or twice...

pokee · 11-21-2011, 01:00 PM

I just find it interesting how ballistic people I know went when they heard of the price drop for the PB and ran all over town trying to find some. I felt like saying, "Ummm...you DO know that the Vox has been out for over 3 weeks at that price?", but there was no saying it. A $300 discount blinds even the most savvy shopper...

PeterT · 11-21-2011, 01:07 PM

Like others, while the price point is interesting, I'm concerned over the entire app availability for the PlayBook. Certainly, RIM has promised support for Android applications, but from what I've read it is for a limited set of functionality.

Certainly, more functionality might be added on, but, when you have trouble with an Android app on a PlayBook, who would you turn to for support?

4Foot · 11-21-2011, 04:23 PM

Well, I am getting one. I am not sure what the attitude about 'limited functionality' is all about. I looked at the PB available apps and there is a Kobo app there for reading books as well as three other ereader apps that I saw.

The PB is almost identical in size to the Vox, has front and rear cameras, twice the memory, a faster processor and a dynamite screen as well as two front facing speakers and 1080p video playback.

Any browser will get you the email access that you need and, yes I know, they have been promising a lot lately and falling short, but the long awaited software update which will bring standalone mail and other desirable features is slated for Feb. 17, 2012.

RIM has over 70 million customers around the world to keep them honest and moving forward. I don't know how many readers Kobo has sold but my experience asking them for help or any questions at all has never resulted in a satisfactory result. Now that they have sold themselves to a Japanese retail company, anybody think that their customer service is going to get any better?

I like my Vox, but it has some serious issues, the inability to restart after putting it to sleep is alone enough to make me sorry I bought it. It is a good ereader and a passable email/browsing device but only made good by being able to side load from external Android markets not by what came with the GetJar option. I am going to keep it, at least until my new PB proves to me that it is as capable an eReader as the Vox, I already know it is better at handling video and the web.

Please don't get me wrong, I have two Kobo's and have suffered through their teething problems on the original device and now the Vox. I am a loyal customer, but for the exact same money, I really could not say that it is a superior product to the PB, and we can knock RIM while they are in a down period but they will be in an up cycle soon and we know nothing about the new KOBO owners and their plans for keeping their purchased customer base happy in the future.

Fingers crossed.

4Foot

11-21-2011, 02:40 AM	#1
pokee Fanatic Posts: 569 Karma: 199759 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC Device: Kobo WiFi, Kobo Glo, Kobo Vox, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Tab2	Will the $199 PlayBook Kill the Vox??? I already know two people at work who bought one on the weekend after the price drop a few days ago. I asked them to bring them in so we could compare tomorrow! I've seen posts where people who bought their Voxes in the past few weeks at FS or BB are planning to return them and buy a PlayBook instead. I, for one, am very happy with my Vox - and won't be returning it - even though I have another week left in my 30 day return window. I am sticking with it - even with some of the challenges and software issues I've been having. I think the reason I am sticking with it is because I love having direct access to my Kobo books and library. I also have already purchased a handful of Vox only books, that do not seem to be compatible over other devices yet (already tried with my hubby's iPad with Kobo app). Kobo really, really needs to pull up their socks if they want to compete...I wish them luck!

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11-21-2011, 02:55 AM	#2
markT4 Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 101745 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: none	I decided against the playbook because it's total POS for PDF's. It only has acrobat reader which doesn't have highlighting, can't handle large pdf's and constantly crashes. They're suppose to be having an update that will allow for android apps to be able to run on the playbook but RIM been promising a lot of things lately and not fallowing through. Plus, the Vox supports e-mail .

11-21-2011, 06:00 AM	#4
Graycee Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 4101 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Aura, Kindle (2014)	I went to futureshop and played around with the playbook and I thought it worked pretty well. It seems like a good deal for $199. I considered buying it and returning my Vox, but I have my Vox all set up just the way I like it and it's running smoothly (knock on wood :-) so I'll stick with the Vox.

11-21-2011, 07:33 AM	#6
49Kat Fanatic Posts: 580 Karma: 1309104 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: BC,Canada/NV, USA Device: iPad 9th Gen, iPhone 11, Paperwhite 10th Gen.	Don't you have to have a BB already to use a PB? And given RIM's recent woe's, I? their future. Most see the drop in PB $ as 'blood in the water' so to speak.

11-21-2011, 07:54 AM	#7
coinín dust bunny Posts: 158 Karma: 512427 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo WiFi, Sony PRS-650, BlackBerry PlayBook	BB has said they're discontinuing the 16gb playbook, so once these are gone, they're gone. There simply aren't enough of them to go around to kill the Vox. And no, you don't have to have a BB to use the playbook; if you do have one, you'll get a little more out of it because you can bridge the two together and use the playbook to access your BB functions securely.

