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Playbook OS 2.0 now coming February 21st?

By on February 14, 2012 at 4:13pm in Mobile News


We’ve heard it time and time again: RIM’s long-awaited Playbook 2.0 software will be released some time in February. Well, February is almost halfway done, and last week it was rumoured to be available on the 17th, but now there’s possibly a new upgrade date: February 21st. That’s next Tuesday.

The Playbook 2.0 release is going to pave the way for the future of the BB10 platform, including excellent multiple coding language support, native email and calendar apps, improved BlackBerry Bridge and many other upgrades. We took a thorough look at the update during CES, in case you haven’t had your fill.

Updates to BlackBerry Bridge for smartphones should be coming some time next week, though N4BB is claiming BBM for Playbook will not be ready in time for the Playbook 2.0 release.

Source: N4BB

  • bob

    too little too late

    Sorry RIM, but you missed your chance with the Playbook.

    • BobCajun

      RIM?

    • grissomtech

      Oh and they had that chance…even with the new bold. All they had to do was make it bigger, 4.6″ full touch screen, reach out to Nvida for some quad-core lungs, and it would be golden. it looks good now but still dated. I have another concept I’m going to send to them..

  • Rich

    Most people that have grabbed a Playbook during the $100->$199 sale agree they underestimated this device. Anyone that paid more than that should be infuriated though :D .

    With that said, this update should significantly improve its overall function and utility.

    • grissomtech

      I bought the PB32 on it’s birthdate, got kicked off the BB website for speading the early ugly truth…sold it to best buy for half of the $6 I paid for it. Recently picked up a 64gb PB for $199, sweet deal, even if RIM drops the ball again with this update, I use the tablet for internet browsing and videp and some work related things. But the thing is still the most beautiful tablet on the market. It’s a shame EVERYONE not including BB fanboys wanted BB to be the iPad challenger. RIM had everything in the palm of their hands, and just blew it. I would love if some aftermarket or jailbreaking community allowed us to do what the new Linux Spark is doing. I would LOVE windows 8 on my BB that would be the killer.

  • kman

    Well the 16th/17th would have been better but another couple of days won’t kill anyone. If the date slips any more though, you know what the scuttlebutt will be.

    It is a bit odd that there hasn’t been a formal date announced. They can’t possibly still be working out the bugs at this late stage I would hope.

    • grissomtech

      Well you know RIM these days….Talk, talk, talk, and no action. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some other f#$%^ing hiccup. I will actually be surprised if 2.0 does get done by the 17 or 21 or this month, this year, this decade. But at least I have a beautiful tablet that’s 7″, dual core, 64gb for $199, and looks great with movies, though I can’t play netflix on it, and can on my 5″ 1ghz single core galaxy player.

  • Marc-André Desjardins

    Simply can’t wait for this update!

  • Chris

    I managed to grab a 32gb Playbook from Telus when the dropped to 149.99… I’ve been a wireless sales consultant for 3 years now; and seen these tablet devices grow and evolve from the start.

    Is the playbook a $500+ Tablet? NO!
    RIM made the mistake by launching this device BEFORE they had the software properly functiona,l for what the Playbook was being marketed for.

    However, with the recent OS updates the Playbook has started to show some of its potential. RIM should’ve had the OS to where it is now before launching this product.

    Everyone bashes this product. But if you have a BB7 device; the Playbook is actually quite a useful Tab. excited to see what 2.0 has to offer.

    • bob

      That’s the problem. Without a BB7 device it is sub-par.

    • grissomtech

      We all talk “potential, potential, potential.” Yes the playbook has tremendous “potential”, I’m sorry to say with other devices spoiling use with now standard copy/paste, photo editing, playback possibilities, and harmonious ecosystems. RIM’s current con of introducing already introduced capabilities, and commanding everyone bow down in awe because it’s on a blackberry is window dressing, and clear as evian. They need to make this tablet on par with gingerbread at least, and if it comes down to it, just ape a completely finished OS…..(ICS)and rearrange and tweak, and re-colorscheme…..

  • hoo dat

    I like mine, always have, QNX is a superlative OS. Chris Wade, the guy who jailbroke the device with Dingleberry, has stated in several tweets that he thinks that QNX is a better OS than Android.

    I like what I see with OS2 but to me it’s all icing on the cake. From what I’ve been told I’ll still be looking out for an update on the 17th and over the ensuing weekend.

  • prufrock

    The optimist in me wants to believe it is to allow more time for certifying Android apps before release.

    The pessimists will soon make their voices heard.

    • grissomtech

      ya see that’s RIM’s problem, and that line of thinking, why wait for certification, drop the software and certify as the certifications come along…real world thinking is what got us the first blackberry, this bubble thinking is what got us to this point and RIMM stock in the grave with the casket closed. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE. Plain and simple the RIM boys aren’t ready to compete if it means hustling like Android and Apple, RIM had their own little bubble, and did exactly what they wanted to do, now they have to do what everyone else is doing and they can’t stand it.

