Poll: Should RIM Allow Android Apps To Run On The BlackBerry PlayBook?

by Robb Dunewood | Jan 27, 2011 | BlackBerry | 12 comments

The blogosphere is buzzing right now with rumors that Research in Motion may allow Android Applications to run on the BlackBerry PlayBook and other QNX powered devices if they decide to use the Dalvik VM, the same Java Virtual Machine used in Android. We figured that this would be a good time to ask BlackBerry users what they think, so, we put up a poll…

12 Comments

Trent on January 27, 2011 at 10:39 am

I don’t think it would be a bad idea. BB has many good solid apps, however they lack a wealth of “fun” apps you will find on the iphone/ipad and android devices.
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- gquaglia on January 27, 2011 at 8:35 pm
  
  They do, for the playbook?? That’s news.
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Marc Zenackis on January 27, 2011 at 10:47 am

For what possible reason would Google allow a competing platform to run their software? That just makes no sense. It would be like Apple allowing Windows Phone to run iPhone apps… This is a really dumb idea.
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- Norman R. on January 27, 2011 at 10:55 am
  
  Because Google wants to dominate mobile search…
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- Robb Dunewood on January 27, 2011 at 11:50 am
  
  Don’t forget that Android is open source. Google doesn’t make money directly (not much anyway) off of devices being sold. Their goal, as Norman R. points out, is to dominate mobile search. Even though QNX would be a competitor to Android, on the operating system front, they could still achieve their goal of mobile search dominance if they allow RIM access to Android Market in exchange for making Google the default search provider in QNX and even OEMing Google apps and services like Voice Search, Google Voice, Google Goggles, Google Search, Navigation, etc. etc. etc….
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  - P.Dub on January 27, 2011 at 11:56 am
    
    At first I thought you were kinda out there on this, but, after thinking about it, I can see huge pluses for RIM, and a few pluses for Google. The question is if the pluses are big enough for Gogle for it to even be worth it to them. Allowing Android apps to run on QNX could ultimately hurt Androids share…
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- ja2bk on January 27, 2011 at 1:32 pm
  
  Well, it’s not Google’s software first of all… it is the developers’ software. Some of those developer apps are also on iPhone and Blackberry currently. The market is only a place to sell said software which is tailored to Android. All this means, is they could easily make a version for Blackberry which means more apps submitted to AppWorld.
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ED on January 27, 2011 at 10:50 am

It would be amazing, but a kind of certification should be needed by the App in orther to be fully compliant with the BlackBerry enviroment, I think. They’ll be running in a sort of sandbox, right?
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justelise on January 27, 2011 at 11:25 am

I think that RIM should definitely allow the new BlackBerrys and Playbook to run Android apps so that the Playbook and new BBs running QNX would have access to a ton of apps right out the gate. I think Google would be all over it, because it would strike a major blow against the iPhone.
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- gquaglia on January 27, 2011 at 8:34 pm
  
  Considering the ipad has been out for some time, has hundreds of thousands of apps for it already and is made by a company that has mastered the art of sales, I don’t think Apple has anything to worry about. RIM thinks Urban Spoon and Facebook are super apps. They are about as cool as case of herpes.
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  - penn on January 28, 2011 at 3:48 am
    
    @gquaglia i second that…RIM is in serious trouble when websites sites start pondering if android apps should run on a competitors tablet…
    where is the hype surrounding the playbook ??? non existent
    i miss the days when the bb was capable, now it seems like a chore to use a bb , not fluid, not entertaining, too slow and just not worth it
    if RIM wants to make some serious money off this product they need to change there tactics and innovate not imitate. as of now there major markets are developing countries ( india and indonesia) these countries are also price sensitive. i doubt we would see RIM selling more than a million playbooks in the first year in india or indonesia.
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    - ja2bk on January 28, 2011 at 2:53 pm
      
      How is it imitating if the developers are now able to expand from just Android devices to also RIM devices with minimal effort? They are NOT competing on apps. Apps are a means for the consumer to “like” their phone more. It is great to get the extra cash, but its only there to get more people interested in the hardware and software. Developers sell apps and just split the take. In rare cases the developer is also the person making the devices.
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