11-21-2011, 08:47 AM	#8
Haesslich Fanatic Posts: 572 Karma: 1138182 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kobo Touch,Glo,Mini,Aura/HD/One,H20, Sony PRS-300/600, Kindle 3-PW	Given that it's not a permanent price (fire sale for the 16gb), I don't see it killing the Vox. A bigger threat would be Amazon shipping the Fire to Canada and overseas wile offering the Amazon App Store and Amazon Prime. And as I've said elsewhere, the lack of apps hurts the BB - I can get a decent PDF reader on iOS and Android, but on the BB (or WebOS) you're stuck with the awful Adobe Reader.

11-21-2011, 09:29 AM	#9
pulsar Connoisseur Posts: 54 Karma: 52416 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: kindle 3, kobo vox	Software is as important for computers as hardware; one of the reasons I got Kobo Vox because it looked like an easily hackable Android device, with lots of apps, and bright future. To me, it's well worth the slightly slower cpu and a lack of some hardware when compared to Playbook. AFAIK PB is not even rootable, and the future for its OS and apps looks very uncertain. BTW, Kobo does try to be competitive: I think in the current FS flyer they list the Vox with a larger (25$, vs the original 10$) Kobo gift card.

11-21-2011, 10:16 AM	#10
Jesslynne Zealot Posts: 141 Karma: 126 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Manitoba, Canada Device: Kobo Vox, Kobo Mini	I still don't think I would have gotten a Playbook in replace of a Vox. I know how glitchy it's system is, much more than the Vox seems to be. It should have been at this cost to begin with imo. It's not going to replace it at all, I know my store is never getting more in.

11-21-2011, 12:04 PM	#11
borisb Addict Posts: 212 Karma: 2156 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: enTourage eDGe, Pocket eDGe, Kobo Vox, Kobo Touch, Asus Eee Note	I considered the RIM playbook after the Kindle Fire announcement (since the Fire wouldn't be available in Canada), but after reading some forums and considering RIM's poor public record for support of the Playbook I decide to pass on the Playbook for poor software support by the company (i.e., they just didn't seem serious or even plain competent in stocking the device with apps).

11-21-2011, 01:00 PM	#13
pokee Fanatic Posts: 569 Karma: 199759 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC Device: Kobo WiFi, Kobo Glo, Kobo Vox, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Tab2	I just find it interesting how ballistic people I know went when they heard of the price drop for the PB and ran all over town trying to find some. I felt like saying, "Ummm...you DO know that the Vox has been out for over 3 weeks at that price?", but there was no saying it. A $300 discount blinds even the most savvy shopper...

11-21-2011, 01:07 PM	#14
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,496 Karma: 78910112 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Like others, while the price point is interesting, I'm concerned over the entire app availability for the PlayBook. Certainly, RIM has promised support for Android applications, but from what I've read it is for a limited set of functionality. Certainly, more functionality might be added on, but, when you have trouble with an Android app on a PlayBook, who would you turn to for support?

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11-21-2011, 04:23 PM	#15
4Foot Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Unionville, Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo	Well, I am getting one. I am not sure what the attitude about 'limited functionality' is all about. I looked at the PB available apps and there is a Kobo app there for reading books as well as three other ereader apps that I saw. The PB is almost identical in size to the Vox, has front and rear cameras, twice the memory, a faster processor and a dynamite screen as well as two front facing speakers and 1080p video playback. Any browser will get you the email access that you need and, yes I know, they have been promising a lot lately and falling short, but the long awaited software update which will bring standalone mail and other desirable features is slated for Feb. 17, 2012. RIM has over 70 million customers around the world to keep them honest and moving forward. I don't know how many readers Kobo has sold but my experience asking them for help or any questions at all has never resulted in a satisfactory result. Now that they have sold themselves to a Japanese retail company, anybody think that their customer service is going to get any better? I like my Vox, but it has some serious issues, the inability to restart after putting it to sleep is alone enough to make me sorry I bought it. It is a good ereader and a passable email/browsing device but only made good by being able to side load from external Android markets not by what came with the GetJar option. I am going to keep it, at least until my new PB proves to me that it is as capable an eReader as the Vox, I already know it is better at handling video and the web. Please don't get me wrong, I have two Kobo's and have suffered through their teething problems on the original device and now the Vox. I am a loyal customer, but for the exact same money, I really could not say that it is a superior product to the PB, and we can knock RIM while they are in a down period but they will be in an up cycle soon and we know nothing about the new KOBO owners and their plans for keeping their purchased customer base happy in the future. Fingers crossed. 4Foot