  • khk

    I hope they fix the poor battery life with this update too.

  • seken

    It’s unbelievable that RIM hasn’t put out an official release date, They’re certainly letting the people that support and like Blackberry down. Not only do we have to wait and wait and wait, we still have no exact date on when we’ll get the updated OS that should’ve been on the playbook from the start. If RIM doesn’t put out the update this month, I’m officially going to Android or Apple for phones/tablets.

    • Mega72

      Agreed. I already moved to an Iphone from my BB and may ditch the Playbook for an Ipad if they can’t deliver the goods. That being said I might still anyways but I am at least going to give them one last kick at the can.

    • A

      But iPad is so awful. Good luck.

    • grissomtech

      it is a shame. You guys (I say you guys because I’m not a BB devote) but you guys defend RIM like Christians defend the bible(bad analogy I know) And RIM doesn’t care, this new CEO only pisses of the reporters with his lofty speech, that when broken down, doesn’t say a word in the sense of what’s happening. RIM is super disrespectful to it’s loyal followers. I mean with Apple on the block, and Android doing it’s thing, and now Windows getting ready to rewrite the whole thing. I wonder if these guys are so stuck on their past domination that they don’t even use other tablets or phones, because RIM doesn’t seem to notice the obvious. I think Bridge is revolutionary, but they had to realize at one point during R&D that not everyone in the world doesn’t own a BB phone, and how that not having a BB, no contacts, no CALENDER…C’MON sheesh. And the model of a well selling tablet dependant on a phone doesn’t directly relate to sales…who is in that department anyway…..

  • Heywood Jablome

    Another delay for the OS update? This is starting to be RIM’s mission statement…

    • grissomtech

      Amen

  • waiting for razr maxx

    It might give the rim stock a slight bump but that’s about it. BB10 would have been a game changer 2 years ago but now its nothing new.

  • waiting for razr maxx

    It will be released February 30. Wait for it!

  • Faber

    Holy crap talk about delay! At this rate rim will be out of business before playbook 2.0 is released

  • Samuel

    You would think RIM would have their «“¤% together by now. But no they sit in the shadows silent on this update and its release date. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m getting tired of these clowns.

    RIM, get off your a*s and make a move!!!!!!!!

    • grissomtech

      They are all diverting moneies to they’re nest eggs, and offshore. The guys on the inside see the writing on the wall, hell, they helped write it…ask you BB’s this…what programer/developer sits around for years and years without some upgrade of somekind, unless they WANT to fail. See the problem is investors, and lawsuits. These guys have to make it look like they wanted this dying duck to live, because that my friends is sabbotage. And punishable by many many many courts of law. Nobody at RIM is hurting I assure you of that. Remember when the dual CEO’s decided to pay themselves $1? Well Mark Z(facebook) does it too, and they(facebook) just went public….see the where I’m going? Iphone has been out for a good while..Android aped it, BB did what….no one knows do they? I’ll tell you what they did…they saw an out, and planned for RIM failure.

  • Dave

    February 21st of this year? Thanks Retard In Motion!

  • Bob Solomon

    Fool me once, poop on you; fool me twice, poop on me. Now we are angry and bored.
    RIP, RIM: Gat business sense. Communicate and produce in a timely manner, with state-of-the-art products finished on time.

    Vapor-ware went out of fashion long ago.

  • Michael

    So far been happy with the Playbook. We have an iPad2 as well but for walks to the coffee shop, the Playbook is a perfect size and works well with the 9780.

  • Kevin

    Can’t wait, Tuesday night is going to be fun!

    • grissomtech

      it will be fun in these ways…you writing about how great the new OS is, or about how we have to wait again, or me writing a thank you to BB, or me twisting the knife when they don’t deliver….agian.

  • Sandy

    What is wrong with everyone ? The Playbook is an awesome tablet, does everything I want and more. with the bridge to my cell I have all my contacts and my calendar as well as the 4 email accounts I have set up. With gmail I also have access to my contacts should I ever not have my bridge running. When I bought my Playbook I researched it beforehand and the only surprise I got is that it was better than I thought it would be. Those who are upset are probably those who spend their time playing games. I run everything from my Playbook including CRM for my job. I am looking forward to the update , just to see how they’ve made a great product even better.
    I notice that a lot of people going to iPhone and iPad have no idea why the went with them other than that’s what many people are doing……. can you hear them “baaa baaaaa baaa “

  • Greg

    I love my playbook. I’m only excited for the update to have native email and calender. I don’t know why everyone is so impatient for that, it’s not even that big of a deal. I can always tap the hotmail link on my home screen. Anyway, maybe RIM could have given a specific release date, it is worrisome to wonder if they are just finishing the update at the last minute. I don’t leave home without my playbook, and it is so light and small in my backpack. The battery lasts more than what I need it for during the day. I wouldn’t go back to not having a tablet, not for anything.

