Tuesday, March 29, 2011

BlackBerry PlayBook to support Android Apps...kind of

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

I'm a little late in reporting this to our readers, but some interesting news popped up on the web last week concerning BlackBerry's entry into the slate tablet market, the PlayBook. Specifically that it would support Android apps. At first glance, the blog headlines listed seemed to insinuate that the Playbook would have the same access to the Android market as true Android phones/tablets...well, let's just say I'm glad I read the entire article.

It appears that these apps will only be available through BlackBerry's own App World via dedicated "app players." Essentially BlackBerry is making it very easy for Android developers to port their apps to the PlayBook from a coding standpoint. This still means that they have to choose to actually port this and do all the necessary steps to follow any differing rules set by BlackBerry for publishing. So don't expect every Android app being available.

Even though the news wasn't quite as good as it sounds, I think it's still a smart move on BlackBerry's part. Their app offerings are dismal compared to Android and iOS and if they're going to have any luck tapping into the iPad's huge market share and convincing consumers the PlayBook isn't an enterprise device, they need all the help they can get. And considering the hardware is looking pretty good, it may even help Android's status in the slate tablet world as well.


About the author:


Dr. Riley Alexander is a pathology resident at Indiana University School of Medicine, blog "addict" and avid follower of technology. His primary interests revolve around how technology, especially mobile, will create increased efficiency, enhanced physician education and better delivery of care in the medical field. Dr. Alexander is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine with a combined MD/MBA, in partnership with IU's Kelley School of Business. Due to this, he is also very interested in management, healthcare policy and non-clinical aspects of the medical field and enjoys exploring non-clinical opportunities for medical students, residents and physicians. He completed his undergraduate education at IU-Bloomington.

1 comment:

  1. Android based phones have a diverse array of applications available. For the new Android user, it can almost be overwhelming choosing which apps to install. With the recent release of new Androids handsets from major brands like Motorola, HTC, and Google, the Android developer community has been given a boost to crank out good quality Android software.

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