[rimdiculous]

*puts flame suite on.* i love the new features that I am seeing from CES but they have not mentioned it at all. As far as apps go all they have mentioned is work apps and other native apps but nothing about android. It seems like no one has mentioned this or cares. I dont know about you guys but I am personally really looking forward to playing android apps on my playbook.

I know they said 1000's of apps are coming but still no confirmation. Is blackberry "mobile fusion" what they are using as code for android player?

[quarky_uk]

I think it goes without saying that it will be there.

Yes it will be great, but it still isn't quite as good as native apps.

[taylortbb]

Is blackberry "mobile fusion" what they are using as code for android player?

No, mobile fusion is the new BES-like enterprise management product for PlayBook/iOS/Android.

The Android player will be there. It's already in the betas and thousands of apps have been submitted to AppWorld. I understand RIM wanting to focus on their own products and not their competitors however, native apps will always be better.

[louiefern]

i think they're gonna drop the ball on that one. (they have to drop the ball on something).

[mufc1]

I was just gunna start a thread about this.. Strange how the primary disadvantage is the PB lack of apps yet they decide against showcasing how it will soon have access to thousands of new apps?

[rimdiculous]

yes i know native apps are always best but it would just be nice to know i have the option of getting a android app. I wonder how they will have it setup? do you get the apps the bb app world or do you launch a actual android market? if we buy an app that is android how will bb make money off of it?

[TheScionicMan]

It will be there, but integrated so it won't be this weird "try to find an Android app that works". They won't be called Android Apps. The developers will convert them and submit them to BB App World and they will just be Apps. Just like they currently don't differentiate AIR apps or Native apps or Flash-based apps, so too will the Android apps merely become PlayBook Apps. For 99% of users, the origin of the app will make no difference. For the other 1%, they can probably do what we do now, convert an .apk to bar and sideload it.

Most people aren't going to see if they can load some particular Android app to their PlayBook, they'll look in App World for an app and load it.

It's mostly semantics. The Android Player is just another VM that the PB can use. The app origin isn't important. Does Android Market draw distinctions between apps made with Adobe software or Marmalade? Same thing, basically.

[taylortbb]

I wonder how they will have it setup? do you get the apps the bb app world or do you launch a actual android market? if we buy an app that is android how will bb make money off of it?

The Android apps will be in AppWorld and will show up alongside other apps, with absolutely no indication they're Android apps. Only apps that developers have re-packaged, signed and submitted to AppWorld will be available. Right now when you buy an app it doesn't say "Native SDK app" or "AIR app" or "WebWorks app". How the developer created the app is invisible to the end user, as it should be. Android will just be another type of app.

[BuzzStarField]

yes i know native apps are always best but it would just be nice to know i have the option of getting a android app. I wonder how they will have it setup? do you get the apps the bb app world or do you launch a actual android market? if we buy an app that is android how will bb make money off of it?

Just to underline what others have said: There will be no Android Market on the PlayBook. Only apps repackaged, submitted to to App World and approved by the App World approval process will be available to ordinary consumers. Note the phrase "ordinary consumers" - I don't imagine that the vast majority of consumers will be rooting the device or repackaging/sideloadiing APK files.

[FoxxBerry]

I was thinking, since one of the weaknesses of the PlayBook platform has been apps, why would they keep reminding consumers that there is a better option for apps? I think it shows weakness to say hey we can usandroid apps on our android app player...that message should only be for developers. They need to say to the consumer " hey! PlayBook OS 2.0 we have this many more apps than we did yesterday and that number is growing!" " Oh and by the way, Blackberry remote, open on playbook blah blah blah..." you dig what I' saying?

[BuzzStarField]

I was thinking, since one of the weaknesses of the PlayBook platform has been apps, why would they keep reminding consumers that there is a better option for apps? I think it shows weakness to say hey we can usandroid apps on our android app player...that message should only be for developers. They need to say to the consumer " hey! PlayBook OS 2.0 we have this many more apps than we did yesterday and that number is growing!" " Oh and by the way, Blackberry remote, open on playbook blah blah blah..." you dig what I' saying?

I dig, but I'm not sure that RIM is concerned that people will think PB is a poor option for apps. On the other hand, they would be lying to say that an Android-sourced app will look and feel exactly the same as a native" one. As a "native" developer I am banking on the notion that most thoughtful consumers will see the inherent superiority of a "native" app.

The fact is the Android apps will be running in a player that has to, for example, emulate the Android back button.They will be running in their own space and will behave more like, well... Android apps. They perhaps will not seem as integrated as native ones.

In addition, much of the hype is about attracting Android developers to the platform and letting them know about an easy way to monetize their existing apps. How would they know about it if RIM kept it a top secret? if you dig what I'm saying?

[rimdiculous]

Thank you this helps a lot.

[FoxxBerry]

I believe there is a message you give the consumer, the developer and the early adopter. There is also a medium to do that in, example Crackberry.com Developer and Early adopter, Best Buy weekly add consumer. Thats all I'm saying and the reason I believe they aren't talking about an Android App player at the CES......