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RIM to Support Android Apps, More on BlackBerry PlayBook

24.03.2011
We've seen , and heard hints that Research in Motion might expand its BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet OS to support Android apps, too. Now, just hours after the CTIA show in Orlando closed up, RIM announces that not only will the support Android apps, but also native C/C++ code. This is in addition to supporting HTML 5, Flash, and Adobe AIR, and of course BlackBerry Java.

While exciting, it's important to note that the support for Android is not native to the QNX-based BlackBerry PlayBook OS used by RIM's upcoming 7-inch tablet. Rather, RIM says users will have to download two "app players" to provide an emulation environment for BlackBerry Java and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) apps.

This move opens up RIM's initial tablet offering to a wider swath of apps than it might otherwise have had at launch-and it eases the process of cross-platform development for app makers eager to get consumer eyeballs on their products, across all up-and-coming tablets. Currently, there are 25,000 BlackBerry Java apps available at BlackBerry App World. And Google's Android Market officially lists over 170,000 Android apps, most of which will run on Android 2.3.

How Will It Work?

For developers, RIM says the switchover will be easy. Those with either BlackBerry or Android apps will simply be able to port them over to the OS by repackaging the app and adding a code sign; the apps will then be submitted to the BlackBerry App World for purchase.

On the device side, the app players will be placed into what RIM refers to as a "secure sandbox" so that the Java or Android apps can run, without impacting the operation of the rest of the device. No word yet on how the apps within the sandbox will behave with respect to multitasking, for example.