PlayBook App Circus

After the announcement that the PlayBook will not receive the BB10 treatment, lots of people thought that this will mark the end of it all. Now, a developer gives us new hope with his app Origami, a slick and user friendly browser with a great and clean UI. It might extend the lifetime of our PayBooks - at least when it comes to surfing the web. And there is even more! Curious? Read my interview with the developer, Shun, here:

Please introduce yourself to the community. How did you become a developer for Blackberry and the PlayBook tablet and why?


I am a recent college graduate + full time engineer + weekend coder. Got a PlayBook from my company recently and that is where it all began.



Do you also develop for other platforms like Android or iOS?


Yes, I have been developing for Android for quite some time.



Why did you choose to develop for the PlayBook?


Just as many others would say, I really liked the PlayBook as a device, but was disappointed by the lack of quality apps on BBWorld. After realizing that complaining about the situation was not going to make it any better, I have decided to take on the challenge and develop something useful for the community



You are currently working on a browser alternative called "Origami browser", which is very well received by the community over at Crackberry.com. Can you tell us a bit about the development and what makes it stand out of the crowd?


I enjoy working on building something from a concept, and I take pride in my creations. It might sound naive but I will always stand by what I develop, for it will forever carry my name with it. Developing a browser from ground up was a challenge for sure, but it has been a fulfilling experience at the same time.



Origami in action (screenshot taken from the experimental release)

What are you future plans for the app, when are you going to release it at Blackberry World and are there other apps in the pipeline that we can look forward to?


Just submitted the first official release for approval on BB World. It will be available for free. As for the plan moving forward for PlayBook development, now that the tablet is officially considered an EOL product, I am looking into developing apps that would transform PB into a single task table-top device (e.g. task organizer, digital photo frame, note taker, music player, alarm clock, weather app, GPS navi, and some reasonable combination of these). Something that sits on your work desk and just look cool.

Something that constantly delivers information to you with minimal to no user interaction. I have not given much thought to it yet, but am imagining a fully integrated app that features Windows 8 Metro-like UI. Now that we know there will be no further updates coming to PlayBook, we may as well start preparing a place for PBs to rest permanently.

Or... some games (which I have never developed in my life).



The UI of Origami browser is excellent and puts it above many other browser alternatives available for the PlayBook. What inspired you?


Mainly Google Chrome. One of the primary objectives of OrigamiBrowser is to bring a near-desktop browsing experience to PlayBook. I exclusively use Chrome on my desktop, and it is hands down the best browser out there for its simplicity and flexibility.



At Crackberry forums you also uploaded a simple app for accessing Google Music on the PlayBook. Are you planning to release it on the Blackberry World? I think the PB community would appreciate it a lot. 


Sure. I can continue supporting PlayBook by developing many smaller apps like these.




I always root for the underdog.

What is it that you like so much about the PlayBook in comparison to other tablets on the market?


I always root for the underdog. True, it does not have too many apps but it's got a character.



Can you make a living as Blackberry developer?


Probably not. Software development is not my area of expertise either. I would love to work on BB10 though.



What do you love most about the Blackberry Community?


People are nice and very supportive. I would describe BB Community with words such as "mature" and "intelligent". "Go-getter" comes to my mind when I think about Android Community. I like them both.

It happened while I was on holidays: no BB10 for you! Although it was promised by BB CEO Thorsten Heins, they have now decided that the PlayBook was not capable of running BB10 in a way that provides a satisfying user experience. In my opinion, they should have known by the time they promised the update. No wonder that many BB users are pissed off. Including myself. The PlayBook is dead now. Sadly, I don't think that we will see lots of new quality apps in future.

That's why I bought an iPad Mini and what can I say.. I love this thing. Browsing is very fast, there are 375.000 apps to choose from (and there are lots of hi-quality ones to find), experience is smooth and it's extremely lightweight and very easy to hold in one hand. The camera is a lot better, too.

Still, I will continue to use my PlayBook occasionally. I love its intuitive Swipe Gestures, the stereo speakers, the file system (including the simple data transfer via WIFI) and its enthusiastic and helpful community. On the other hand this is not enough for me to keep up the pace of this blog. I might write some review in future now and then if an interesting app has been released (the fantastic Origami Browser comes to mind). But don't expect me to write reviews on a regular basis like I did before. You can always submit app suggestions here and I might pick it up. 

I think (hope) the blog is a good resource to find apps for the PlayBook, so I have no intention to remove it for now.

Anyway, thanx for following and reading my blog so far. It's highly appreciated.

