I have to be completely honest about this – the Blackberry Playbook may still be my favorite tablet. While the lack of apps and features at initial release killed it before it even got its start, the UI that RIM has put together on a tablet makes more sense than most. So when the 2.0 update for the device went live today, I actually got a little giddy.

If you are not familiar, the 2.0 update for the Playbook introduces native email, Twitter and Facebook integration, new home screen UI, a new keyboard, enhanced browser and more. Most importantly though, it allows users to run Android apps that have been ported over to Blackberry’s App World. So yeah, this tablet essentially just turned into an Android tablet, but with a better UI (in my opinion anyway).

I’m downloading 2.0 now and will hopefully have some hands-on time with it this afternoon. At $199 for the 16GB version, this may finally be worth your money if Android developers care to take the time to bring their work over.

Blackberry Playbook 2.0 Update is Available Now, the Time for Android Apps has Come is a post from: Droid Life

Calling all Android developers. RIM is on the hunt for developers to bring their Android apps over to the BlackBerry App World. In doing so, developers who qualify will be given a free BlackBerry PlayBook. Neat, right? RIM in all of their wisdom, has made it incredibly easy for devs to simply port their Android apps over with just a few clicks of the mouse.

The PlayBook may not be the greatest tablet on the market, but free is free. If you happen to develop, then go get your free PlayBook! You can find all the necessary tools right here at RIM’s site.

Via: Android and Me

Port Your Android App To BlackBerry App World, Receive Free PlayBook is a post from: Droid Life

This may sound odd, but as someone who has grown to love the Blackberry Playbook, I can’t help but get excited at the video we have for you below. A German Blackberry-specific site posted up a brief walk-through of the Playbook’s new BBX 2.0 OS that happens to have Android apps up and fully working. During their hands-on time, you get see how seamlessly these apps that have been ported over, work. The Kindle, WordPress, TweetCaster and IMDB apps all fire up without much hesitation. The future of this tablet could be bright after all.  

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via:  Macberry, BGR

Video: Blackberry Playbook Running BBX 2.0 Shows Off Its Android Ways is a post from: Droid Life

When we hear there is another OS device coming out and that said device will run Android apps we all have reason for excitement. That was the case for the BlackBerry PlayBook – when word first came out that the PlayBook would be able to run some Android features, people were definitely curious about it.

But sometimes there isn’t a happy ending and RIM engineers have come out and stated which Android features you won’t be seeing on the PlayBook.

Android’s famed battery-sucking Live Wallpaper, SIP and SIP VoIP, anything built using the Native Development Kit, apps containing only App Widgets, and apps containing more than one activity tied to the Launcher.

In addition, any packages which rely on Google Maps, in-app billing services, Android’s text-to-speech engine, or the cloud-to-device messaging system will all be rendered unusable under the company’s runtime system.

Well that hurts. So basically the main features that make Android, “Android” won’t be making its way to the PlayBook. Existing owners for the PlayBook can’t be happy about this, but then again, I don’t think anyone necessarily bought the PlayBook with the intent of using a bunch of Android features on it. I could be wrong though.

New word of lacking Android integration enough to make you forget completely about the PlayBook?

Via: The Next Web

RIM Engineers Explain Which Android Features Will Not Be Supported On The BlackBerry PlayBook is a post from: Droid Life

If anyone just so happens to own RIM‘s answer to the tablet craze entitled the PlayBook, you’ll be happy to know that thanks to a small leak, owners can now sideload and enjoy the Android App Player (BETA). We knew during its release that there would be Android compatibility at some point, we just didn’t think it would be this soon.  As far as we know, RIM can’t even get a native email client on the device?  The best thing about it so far though, is the inability to control it. Swipe gestures are your only way of working it at the moment which is neat, but limited.

If we have any BlackBerry PlayBook owners here (hopefully you use it for work, and not pleasure), then feel free to give this a try and let us know what’s going on. It’s good to see Android starting to creep into the world of the competition finally. For download, click the via link.

Via: N4BB, BGR

Thanks To Leak, BlackBerry PlayBook Owners Can Now Enjoy Some Android BETA Goodness is a post from: Droid Life

Click here to view the embedded video.

Just in case any Android enthusiasts were still interested in purchasing a BlackBerry PlayBook.

Video: Android Apps Demoed on BlackBerry PlayBook is a post from: Droid Life

Silly MacMall, the BlackBerry Playbook doesn’t run Honeycomb.  Although, I wouldn’t put it past one of our developer friends to make that happen at some point in the near future.

Cheers Robert!

BlackBerry Playbook Now Runs Honeycomb, Wait What? is a post from: Droid Life

The BlackBerry PlayBook has been rumored (and proven) to have the ability to run Android apps for quite some time, but we were just waiting on RIM to confirm it.  Today, they did.  RIM plans on launching “app players” that will allow Android apps to run within, making this device instantly more desirable.  Everything will eventually be available in BlackBerry’s App World, including these Android apps which may come as a surprise to some of you.  How will that work?  Well, RIM claims that there is a “high degree of API compatibility” and porting apps over to be able to run on the PlayBook should be simple.

