As information about the PlayBook’s launch surfaces, Bloomberg is reporting that RIM will open up the tablet to Android applications. According to “three people familiar with the matter,” the company is developing technology that will allow the PlayBook’s QNX operating system to run Android apps, offering early users a much wider selection. The sources also said that after looking for outside developers to enable this, it’s now working internally on the project.
Shortly after CES, an ex-RIM employee said the lack of apps at launch would hinder the PlayBook’s success. Instead of using its traditional BlackBerry OS, RIM chose to instead install QNX, which enables the tablet to fully support flash and give designers increased flexibility. RIM in general (and especially its tablet) has become increasingly attractive to app developers lately, but still can’t compete with Android’s clout, and the PlayBook would not come with the wealth of apps consumers have grown accustomed to. Allowing Android integration for this purpose would fill that hole.
Not that RIM has been terribly fond of apps to begin with. At last year’s Web 2.0 Summit, CEO Jim Balsillie notoriously attacked apps, saying “you don’t need an app for the Web…you don’t need to go through some kind of control point…The Web needs a platform that allows you to use your existing Web content, not apps.” Perhaps there’s been some reconsideration, and RIM isn’t willing to take any chances on losing consumer interest with the PlayBook.
How successful this move is probably depends on RIM’s developers. If they are able to allow the PlayBook to seamlessly run Android’s 130,000 plus apps, it would be a huge coup for the tablet. Pairing BlackBerry’s corporate reputation and security features with a wide selection of apps could be the missing link to a successful launch. According to insiders, the software should be ready in the second half of the year.
Before they decided to keep the project in-house, RIM considered and rejected Dalvick, Google’s Java software that’s used to run Android apps. Reasons most likely stem from infringement claims between Google and Oracle, sources said.
RIM will be creating an Android Blackberry phone. Read this: RIM adds Android. Is an Android Blackberry phone, next? http://exm.nr/je23dK
Here are some observations on RIMM by this media technologist.
1. ET TU QNX??: Playbook and future iterations of RIMM hardware are based on QNX. QNX is an odd-ball, Unix-based OS which, *if* RIMM engineering can adapt it (I expect many bugs and … delays)… will certainly function. But I predict it will be relentlessly battery-consumptive (as well-discussed in innumerable BB fora). This is the least of RIMM's problems as you will see below. Nevertheless, RIMM has made an costly strategic blunder by acquiring OS firm QNX, whose specialized OS is best known for… umm.. being the OS behind the robotic arm of the US Space Shuttle and other highly-specialized devices.
So, here RIMM is trying to to do a feeble, Jobs-esque proprietarization of a truly outer-planetary OS. This, in a sisyphean attempt to challenge Apple's iOS and Google's Android. This is a fool's errand. Just ask the newly-ousted CEO of Nokia who squandered million$ on the Symbian OS – a similar folly. How many NATIVE platforms do YOU think application developers have the time to write for?? (Yes, I know about the "runs Android" hype… see #2 below.)
Now we can see exactly now what RIMM has reaped from their QNX misadventure. Witness: Nokia is now dumping Symbian (*their* one-time savior OS) in favor of working with MSFT Windows Mobile 7. (It helps that Nokia's new CEO comes from MSFT). But again, one asks: what does it say about RIMM's confidence in QNX when they have to add another application ball and chain in order for QNX to run Android apps – badly (again, see #2, below)?
Does any serious analyst actually believe that RIMM can eclipse, let alone prevail with, on one hand, a combination of Microsoft (biggest global software firm) and Nokia (biggest handset firm) and ALSO *GOOGLE ANDROID*??
2. IDIOTIC GYRATIONS: RIMM is, by all empirical behavior, a hyper-reactive stock, beloved by amateur day-traders. Witness today's (10Feb2011) wholly-irrational move up of +5.7% on the re-iteration by RIMM's PR flacks that the "PlayBook will run Android apps" 'feature'. Well how about this "Android" capability??
a. RIMM had no other choice but to try to enable this (due to QNX error above) -but they only promise this feature for the "second-half". Expect delays beyond this.
b. The only way RIMM can emulate Android is by employing a virtual machine capable of running Android. Android apps NOT BEING NATIVE to QNX will require a "machine within a machine". AKA "virtualization".
c. Care to guess what "virtualization" does to battery life? IT SAPS IT LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW. Why? Because virtual machines use precious CPU cycles. More cycles mean more battery consumption. RIMM does not want you to know this.
d. Does this not compound the battery issues that RIMM engineers ALREADY have with QNX even without "virtualization"?
e. Anybody care to own a tablet that runs Android apps for.. umm … 2 hours?
f. WHY buy a PlayBook to run Android when you can buy scores of other Android tablets coming to market that run Android's massive repertoire of apps NATIVELY and EFFICIENTLY? (Did I hear Motorola Xoom with the latest-gen of Android 'Honeycomb' for tablets??)