Hi dear readers of my little blog!

I am going on a holiday for 2 weeks, so I will not be able to write some new reviews in that timeframe, but here's hoping that you will still return to this page and look out for new reviews (hopefully lots of new quality apps have been released in the meantime) when I am back.

So expect some new reviews and recommendation pretty soon again. 

Have a great time everyone and enjoy your life (instead of waiting for BB10 to be released for the PlayBook.. :)

BeWeather HD | FREE

I just love weather apps, so here's another recommendation for you: BeWeather HD. Although it's an Android port it works perfectly fine and even looks a lot like a native PlayBook app. And it also looks stunning.

What makes it stand out of the crowd are the beautiful animated backdrops and the clean interface. It's a real joy using it. Swipe left or right to switch between locations and tap below for different forecasts. Simple and easy.

If you want you can configure it to your personal preference aswell. So, if you don't want an animated background for example, you can also choose static ones or your own or just a gradient (you can also select the colors for the gradient). Typography is another aspect: I love that you can choose fonts and different sizes.

Chimpact | PAID

If you are bored, do yourself a favor and download Chimpact today (in case you haven't already). It's one of the most addictive games I have played on my PlayBook.

You play as a monkey (several characters can be chosen in the game as you progress) who is on the mission to collect tasty bananas and other precious things. Controlling your monkey is done by dragging and letting go of the character, rubber band style. While dragging you can move around with your finger and an arrow will show you the direction you will be heading/jumping to. This is done in a very simple and intuitive way. It's looks like a very easy game at first, but things get harder as the game progresses. 

Not only the controls are great, the graphics are, too. I have rarely seen such a detailed environment. Those are absolutely beautiful HD textures! The whole game is very charming (thanx to the cute animations), witty and very funny. You will get surprised very often and there are also lots of easter eggs to be found.

IO Weather | FREE

9mm | PAID

If you are a fan of Max Payne you should definitely check out 9mm by Gameloft. It has a very similar gameplay including bullet time action. Although it doesn't have the film noir atmosphere or the clever story of Max Payne, it's a very decent action shooter with excellent graphics. I encountered some little bugs here and there but most of the time the game is great fun, offering a smooth framerate and good controls. 

Enjoy Sweden | FREE

For all Sweden lovers here comes a fantastic native PlayBook app. It helps you to learn more about Sweden and will probably inspire you to visit some of the recommended places. Although the app is in Swedish it might be interesting to you even if you don't speak the language as it includes stunning pictures of all the beautiful places introduced in the app. If you click on the arrow on the bottom right you will be taken to a page with additional information and little map.

AETHEREMIN | FREE

If you have seen the episode of the Big Bang Theory where Sheldon is playing an obscure digital instrument called the "Theremin" and felt the need to try it yourself then get AETHEREMIN from the Blackberry World.

It creates interesting (and also annoying) sounds when you tap and hold your finger while moving around on the screen. The "music" you create this way will sound exactly like in the Big Bang Theory episode below.

Splashtop | PAID

I already used the iOS version of Splashtop on the iPad so I was wondering if the PlayBook version is any good. Well, let's say it's not bad at all.

First of all: As I don't own a Windows PC I only talk about my experience with MacOS here. Now, before you can stream your desktop you need to login with a password that you can choose and then you need the Splashtop desktop software running on your computer.

On MacOS the screen resolution will be lowered but it will return back to normal when exiting Splashtop. I am not sure if this is the case on Windows, though. 

After I successfully logged in, I was able to stream my MacOS desktop to my PlayBook immediately over my WLAN at home. Zooming into the desktop via Pinch2Zoom gesture works fine most of the time although it doesn't always respond to it as I was expecting. Navigation via the mouse by dragging the mouse pointer with your finger is something to get used to. Keyboard input works fine but feels a little bit clumsy.

So, do you need Splashtop? Well, it depends on what you want to do. I was looking for a way to remote control iTunes to listen to some music from my Mac when resting on the couch and that works fine. It's also nice to have if you like to access some photos or videos. Streaming of videos worked well but I noticed some lags and frame drops. It also enables you to use software like Photoshop, Office or Outlook on your PlayBook. You might not want to use them on the tiny screen very often but it is possible. 

TEK-Dictionary | FREE

TEK-Dictionary is a free online english dictionary/thesaurus. It comes with a clean looking UI and will show you a description of the word's meaning along with examples and synonyms. I also like the "word of the day" for learning new words and the word suggestion feature. 

