How to Get Pulse News Reader on the BlackBerry PlayBook

Pulse news reader is a great news feed application that has been available on Android devices and in Apple’s App Store. It is not available on any BlackBerry device, though I could definitely see it running nicely on a BlackBerry 10 device.

Pulse is by far one of my favorite news feed applications and it is one of the most unique in it’s layout. I figured that there would be a Pulse application available for the PlayBook by now but that sadly is like a lot of other great apps that could be and should be on the PlayBook but aren’t.

If you know how to sideload Android apps onto your PlayBook, either by using your computer or doing it the way I prefer which is by using LocalBar2 on my PlayBook and my Bold. With LocalBar2 you can download the .bar files on your PlayBook and use your BlackBerry or Android device as a proxy server to install the apps directly to your PlayBook with no need for a computer or wires of any kind. Visit Yohanes Nugroho’s LocalBar2 site Here. Also note (I assume that LocalBar2 will work on most OS versions on the PlayBook, as I am currently running Beta OS v2.1.0.840 and it works just fine).

Here’s the .bar file for Pulse News Reader for BlackBerry PlayBook.

Besides doing that as many already know Pulse recently released a Pulse news reader website. The site is http://pulse.me and it is a great looking site and works beautifully.

I have found that the new Pulse website actually works very well on the BlackBerry PlayBook’s default browser and I have been using it lately, though of course there are little annoyances’. Like when scrolling at times articles you touch will move to saved articles.

So if you are a fan of Pulse and you would like to be able to view Pulse news on your PlayBook these are two simple suggestions.

Tablet Comparison Chart 2012 (Amazon, Apple, BlackBerry and Samsung)

This is a chart that Research In Motion has made and they call it their “Sales Battle Card”. It is a comparison chart between the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook, Apple’s New iPad, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and the Amazon Kindle Fire.

As you can see the BlackBerry PlayBook definitely blows the competition away. But sadly most people won’t see this chart or they won’t take time to look and compare for themselves. The PlayBook really is an amazing device, I just don’t think people are going to give it the notice and credit it deserves, not trying to be too bias here, but mainly people won’t except the PlayBook for what it is because it isn’t an Apple product and it’s not called the iPad.

BlackBerry phones do have there fair share of problems, I am definitely a hardcore BlackBerry user and my Bold 9900 is constantly giving me problems. So I can understand peoples frustrations with BlackBerry devices. But honestly if BlackBerry 10 is anything like what is promised and since it is built with QNX software like the PlayBook is and it will have similar functionality as the PlayBook, I think BlackBerry 10 is really going to be a smartphone worth trying even if you dislike BlackBerry.

RIM Officially Announces the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook

The 4G LTE PlayBook has been talked a lot about in the past few weeks and it has now been announced by RIM. There was originally going to be a Spring 4G BlackBerry PlayBook to launch to consumers, it was even on the Sprint website shown as coming soon at one point, but that never happened.

Now RIM is launching the 4G LTE PlayBook in Canada, with other countries such as the US and in Europe soon after. Bell, Rogers and TELUS in Canada will be offering the 4G LTE PlayBook on August 9, 2012. There is no word on the pricing of the device as of now. The press release is below.

Press Release:

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – August 02, 2012) – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM)(TSX: RIM) today launched the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with built-in support for cellular networks. The new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook maintains a sleek and ultra-portable form while delivering overall faster performance over the original BlackBerry PlayBook, as well as support for blazing fast 4G LTE networks. Launching in Canada first, the new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook allows customers to work more productively and connect to the Internet, as well as access their email, on-line apps, media and content, from more places than ever.

“We’re excited to bring customers the first BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with support for 4G LTE networks,” said David J. Smith, Executive Vice President, Mobile Computing at Research In Motion. “The new 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook offers a broad range of premium features, including a stunning 7 inch display, front and rear facing HD video cameras, HDMI out and stereo speakers, and it also offers premium performance on high speed cellular networks, helping customers to be more productive than ever and to make the most of their time on the go.”

Featuring the latest BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2 software, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet gives customers access to high speed mobile networks around the world (LTE and HSPA+)(1) and offers an exceptional, high-fidelity, fast web experience that supports more HTML5 functionality than any other native tablet browser on the market(2). The powerful unified inbox allows users to easily manage multiple personal and work email accounts, as well as messages from Twitter®, Facebook® and LinkedIn, all in one place. The built-in Calendar and Contacts apps offer features to help customers better manage schedules and prepare for more effective meetings. Plus, the apps’ unique integration with social networks can provide customers with a wealth of information about their contacts at their fingertips.

The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is also enterprise ready. It can be easily managed with BlackBerry Mobile Fusion and includes BlackBerry® Balance technology, which allows a user to use a BlackBerry PlayBook for both work and personal purposes by keeping business information highly secure and separate from personal information.

