Last week Google rolled out an update to the Gmail mobile site making it much more friendly for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The new update now allows for pull down to refresh.
Personally I like to use the Gmail mobile site rather than via BlackBerry Bridge on my PlayBook, so this a welcome improvement to Gmail. I am still anxiously awaiting the native email client for the PlayBook but for now this is a step in the right direction. Nice to see there is still some PlayBook love going on in the world.
Reader comments
Gmail mobile now smooth rolling on the BlackBerry PlayBook
This seems like a good improvement. I still don't get the need for native email on the playbook. Logging into the mobile site works just fine for me.
I have 5 email accounts I use everyday, none of them are gmail. Yes there is a need for native email, a HUGE need. Not just because I need it, but because there are millions of people like me who want an email client that is fast (not relying on bluetootH), full featured (sorry bridge aint that), and free of charge (native and comes with the purchase of the device). So RIM better hurry up, cause my glorified web browser (playbook) is gonna start collecting dust. And once its doing that - there is only one thing left for it.... Kijiji.
Maybe next time you buy something, you should make sure that it meets your requirements at the time that you buy it.
You know what. I researched the device since it was announced in sept 2010 - I was aware it wouldn't have native email at launch. But had I been aware that by August 17th there would still be NO native email, NO sdk, NO silverlight support (probably never now), NO kindle app, NO skype app.... Your right, I would have bought something else. RIM has had ZERO communication on the native email, bbm, calendar etc... None - for months now... Consumers have NO idea when these features are going to be available, all we have is a "sometime in summer" bullcrap date... Nice try kjmenzel - I'm not a troll, nor a RIM hater... I'm a faithful fan who is just a liiiiitttle bit disappointed by RIMs playbook development progress (or lack there of)...
I completely agree with you apart from the part where you said you might have bought a different tablet. I love the QNX platform and can't wait to see what comes next. I am however just as dissapointed as you for the lack of dev. and communication by RIM for the PB
Agreed. Don't see necessity of native email.
"All is for the best in the best of possible worlds." ... Love Playbook.... and Storm2 (sorry). Getting a 9860 ... or will wait for QNX?
Read my comment above.
Man, lately everything is about the new phones. I get it, they are faster than the previous models. Now can we get back to better coverage on the Playbook and QNX. I am starting to feel like the Playbook is starting to fall by the wayside. Any word on when we may get another update?
I feel the same way. I think it's been about a month now since the last update so what happened to that "SWEEEET" update kevin talked about over a month ago?
GMail has been like this since I got my PlayBook in April. Nothing new here.
Yes, that is true, however, folks at Crackerberry think its a new discovery.
yeah, I don't think it's a new feature.. it has always been like this since I first had my playbook
LOL! The author said he prefers the GMail site and only discovered this feature last week!
How do I install it on Playbook?
I was kind of wondering this myself, I've always been able to do the "pull down" refresh. I was excited at first thinking there was a big update to this app but then realized that there wasn't anything new at all. I wish there would be an update to this soon because I do get tired of having to clear my cache & history from time to time so it works properly. Every once in a while I'll get the "no offline messages" line & have to clear everything out to get it working again, how about an update to clear this up?
Hear hear!
It is always funny to me when people say Rim better... or else...
If you have a playbook...they already got your money
You might be right about that but can they get our money again in the future?...I doubt it. So people can say RIM better as many times as they want cause RIM can only fool people once.
Gmail mobile on playbook still sucks. I doesnt refresh! Im still seeing emails from Aug 6th when checking my emails. Google needs to fix that site as soon as possible. Its pretty pathetic when you have to change to the full site just to check emails.
I'm having the same refresh issues, nothing new since the 12th... I absolutely think that the mobile version is a major POS, I constantly have to go to the basic HTML version to refresh and to attach files to mails. A better solution to the never ending story to the native email would be a Gmail app, but we know thats never going to happen.
Though it takes a while to load big emails...RIM is taking too long for the native.
The Gmail application was with my Playbook when I got it as an icon. Worked well until a month ago and now the 'standard' view does not work correctly and keeps giving the message of "no offline messages" in the right hand panel. It would be nice if that were fixed. I repeatedly clear the cache, etc. and it doesn't fix the problem.
I can see that point, in fact this feature has been around on gmail's mobile site for a while. I've had my playbook for about 2 months and I still have no idea when RIM will release the native email app coz I desperately NEED that, all my email accounts are not Gmail, and I desperately need the native app so that I can have the flexibility and a full support for my email accounts on the go, oh come on RIM.. I don't really care too much about the Android app player for now, but please, the NATIVE EMAIL APP! That's your strongest selling point, and I mean it, so BRING IT ON!!!!
KEEP IT UP...PLAYBOOK IS NUMBER 1
Jonathan K
Kevin I love your site a lot, but man sometimes you make me smile. Maybe its just the fact that you are a true fan who really wants to see the Playbook and RIM do well. However, I am a blackberry fan that will not give praises where there is hardly anything to praise. I still have to flip to the html view to attach a file when using gmail on my playbook. I still have no predictive text for my keyboard and no spell check option for my playbook. So please spend your energy pointing these things out to RIM. By the time native email comes to the Playbook it will be time for the Playbook 2 too come out. RIM needs a kick in the rear end not this kid glove handling you love to dish out on your site. I am waiting for this big update next month and if it does not bring 80% improvement to my Playbook I am moving on.