It's no secret that Research In Motion has plans to release an official Android app player for the BlackBerry PlayBook, the only question is when. Last month brought a leaked version, and though buggy, it does work. RIM was quick to make an official statement regarding the leak, saying:
"An older version of the Android App Player beta software for the BlackBerry PlayBook was inadvertently posted and has since been removed. We recommend that users refrain from downloading and installing this software since it is outdated and non-functional in many respects. The official beta release of the Android App Player for the BlackBerry PlayBook is on track for release later this summer."
We've all seen delays related to the PlayBook already, so it's likely no surprise to anyone that the Android app player may be delayed as well. Engadget revealed today they have a reliable source telling them this feature is now pushed back to late fall. No word on why this is being said, but hopefully it's for good reason like waiting for the 3G PlayBook to hit shelves or adding in a bunch of really cool features we haven't heard about yet ;-)
Source: Engadget
Reader comments
Android app player for BlackBerry PlayBook possibly delayed until fall
hi , i just got my brand new playbook and i love
it is way better that the rest
in my business portability is a must
and BB playbook is the best
This is not a problem for me since I have no plans on selling my PB in the very near future.......I can wait :)
RIM must just announce things during the Autumn of their boardroom. So obviously everything is still on schedule cause it's only spring right now!
I think it stinks that Blackberry would make so many claims to the potential of its product then spit out a bunch of tiny updates to appease the masses. I love the fit and finish and I can see the potential but am growing wary that RIM even cares about those who bought in to the smoke and mirrors of the promised potential. From a business aspect and judging by their chronic layoffs, bosses jumping ship and the lagging concern of all these comment boards; I'd be inclined to think they pushed it out to try to raise capital and needed people to believe they really had something more here. Heck something as simple as A2DP profile hasn't even made it into an update as of yet. I don’t care as much about android apps more than i care about the real ability to email with attachments and not being tethered to any wires. So I can read my email.....I can do that on my phone..android apps? got it covered on my phone. It's becoming a very bittersweet feeling especially thinking I bought the 64gig, case, screen guard, taxes etc...and I still have to wire my headphones to it to listen and better yet have to tether to something to send the pictures i take with it? Do you think Blackberry will reimburse me so that I can go buy a Galaxy Tab8.9? It actually does what it says it will right out of the box so I hear....For now I have a glorified web tablet/multimedia player with some of the best hardware on the planet! Now that's worth bragging about...not so much. Maybe i should have stuck it out with a Nook color? there seems to be more progress with Barnes and Nobles interest in it's dedicated consumers and actually pushing to reach and exceed the promised expectation. Sorry to be a bit long winded but lack of interest and urgency is getting a little old and its a shame because I am truly a Blackberry fan...was?
djr35
My sentiments exactly this was pretty much the last straw for me,the apps just flat out stink, weve been waiting for im+ for ever, there are other options out there in the tab world so im not going to waste any more time with the playbook, I have better things to do. So my Playbook has just been added to the many other playbooks on Ebay. The Galaxy Tab 8.9 will easily replace this big mp3 player.
^ Thank you! How hard is it to auto capitalize after a period?
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BB Bold "Onyx" 9700
BB Playbook 32GB
You know what would be nice? Real autocorrect. More than the Android player, more than native PIM support, it would be nice to be able to type with something resembling speed and accuracy.
I installed the player and pretty much forgot about it a few days later. PlayBook doesn't need an Android app player in the first place. The native SDK is more important!!!
Yeah, I think they are leaving the native apps behind and think that by adding the Android Player everything will be (Y)
This is the whole problem with RIM, they never, ever, ever deliver on time. I don't know if the PR guys and CEOs aren't talking to the tech guys or they are just putting unrealistic time lines up that they will never meet. RIM has to just stop giving release dates, and to their credit with the new devices they have stopped saying things like "its coming in 60 days!". They have had an event to build the hype and then...bang... New phones released in 2 weeks! Right out of the Jobs playbook, but it is effective.