Hats off to RIM; talk about a great way to give the millions of Android users a reason to check out your new product.  While BlackBerry handsets are snoozing in the smartphone race these days, it’s hard to deny the impressive spec list and look of the PlayBook.  And priced at $499 for a 16GB model, who isn’t thinking about giving one a test drive?  With a dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, front (3MP) and rear (5MP) cameras, HDMI out, and Flash support, aren’t you at least a little interested now?

Press release after the break.  [Spec List]    

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).

BlackBerry Tablet OS Development Tools

The BlackBerry Tablet OS already supports an incredibly robust platform with support for Web development standard HTML5, through the BlackBerry® WebWorks™ SDK for Tablet OS, and Adobe® AIR®, through the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR. The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built from the ground up to run WebKit and Adobe® Flash® as well, giving developers a fast and true Web experience to leverage.

RIM is also announcing today that the BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (NDK), which is currently in limited alpha release, will go into open Beta by this summer and be demonstrated at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to build high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications with industry standard GNU toolchains. Developers can create advanced 2D and 3D applications and special effects by leveraging programmable shaders available in hardware-accelerated OpenGL ES 2.0.

Other features of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to:

• Take advantage of the QNX POSIX library support and C/C++ compliance for quick and easy application porting and for creating native extensions for both BlackBerry and Android applications
• Easily integrate device events like gesture swipes and touch screen inputs
• Integrate the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment into existing code management and build systems using industry standard Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools)
• Leverage work done in standard C/C++ to make it easier to bring applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS
• Find and fix bugs quickly with provided debug and analysis tools

“The response to the BlackBerry PlayBook from the developer community has been exceptional. Our commitment to supporting HTML5 and Adobe AIR development has resonated and spurred developers to create fun and innovative applications for BlackBerry PlayBook users,” said David Yach, Chief Technology Officer, Software at Research In Motion. “The upcoming BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK beta will add C/C++ tools to our repertoire and gives developers one of the broadest and deepest platforms to develop on.”

Gaming Engines

Building on the power of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK, RIM is working with leading gaming and application development technology providers such as Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to implement their native engines and application development platforms. Developers will be able to take advantage of these engines when building games and other applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The Ideaworks Labs Airplay SDK is expected to include support for the BlackBerry Tablet OS soon, making it easy for publishers and developers to use their existing code to bring their games and apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

“Supporting a new OS can be a challenge for developers,” says Alex Caccia, President of Ideaworks Labs, “however, integration of the BlackBerry Tablet OS with the Airplay SDK makes this a non-issue. We think this is a far-sighted move by RIM: the BlackBerry PlayBook is a great device for games and applications, and combining this with content distribution via BlackBerry App World brings an exciting new ecosystem for developers.”

RIM has also been working closely with Unity Technologies, providers of the highly popular, multi-platform Unity development platform and Union, the firm’s games distribution service.  Through Union, dozens of high-quality Unity-authored games are slated to make their way to BlackBerry App World for the BlackBerry Playbook.
“With a sharp focus on the multimedia experience, very powerful hardware, and fantastic games in the pipeline, the BlackBerry Playbook has all the right ingredients to be a mainstream hit,” said Brett Seyler, GM of Union at Unity Technologies. “Through Union, Unity developers have an opportunity to reach a new audience and grow with another great new platform.”

Availability
The new app players for the BlackBerry PlayBook are expected to be available from BlackBerry App World this summer. More information and demonstrations of the new app players will be shared at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will be available in beta later this year and will also be showcased at BlackBerry World.

Useful Links
For more information on the BlackBerry Tablet OS and BlackBerry PlayBook developing, visithttp://us.blackberry.com/developers/tablet/
To see the BlackBerry Tablet OS in action running conceptual applications from The Astonishing Tribe, please visithttp://www.youtube.com/blackberry#p/c/8D8C3A23664E6761/5/uH7NKhNyygw andhttp://www.youtube.com/blackberry#p/c/8D8C3A23664E6761/0/mWJG-sB7H4Y
For RIM insights into developing for the BlackBerry Platform, visit http://devblog.blackberry.com or follow @BlackBerryDev on Twitter.
Visit the BlackBerry Developer Zone at www.blackberry.com/developers for the latest news, information and updates for BlackBerry developers.
Visit the BlackBerry Developer Video Library at
www.blackberry.com/go/developervideolibrary to view a variety of instructional videos.
Sign up for the BlackBerry Developer Newsletter at
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/resources/newsletter.jsp.
For the latest news and information about the BlackBerry Developer Conference visitwww.blackberrydeveloperconference.com.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Official: BlackBerry PlayBook Will Run Android Apps is a post from: Droid Life