Early Bird by Pepper.pk - Email for your BlackBerry PlayBook!

By Michelle Haag on 14 Apr 2011 08:49 pm

[ youtube video link for mobile viewing ]

With the somewhat disappointing announcement regarding email not being available natively on the BlackBerry PlayBook at launch, we knew it was just a matter of time before apps starting springing up to deal with the problem. The first I've seen is called Early Bird, by Pepper.pk.

Written specifically for the BlackBerry QNX OS, Early Bird runs locally on your PlayBook so you can store, read, and respond to email even when you don't have an internet connection. POP and SMTP protocols are supported, so you will have access to popular email clients like Gmail, Yahoo Mail!, Microsoft Exchange via POP and most ISP provided email accounts. No word yet on pricing or when Early Bird will be available, but it's one that I am definitely interesting in downloading as soon as I can.

Source: Pepper.pk

Topics: Email BlackBerry PlayBook App Pepper.pk BlackBerry Apps

Michelle Haag 1148 (articles) 1629 (forum posts)

36 comments

tremarco69 Apr 14, 2011 at 8:55 pm

SWEET!!!!!!!!

Kiddo2050 Apr 15, 2011 at 1:57 pm

Please add a button on here so that we can automatically forward this news to Walt Mossberg's inbox!!!!

drethos Apr 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm

Yayyy and i got gmail.

velkcro Apr 14, 2011 at 9:18 pm

now would everybody STFU will all the no native email BS

Jake Storm Apr 15, 2011 at 1:19 am

Haters still gonna hate.
The only thing to do is sit back and enjoy your new PlayBook and let the haters fester in their jealousy.

I think all the hate coming from the Apple and Android camps is proof how good the PlayBook really is and how scared it makes them. :)

enzo07i Apr 14, 2011 at 9:21 pm

I just can't understand why reviewers from other websites are so bad, they are indeed trying to put down the Playbook with their knowledge that the playbook is still in BETA and comparing it to IPAD that is already in the market. They must not judge the playbook about the lacks of native email, calendar and contact application since even before they already informed about it. I already read too many reviews and they are anti-playbook, I can say that because the way they deliver the reviews, as if they are saying to their readers "don't buy this thing". Why? what's happening now? Playbook deserves fair reviews, come on, Or maybe it is part of Apple marketing strategy, anyway they can pay those people who wrote something BAD about playbook.

miketko Apr 14, 2011 at 9:30 pm

these sites are Anti RIM and anti Canadian. nuff said

enzo07i Apr 14, 2011 at 10:08 pm

Can this Application handle multiple email account? like gmail, yahoo and outlook, that if ever someone send me mail, I will just open this native mail to access the message sent in any of my account.

velkcro Apr 14, 2011 at 10:17 pm

it will handle various email clients so yes

enzo07i Apr 14, 2011 at 11:25 pm

thanks, I'll buy 32G Playbook next week,

gyubok Apr 14, 2011 at 10:10 pm

isn't pepper.pk the app company that under cut price of the existing apps on App World?

jordandrews90 Apr 14, 2011 at 10:12 pm

Can someone explain how this can allow you to receive email even when you don't have an internet connection? Did I read that right?

velkcro Apr 14, 2011 at 10:25 pm

magic any other questions?

lol im playing i had to read that twice then i went to their site

morrsn Apr 14, 2011 at 10:59 pm

Well, before this app people were going to need an active connection to access their gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc accounts using the web browser.. Since this is a native app you can run it to check and organize your mail even while being offline and by "send" I suppose he meant composing new mail and put it in queue till you find an internet connection.

jamesbyjr Apr 14, 2011 at 11:06 pm

After doing my homework, I pre-ordered my Playbook through staples... I am very excited to get mine on 4-19-2011. I think RIMM is going to surprise everyone with this device... I believe there have been a lot of pre-orders, and the inventory levels might be low for the 32GB and 64GB. Everyone has to realize that businesses and governments (small, medium and large) have accounts with Office Max, Office Depot, and Staples. In addition, most purchasing departments have already approved either Office Max, Office Depot, Staples as preferred vendors. They have worked out pricing and discounts with these vendors. Therefore, in my opinion, the IT departments should not have too many hurdles to cross when purchasing this device, if they are interested. I think they will be interested because most companies are still using Blackberry phones. Note: There are a lot of corporations worldwide that have billions of dollars that can be used to purchase playbooks, which is the reason why I believe Office Max wanted to carry the Playbook!!! I wonder how many businesses and governments have accounts with Apple!

iPad 2 has sold mostly to consumers (young people) with limited cash; they could not purchase multiples of the iPad2 at one-time. It took millions of people to achieve Apples' great results/numbers. You did not see corporate executives standing in the long lines to purchase the iPad2. In addition, you did not see many old people, like myself, standing in those lines. I am too old to be a "groupie"... Those days are long gone....

The first thing that I learned in marketing is to learn who your customers are and keep them happy... In addition, I learned that customers determine the value of your product; not the analysts... If the analyst determined the value, then we would have limited product opportunities and experiences... For example, we would not have an iPhone. The analyst had written the iPhone off before it hit the market; however, guess what happened, the customer decided what they wanted and liked... The analysts that are giving the playbook bad reviews are probably the same analyst that said Apple and Amazon were history (they had written them off)---however, guess what happen again, Apple and Amazon are the most profitable companies around...