I also hope that this is just a rumour. The one thing that the PB is missing is quality apps and with the Android Player it would get those and make the PB the tablet to have. I don't know whether developers are waiting for the player or just not interested in QNX but the apps have been very slow in coming and they are really hopeless to date.
RIM, release the Player stat!
would somebody with half ab braine buy RIM already and try to turn it around in the RIGHT direction or put it out of its misery.
new OS7 ...thats something to get excited about, OS6 with new icons!!
RIM is shooting themselves in the foot in their pursuit of this "Android App Player". It seems developers have hesitated releasing apps for the PlayBook because they know this app player is just around the corner. When QNX phones are released next summer, will they need to have an app player just to give BlackBerry users a decent selection of apps?
It also doesn't make sense from an image standpoint. It would be like GM saying "We've just released best engineered truck on the market, and it has a Dodge Hemi engine under the hood". It only makes them look inferior.
Just nit picking your analogy :)
Wouldn't that be more comparable to Engine = Hardware? or even Engine = QNX?
The Playbook runs without Android app, truck does not run without engine!
Android player is more of a fancy set of rims (no pun intended) than an engine :)
the android thing reminds me of what nintendo used to do back in the day. they'd promise all kinds of toys for their systems and then once the systems sold, they'd decide not to come out with the things they promised. feels almost like what RIM is doing
Who cares. I didn't buy my PlayBook for an Android player. I want a few good native apps and a good browser and we're almost there.
Ya, but android apps would be nice. Plus RIM already announced it....so unlike my wife, they have to put out.
On one had it is nice to hear RIM actually tell us something, on the other... COME ON RIM GET YOUR S**T TOGETHER!! I love my PlayBook and the Android player will only add to the already great experience, I just wish they would put a little more effort into the things people are REALLY asking for and less into the BS the we don't really care about...
First off, RIM did not tell us this... Engadget did via a "trusted source", of which if your frequent to the RIM news these days "Trusted Sources" with negative news are a dime a dozen.
Secondly, More effort into things people cared about? I am fairly sure the app player and android market is one of the most anticipated releases for the playbook. There was 10x more buzz over the leak of it than the official release of BBM6, Facebook 2.0, and Video Chat combined!
Keep in mind development of the Android player double dips by adding to the next phone generation support for the market RIM is attempting to create by this approach.
I'll be happy with a video editing App, even though an android player would be niiiice!!!
I'm more excited about native PIM than Android apps.
I hope that this delay is only a rumor and not the truth. Quite frankly, I am fed up with how RIM has mishandled the Playbook from start to finish. Nothing about this product launch has gone smoothly and it would not suprise me in the least to see it being used in business classes as the prototypical example of how one should not release a product into the marketplace.
I was hoping that RIM would have seen the buzz and excitment that was created when the beta player was accidentally released. There were actually, finally, amazingly, some good articles and reviews regarding the Playbook being posted online and spoken about on tech/news shows. One would have thought that RIM would have seen the eager anticipation on the part of the its consumers to know that the Android Player would have been received well and would have gone a long way to restart the buzz around this product.
So I hope it truly is a rumor. If not, I really hope when that it refers to a late-fall that actually occurs in 2011 and not 2525!
i just want them to fix the current bugs on my Playbook. I'm tired of my browser hanging and closing, facebook errors, and bridge files not seeing music from my phone!! Oh, and screw BBM6 just because there is not an option to show what I'm listening to.
Is it just me, or the bbm icon on my playbook displays x notifications even when there isnt one? I have the latest os on both, my torch and PB... I fucking hate that, 15 BBMs notifications and just 4 ppls talking.
This issue is fixed with latest PB version and BB Bridge version. just double click the chat for which notification is there and the icon disappears.
I just don't see the big deal. I'm sure that android has some awesome apps but it is still Android. I always said that if Blackberry were to fall I'd go to an android device or maybe test windows but that is a last resort. My point is that I'd rather RIM concentrate on getting apps for the Playbook itself so we can enjoy the full experience. Having some apps that belong on a small screen (phone) on the Beautiful playbook is just right out silly to me. Bring out the other updates and when the android player comes out, great. I'm just not set to throw a party for it. I just want more apps (of Crackberrian's flavour).
