Battery 101

Don't ever let your battery on the PlayBook go dead. The way the PlayBook is designed, if it get too low, you can't just plug it in and charge, it won't accept a charge. How to fix is then a problem.

The one method that seems to work the most is called 'stacked charging'. This involves plugging it in for 2 munites, unplug . Repeat. You may have to do this a lot. When the red led turns yellow, you should be able to charge. I have never had a dead battery, so I really can't say if this method works. The red led is at the top of the PlayBook, off left of center, if you hold it in landscape. The front facing camera is top off center right.

Made them Slutty Brownies

Took the easy route and used the tube cookie mix. Used muffin tins. I will say warm is better for serving. A little to rich. Pictures are from my PlayBook. I know, not very good pictures.

App World for the PlayBook

What can I say about App World and the apps that it has for the PlayBook? Not much. The games aren't so bad, I guess. Don't play games that often, so I can't really say. They do have Tetris for free. EA's Need for Speed is also free. As is Modern Combat 2.

But there is a lack of apps for the PlayBook.
No Skype
No Netflix
No Kindle
No VOIP
No SMS
No Shazam
No SoundHound
No Pandora
No Pinger
No Instagram
No Flipboard

Well, you get the picture.
I'm not sure if it is because of RIM not letting developers have an api or access to things like the camera. Or if it is the classic chicken and egg problem. But whatever it is, so be it. Not much I can do as I don't write code.

Skype on the PlayBook

Don't get a PlayBook if you want Skype.

While you can sideload the Android app for Skype on your PlayBook, it can't do video on Skype. The Android player doesn't have access to the cameras at this time.

If Skype is your thing, don't get the PlayBook.  Some people will say it is coming soon. But will it? Remember, buy what it can do today, not what it may do tomorrow, for tomorrow may never come.

Camera Shoot 1

This is a picture of the mountain range behind my house. Taken with my PlayBook.  It was not taken from my lot. Could not get a good shot from there. Too many things in the way. Taken up the street.

GPS GPS

So now I'm home. I've been trying GPSInfo at my house for about five minutes. It just cannot get a lock on my location. There are some very tall trees in my neighbor's yard. A mountain range beyond that. And my lot is one of the lower points in the neighborhood. It must be my location.

On CrackBerry.com, people have complaints about the GPS. One of them is that it takes a long time to get your location. I thought I was one of them. But when I was able to get my location in a few minutes, I was surprised. The GPS was not as bad as people made it out to be, as long as you have a clear line of sight to the satellites. Which they say should being the southern skies.

GPSInfo is in App World for free. It doesn't need wifi to work.

Now I must admit, don't have a need for GPS. I live on a rock. 44 miles by 30 miles. Two mountain ranges. How you would get lost is beyond me. You go towards the mountain or you go towards the sea. Or you hug the coastline. It's not that hard. When people give you directions, they tell you to go towards something. It's quaint.

Yes, there is GPS on the PlayBook

I have tried many times from my house to get a GPS location with my PB, to no avail. I thought my GPS was not working. So using the GPSInfo app from App World, I was able to get my location. The great thing about this app is you don't need a wifi connection to get your location. And it took less then a minute. I'm at a McDonalds restaurant right now. If you want to know where look it up.