    • grissomtech

      You have the right idea about the the playbook is and isn’t. I had to take a $600 robbery to get in that mind state. My friend I hope you never pick up a Galaxy ANYTHING. Then you’ll see what all the fuss is about.

  • kon nik

    i’ve had both playbook and iPad now for months.
    both are great devices. current version of playbook has shortcomings. new 2.0 seems to address all these shortcomings and more.

    i went to my local London Drugs and picked up a second one three days ago. figured why not since its about 1/2 price of the original i bought way back in May (2011).

    i heard the “computer guy” tell another customer “Well there’s a reason why you see more iPads than Playbooks out there”.

    at that point i surprised myself by jumping into the conversation and saying.. “Buddy, you’re right. you do see more iPads. and that’s probably because you just cant slip them in your jacket” – as i pulled the original Playbook out of my coat.

    the customer he was speaking to said .. ” i’ve seen enough, i’ll take one.”.

    i dont know, but for me, being able to go to any site i want.. flash or not, is kinds important.

    • grissomtech

      You summed it up there!!!! That is all the playbook is good for. I bought a second one also. I just know I can’t do ANY business on it, transfer music when I can leave it USB’d, because it takes forever. But it is a beautiful tablet that isn’t lightning fast, but it gets the job done with surfing the net…checkerboard and all when scrolling.

  • lefe0102

    I don’t really know what all the fuss is about. So what if you don’t get email (right now) on the PB. Do you really need it on your BB and your PB? I refuse to even put corporate email on my iPhone, my PB(if I could) or even my work BB. With the iPhone and PB, I have everything I could dream for. I tether when I want to so I can see tsn on a 7″ instead of 3.5″ screen. I love my PB, in fact I would go as far to say that the only other tablet that I would ever consider would be the galaxy tab 7″. the 10″ screen is a bit much for me to carry as an e-reader, a web surfer and a portable video player.

    If I wanted apps and games, I would go to apple or android. But what I want is a durable tablet with good speed and a nice screen, and the PB exceeds those expectations.

  • hoo dat

    Glad to see you have enough free time to waste on RIM bleatings, Grissomtech, to account for a full 28% of this thread’s postings.

    Must be nice to have no life.

    • grissomtech

      well hoo dat I know I don’t have to buy RIM, but I feel it’s my duty to explore every OS I can get my hands on. Besides there are quite a number of people who like my recomendations on gadgets, and because being a decent human being is more important to me than to blindly align myself with a corporation, the truth is a neccessity. But the truth can work for RIM too…they know what to fix when someone is dissatisfied. It’s laughable but don’t you remember how one of the biggest critisizing points of the Playbook was it’s tiny power button…they fixed that lickety split didn’t they… if the site was full of praise they wouldn’t know where to tweak since they can’t come up with EVERY idea. Besides if your completley happy congrats, but I would like to see this tablet reborn and take everyone by storm, and shut me up because I’m just marveling in it’s bad assness. It’s not there yet, but with somemore consumer nudging it can be.

    • grissomtech

      Oh yeah, It’s my company’s business. I’ve sent a rework to RIM but alas they are a big fish, and my little company doesn’t blip on their radar. But I keep sending in concepts, and helpful tips. From what we can all see they need the help, I think they need to find a new focus group. Even simpler, randomly reach out to playbook serials with a questioneer, money saving and effective. What do you think. Business these days lump complete praise with complete problem finding…..solutions and some consumer input is what RIM needs……even though they don’t know it yet.

  • KM

    I hope they really do roll it out on Feb 21. I have a PB from the Telus clearance and I haven’t enjoyed the experience so far. I knew that, without a BB, I’ll only be able to use it to surf the web. What I didn’t realize is that the browser is so unstable that it crashes once or twice a day, losing all the tabs I have opened. I can’t wait for the 2.0 update to see if the browsing experience is any better… and native email, calendars, and contacts will help a lot too. C’mon RIM… Show us what you’ve got! :)

    • grissomtech

      RIM can really light a fire right now! Even pad press is still press. If they were master chess players…they would realize no marketing would be needed, just execution. All the bad press will do the marketing for them. Talking about how improved the PB is, and what it kills on the market.

  • grissomtech

    The stolen 18-wheeler full of Playbooks sounds like an episode of the Sopranos. But fancy thrust and perry. S corp insurance pays for items immediatly when in actuallity could not or would sell immediatly . Though I haven’t heard of any influx of playbooks anywhere, I will be on the lookout for an “spike” of Playbook registrations.