Why are apps important? Well, for most, they are the life blood of a mobile device these days. Most would rather choose a device that would and could run more apps than the competition can. With these kind announcements it would considerably increase the number of apps, obviously, that the BlackBerry PlayBook can run.
We know that it was first reported and then we heard it from a BlackBerry representative and then the day has come that RIM have said it making things official. With BlackBerry's 25,000+ apps already available from the BlackBerry App World an additional 200,000+ apps from the Android platform would apparently make the PlayBook a tablet that would make consumers turn their heads to.
Of course, the PlayBook will be able to run Android 2.3 apps available for download from the BlackBerry App World. Aside from that Java apps would also be made available for download and will be fully supported by the device.
So, that's it, officially announced. In RIM's press release they noted that the tablet is scheduled to be launch both in the US and in Canada in April 19th, not in April 10 when we first heard about. With a $499 price tag and specs that are truly a competition among the other tablets that were recently announced, the PlayBook would definitely be a game maker in the tablet market.
I'll be taking a snippet from RIM's presser below and you can read the full press release by clicking on out trusty source link.
RIM Expands Application Ecosystem for BlackBerry PlayBook
- BlackBerry PlayBook to support BlackBerry Java and Android apps
- Native C/C++ development support added, in addition to HTML5, Flash and AIR support
- Support from leading game engines: Ideaworks Labs (AirPlay) and Unity Technologies (Unity 3)
- BlackBerry PlayBook becomes a new market opportunity for all the developers who have already created over 25,000 BlackBerry Java apps and more than 200,000 Android apps
Waterloo, ON – Developers wanting to bring their new and existing apps to the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet will soon have additional tools and options to enhance and expand their commercial opportunities. Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced plans to greatly expand the application ecosystem for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The BlackBerry PlayBook is scheduled to launch in the U.S. and Canada on April 19.
RIM will launch two optional “app players” that provide an application run-time environment for BlackBerry Java® apps and Android v2.3 apps. These new app players will allow users to download BlackBerry Java apps and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on their BlackBerry PlayBook.
In addition, RIM will shortly release the native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook enabling C/C++ application development on the BlackBerry® Tablet OS. For game-specific developers, RIM is also announcing that it has gained support from two leading game development tooling companies, allowing developers to use the cross-platform game engines from Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to bring their games to the BlackBerry PlayBook.
Support for BlackBerry Java and Android Apps
“The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet. The power that we have embedded creates one of the most compelling app experiences available in a mobile computing device today,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform.”
Developers currently building for the BlackBerry or Android platforms will be able to quickly and easily port their apps to run on the BlackBerry Tablet OS thanks to a high degree of API compatibility. The new optional app players will be available for download from BlackBerry App World and will be placed in a secure “sandbox” on the BlackBerry PlayBook where the BlackBerry Java or Android apps can be run.
Developers will simply repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World. Once approved, the apps will be distributed through BlackBerry App World, providing a new opportunity for many developers to reach BlackBerry PlayBook users. Users will be able to download both the app players and the BlackBerry Java and Android apps from BlackBerry App World.
The BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry Tablet OS are built on the QNX® Neutrino® microkernel architecture with a 1GHz dual core processor and a leading OpenGL solution, which allows RIM to make this incredibly broad platform support possible.
BlackBerry PlayBook users and developers who are interested in seeing the new app players for BlackBerry Java and Android apps can see demos at BlackBerry World in Orlando, Florida (May 3 to 5, 2011) (www.blackberryworld.com).
Source: DroidLife
Source: DroidLife
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