Out of the box, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet comes preloaded with the tools customers need to be productive as well as to have fun, whether in the office, at home or on the road. Thousands of apps for work and play are also available on the BlackBerry App World storefront, such as the recently launched BlackBerry Video Store for all PlayBook customers in Canada, bringing additional functionality and value to customers. The BlackBerry Video Store offers a catalog of thousands of movies and TV shows. Customers can begin watching media as soon as they start to download a file, so they won’t have to wait for the entire file to transfer before they can begin enjoying great entertainment on the tablet’s high resolution display or on an HDTV using the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s HDMI output. Canadians can download the free Video Store app on BlackBerry App World.

The 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will come with 32GB of memory storage and will be available from Bell, Rogers and TELUS in Canada on August 9, 2012. Additional variants of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet supporting various high speed cellular networks are expected to be available in the coming months from carriers in the US, Europe, South Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

For more information about the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, please visit: http://ca.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet.html. Data plans are sold separately.(3)

(1) LTE connectivity is currently only available from a limited number of carriers in specific countries. Where LTE is not available, the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook tablet can automatically adjust to connect on HSPA+

(2) As measured by the independent HTML5 test site at http://html5test.com/results/tablet.html

(3) Check with your wireless service provider for availability, terms and conditions.

Source: CrackBerry

The 10″ BlackBerry PlayBook?

The 10-inch version of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has surfaced on Vietnamese forum Tinhte.

There is a Sim-card slot and the device says BlackBerry 4G PlayBook. But other than that there is isn’t a whole lot. Check the above link to see comparison shots with the 7-inch PlayBook.

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 Beta Coming This Week

We have been hearing about PlayBook OS 2.1 for a while now and it looks like we will be seeing it very soon in beta version. PlayBook Product Manager, Michael Clewly, tweeted that we can expect to see the 2.1 beta by the end of May. The beta 2.1 will be similar to the beta 2.0 that was made available to consumers before the official release. You will need to register your PlayBook’s PIN and then you will receive the update to your PlayBook.

PlayBook OS 2.1 will have these features included:

• Android Multi-Tasking (this is a feature I am very excited about)
• Bridge texting & wi-fi transport support (also another feature that is a very cool enhancement to BlackBerry Bridge)
• Portrait Email, Contacts & Calendar
• App World carrier shell (as we saw pop up on some PlayBook’s close to OS 2.0, for instance my PlayBook had a Verizon Apps Option)
• Personal Encryption.
• Over-the-air actuvation over Mobile Fusion.

I can’t wait to try out PlayBook OS 2.1 and the browser will hopefully have some of those little improvements we all have been wanting to see, like font changes and being able to edit bookmakers. Regardless, the features that are known to be coming are still some great ones!

Great Website for Flash Games on the PlayBook

I am always looking for great games to play on my BlackBerry PlayBook, and since I first got it I have enjoyed being able to play flash games on different websites. I was looking through games on the Chrome Web store on my laptop and looking at the description I saw there were many flash games in throughout the store. I noticed Web Store Games came up a couple of times so I went to the web site on my PlayBook and it works great. The games are easy to play on the PlayBook and I haven’t seen any that aren’t compatible. Check out the web site and try out some of the free flash games on there.

Update: Unlike what I said above there are some games here that are not compatible with a full touch screen/tablet because of the lack of physical keys that are required in some of the games. But there are still some great ones, I am addicted to ‘Bowmaster’ which is a simple but addictive game so check it out!

How to Download Free Music on the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry 10

Update: NOW use this trick to download music directly on your BlackBerry 10 device! I have been using this trick the past couple of weeks on my BlackBerry Z10 and it actually works even better on the Z10 and is easier once you get the hang of it. Just make sure you are on the desktop version of Youtube on your Z10.

In this post I am going to explain an easy and free way to download music on your BlackBerry PlayBook. This is a very easy way to get pretty much whatever song you want on your PlayBook tablet it just takes a few simple steps and no software is needed and everything is done on your PlayBook itself.

This works with many internet connected devices though I do not know if it works on the Apple iPad I do know that this does not work on the Amazon Kindle Fire. All you need to do this is Youtube open on your PlayBook browser and a Youtube to MP3 converter. Just Bing or Google search for a converter or use the one I use which is Youtube-mp3.org and it works perfectly and involves no account or software download of any kind.

In Youtube just search for whatever song you want to download, try to not use any videos that have advertisements in the video anywhere. From there copy the URL of the video you are watching, switch over to your Youtube-MP3 converter which you should leave open during this process. Paste the URL in the designated area and click the convert button, give it a second then when given the option click ‘Download’ and you will be prompted to save just as you would any other document or download so click ‘Save’.

After the song is done downloading you will see that the song is in your Music application on your PlayBook ready to play. So that’s it, it’s very easy to do and takes a shorter time than you may think to download plenty of songs using this method. Enjoy and leave a comment especially if you happen to try this on other devices and it works as well.

Note: These songs will download and go into your ‘Songs’ category and will NOT show in your ‘Artist’ category.