When the rumors began swirling that RIM was cooking up support for Android apps in their upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook (and possibly future smartphones), most thought the idea a bit too out there to be true. Well, read it and weep (or rejoice): Android app support has officially been announced for the PlayBook tablet, which is set for an April 19th release.
A “high degree of API compatibility” will make it easy for Android developers to quickly port their applications to the PlayBook, though it appears they will still need to be uploaded and accessed from BlackBerry App World. Once downloaded, apps will run via one of two optional “app players.”
The implications of this could make or break RIM’s new tablet. Android currently has access to right around 200,000 applications (give or take 50,000, depending on who you ask), and if developers choose to do so these additional apps could sway more than a few buyers in BlackBerry’s direction. No word on how Google views the move, but it seems RIM has sidestepped some heat by at least requiring developers to modify their applications before they are BlackBerry capable.
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