"My point is that I'd rather RIM concentrate on getting apps for the Playbook itself so we can enjoy the full experience." What evidence do you have that's what they're doing? It's not like they're releasing new apps. Might as well give us Android, they're not giving us anything else.
You need evidence for...this guys own personal preference and what he would like to see happen? That's interesting, guess people can't have their own opinions of what they want, without rock solid evidence to prove that is what they actually want! Who says RIM has to "give" us anything at all? Buying a product isn't a guarantee to get everything else you want for free....
You guys don't understand how app ecosystems work. RIM shouldn't be making apps.
There's what - half a million iOS apps on the iPhone App Store, right? Apple directly made maybe 10 of those. Same goes for Android and however many apps they have.
RIM has to cultivate an environment where developers actually want to develop for the platform - I'm sure we all remember that dev's open letter to RIM from earlier this year talking about what a relative nightmare it is to make apps for Blackberry. RIM is never going to get on an even footing with the other smartphone platforms if they try to do everything themselves.
I agree, I love my playbook, but I find all the games and apps lacking the fluid nature and fps, animations, and sound that iOS devices have. For example, the Mini Golf game, its a "nice" game having in mind all the others, but... when I played it (trial) I didn't want to trow my money on it, lame animations and it just seemed unnatural.
Why, if the PB is so capable, does it have crappy graphics games and apps? Im asking for real, is there something missing to the devs? RIM is holding them back? Or they just doesn't seem to take the PB seriously?
Its funny how even all this I love my PB more than my brothers Ipad for casual browsing and watching series.
P.D.: (Your nick, DR?)
My guess is RIM leaked the player on purpose. Think about it, who better to test your application than the tens-of-thousands of us in a shorter amount of time.
My opinion is they read the forums and found additional bugs to fix, holes to plug, enhancements to improve on in a shorter period of time and are actively working on them for a more beneficial release for the end user.
If you want Android apps, get an Android Tablet. Problem solved.
Normally I would agree, but I tried all the Android tablets before buying my PlayBook two weeks ago and they all suck compared to the PlayBook. There isn't one that's as fluid as the PlayBook and the hardware on the PlayBook is better than anything on the market.
Hands down PlayBook is winner no other Android tablets are better than PlayBook. Well I believe all BlackBerry lacks in is Apps from Appworld.Having Android app player on PlayBook will be icing on the cake for PlayBook.
Doesn't Crackberry have the clout to get some firm information out of RIM about Android Player and other rollouts?
well i think everybody that owns a playbook needs the android app player since there are not too many applications for the PB....RIM should learn to keep their mouths shut and then surprise people when they have something ready for release.
not a big deal if u want it its already leaked otherwise dont whine.
bah... its coming sooner I say!
I don't have a PB so this doesn't affect me either way, but can RIM ever release anything in a timely manner?! I guess Facebook 2 and BBM 6 came out super quick.
I didn't pay too much attention to BBM6, but I disagree about FB 2. It took FOREVER.
On the other hand, it works better than FB 1 did. Well...I guess it adds more features...a few more updates will get this app functional. :-)
I think he was talking about Facebook application for Playbook. Version 2 for it came pretty speedily and brought quite good extra features. Actually now compared to facebook application on other tablets, PB one is most complete :)
Not a big deal. I like my PB as is (mostly), although the Android app player will be nice.
Also, I won't be able to put down my 9900 for months, so when Android app player does get released, it will be a nice feature to play with.
I agree with that. I don't need my Playbook to do what my phone already does. It annoys me when I'm bridge connected and my phone and Playbook sound off together. Can't wait for the 9930 either!
oh michelle, the fire is about out in the forums, we don't need this now... Kevin mentioned in a post that I made, some of the bigger updates will coincide with a big event, something like DevCon.
Roll on the haters…