Everyone please do your homework, and do not listen to these asinine analysts because most of them do not know their heads from their butts... No product comes out of the box, can, wrapper, etc. perfect. However, the product must create value and use. I think the Playbook creates both value and use. It will probably need a little fine tuning, which I think RIMM will do...

Jimcmf Apr 14, 2011 at 11:22 pm

You can't send email without an internet connection! You can create it, save it, then send it when you are in a Wi-Fi zone, or when you are 'Bridged' with your 'CrackBerry'.

Does anyone know if they will be charging for the app? It should be a comp, to make those of us buying a Playbook happy.
I've seen this device many times in action, and it looks awesome to say the least. For those that complain that they can't turn it on because the button is so small .... well guess what? You have been eating way too many french fries, and your fingers are too FAT! How in the world did Kevin turn his on then?
I like what I see ... and the BlackBerry brand is very strong. I was in Las Vegas last month, and guess what? I saw 10 times more BlackBerries being used vrs any other phone, so I don't know what these reporters are saying.
Great job Mike and Jim. I'm sure that your phones and tablets will be a HUGE hit around the world. Don't let the press get to you. They are EVIL.

Yelee Apr 14, 2011 at 11:41 pm

wow，really cool，more apps will come soon

zensen Apr 15, 2011 at 12:14 am

ppl don't have any patience..

I think i'm perfectly fine using the pop3 services on my web-based emails for now and bridge until rim give us our free client but I guess for those that insist on it I guess its a good stop gap but if you're paying for an email client it better clean your teeth too :P

Jimcmf Apr 15, 2011 at 12:31 am

The press always looks to find the negetive things out there. They are EVIL. Many of them are just RIM bashers, and want to steal away Mike and Jim's thunder. Besides ... the Americans are still upset for Jim wanting to buy their hockey franchise.

I'm a Blackberry user, and will be a Playbook user.
I can't imagine hauling that 10 inch tablet everywhere I go. Besides I don't think that those waiters and waitresses at Swiss Chalet will be comfortable carrying around a heavy 10 inch tablet to take customers orders on. The 7 inch has been designed to do that. It's light weight, and the right size. It fits perfectly in the front of their apron. They enter the orders on their 7 inch tablet which connects directly onto the house server over Wi-Fi. This way, they don't need to return to the register to re-enter what they just wrote down. It saves so much time, and speeds up the order taking process 5 fold ! Oops .... did I say too much? Oh no .... I guess that the cat is out of the bag. Or should I say ... chicken ! ;-)

DJBS4LIFE Apr 15, 2011 at 3:53 am

Nice app! \m/

NAWF_SIDE Apr 15, 2011 at 4:59 am

I hope the TAT comes up with a awesome 3D widget mail app <3 those guys rock

vx1 Apr 15, 2011 at 5:59 am

its a good thing this email client came out before the actual launch :)

y0us3f Apr 15, 2011 at 6:06 am

PUSH Notifications ?

NewSel Apr 15, 2011 at 6:29 am

OH OH I CAN'T WAIT!

mavsguy842 Apr 15, 2011 at 9:21 am

One thing I noticed on this video and on some of the other videos where the keyboard is used is that after typing into a field you have to click on the screen in order to get the cursor into the next field/see the next field. Shouldn't you be able to scroll down the page while keeping the keyboard up, or at least have the keyboard disappear automatically when you start scrolling the page up? It looks a little awkward in this video.

And I think a good tip for developers would be to place the appropriate action button within the viewable window while the keyboard is up for you to type. In this demo video, after typing an email response he has to click to get the keyboard off the screen, and then click the Send button. It would be a lot better to click in the text area, type what you want and be able to click the send button and have the button click hide the keyboard without having to hide the keyboard as a separate step.

I develop in PowerBuilder and we make a lot of custom desktop applications and it seems to me that some of the seemingly most insignificant details are the difference between a product that helps you work and a product that feels like it works for you.

Michelle Haag Apr 15, 2011 at 11:45 am

It's hard to say if that's how the app will function on an actual device. The video above was done on a simulator, as I would imagine other videos you have seen were. Hopefully it's easier than it looks! :)

jr4941 Apr 15, 2011 at 9:42 am

Is anyone else impressed by the the new way the Playbook has demonstrated one of its strengths? The presentation mode just shows how powerful this beast is!
If it was an iPad2 we would have a video of some guy's hand holding the device and pressing on the tablet - but NO, here we are just watching the UI. I'm impressed and can't wait to get my PB next week.

wiki_warren Apr 15, 2011 at 1:00 pm

Pakistan represent!

Kiddo2050 Apr 15, 2011 at 2:18 pm

I'm going to buy this and load i on my playbook for Gmail even though I don't need ti because I have a blackberry, just to show all the haters out there who come up and say the thing doesn't have a native email client!

asensog3 Apr 15, 2011 at 5:51 pm

Hey Kevin, just saw this tweet in Google Realtime "@DonLuiG‎ Called my local BestBuy to reserve a PlayBook and the dude tells me its gona run android OS lol RIM needs to really step up the campaign"

tabarry Apr 15, 2011 at 10:24 pm

Wow! What an idea! Glad to see another Pakistani company brings another big idea to the mobile world :)

morpho4444 Apr 16, 2011 at 9:42 am

Kevin you dissappointed me!
You, the biggest crackberry fan .. is this second base to you?

Gamesdmc3 Apr 17, 2011 at 5:09 am

nice and smooth