Color Oil | FREE

Color Oil is a simple and relaxing casual game in which you have to fill the whole board with the same color. Each level most be completed in a limited number of steps. You start at the point marked "S" and tap on another color-bubble (or you tap on the color on the bottom) to change the color of the oil to match the surrounding ones. Seems easy at first but it's getting more and more challenging as the game progresses. 

Dead Space | PAID

If you love scifi, horror and action, look no further than Dead Space by Electronic Arts. It is the most beautiful 3D game available for the Playbook in my opinion. I have also played the iOS version on my iPad 3 and I have to say that the PlayBook version looks quite the same (except for some minor details).

Gameplay is smooth, controls are quite intuitive and even original in some ways and the atmosphere of the game is incredible. Besides the beautiful level design and graphics, this game also offers an interesting and thrilling story with several twists. The voice acting is actually pretty good, too. EA has really done a great job here.

Flight Tracker | TRIAL & PAID Version available

AIR Calc | FREE

Please introduce yourself to the community. How did you become a developer for Blackberry and the PlayBook tablet and why?

Hi, I am Utkarsh from New Delhi, India. I am not a professional developer (currently I am pursuing a Btech. degree in Civil Engineering). I only develop apps as a hobby.

Having bought a Playbook, many a times, the apps I needed were not on appworld. So I started making my own. This way, I made around 10-15 apps. The music playlist app was one of the first. I did not publish my apps for about a year. Then last winter, I decided to try my hand at the market. I released this  ‘Clipboard’ which saw instant sales. Then I began releasing my other apps after improving their UI.

Do you also develop for other platforms like Android or iOS?

For iOS, I don’t. I did develop some apps for my Android phones, but I never released them.

Why did you choose to develop for the PlayBook?

As I pointed earlier, I started developing for PlayBook to meet my own app needs. Also developing apps is fun and the sales are decent.

You released several quality apps like "Clipboard" and recently the beautiful lock screen app called "Lock" (which we have already reviewed and recommended). What is your latest project your working on, how well were your apps received and what are your future plans?

Clipboard was the very first app I released, and the number of downloads it got surprised me. Now that I have some free time, I am currently working on a Day Planner with auto scheduling which might grow into a Project Management software. Something that can import and read MS Project files. Some other apps apps are also in the pipeline, requiring UI improvements before I release them.

Lock - available on Blackberry World

...unless BB introduces something revolutionary, or cuts down the price drastically, I don’t think PB will survive.

Do you think the PlayBook has a chance to survive with BB10? Should Blackberry release a new version of the PlayBook?

Both Yes and No. BB10, according to me is not something that will suddenly endear playbook to Android or iOS users. I would welcome the BB10 update, but frankly, BB World has way too few apps. It is up to us developers to fill this app gap, but unless BB introduces something revolutionary, or cuts down the price drastically, I don’t think PB will survive.

What is it that you like so much about the PlayBook in comparison to other tablets on the market?

I chose PB because of it’s form factor and size, its ability to run flash and because of Blackberry Bridge. It’s stereo speakers are awesome. Also it is one of the few tabs having an LED light for notifications. Playbook has an open developer program, unlike iPad. Plus it also has awesome security features.

Can you make a living as Blackberry developer?

Sadly….no. Maybe those fulltime developers developing for 6-7 hours per day, releasing a new and quality app every week can, but I definitely cannot.

What do you love most about the Blackberry Community?

Blackberry has a robust support system for its developers. All dev related queries get solved at Blackberry Forums. Blackberry Jam sessions and regular software updates are quite helpful. Releasing products on BB World is very easy and registration is free.

Blackberry Fan communities like Crackberry are also very helpful to general users. Crackberry users and abusers are always ready to sort out your problems.

Overall, Blackberry Community is very mature and disciplined. Most of them are helpful and loyal to the brand.

BetterNote | Free

If you don't care about syncing your todo lists to several devices and are perfectly fine with one simple and easy-to-use app that stores everything locally on your PlayBook, then this might be the app for you.

BetterNote looks simple and clean and this kind of distraction-free design is very important when you want to get things done in my opinion. Swipe from the top of the bezel to reveal further options. There you can also add a new todo. They will show up on the left side and can be sorted alphabetical, by the date they were created or by the date they were modified. When entering a new todo you can also add a note and tags. This makes it easy to search for several todos with the same tag(s). 

The interface is very clean and helps you stay focused on your tasks, adding tags is done easily and the search function is very fast. I don't know why there is a "Save" option when swiping from the top as the app automatically saved all of my todos when I quit the app.