1. jackpots's Avatar
    I would not have purchased my three PlayBooks last year if it did not have the Android "player."
    Since then, my confidence in RIM making the PB the work-horse that I they said it would be has waned, and it was only the converted Android apps that did not make me dump the PlayBook. The player being crippled by RIM, makes the PlayBook a case of two half-asses, however.

    I think that RIM should have hired more/better talent to create a better PBOS in the first place and forego the Android player. Also, RIM should have sweetened the pot to devs to create/port their apps to have a better ecosystem. Unfortunately their thinking have not changed and they double down on stupidity - how can a gadget manufacturer release their make-it of go home future gadget after Christmas, the biggest selling/buying season in a cycle??
    jegs2 and therealjoeblow like this.
    10-17-12 09:25 AM
  2. Herve5's Avatar
    Before buying I had a prerequisite: ad-filtering browser (exists native), offline wikipedia (android port) and reasonable GPS based on Openstreetmap (android port).
    So, in a word, without Android I wouldn't be there.

    But since then, I definitely developed a strong preference for non-android apps, even though OS2.1 greatly improved things. I am less and less inclined to buy an andro port.
    (Now, some months ago I sideloaded the Eye-Fi andro app, which frees me from any PC during holidays -but I'm free because of the quality of the other native apps...)

    So: 'triggered by android, then turning to native': maybe my way of doing is... what RIM was looking for ;-)
    10-17-12 10:04 AM
  3. howarmat's Avatar
    You're forgetting that we're just now starting to receive decent tools and API support for QNX. Prior to the "Jam" campaign, developers were stuck building clunky AIR apps that were slow, bloated and buggy as heck.

    There's a reason why some of us run mostly Android apps on our PBs: Up until now, the native alternatives have all pretty much sucked. However, I'm hoping that will change once BB10 is released and we finally get some developer love.

    Fingers crossed...

    RCK
    i know the tools at the time were "lacking" to put it mildly but whose fault is that? LIke i mentioned in other post, i swear the PB worst enemy was RIM itself.
    10-17-12 10:23 AM
  4. anon(257429)'s Avatar
    If BB10 is successful the Android Runtime could single handily destroy Google. Those OEMs that arent having success with Android (almost every OEM but Samsung) can look at BB10 for licensing and still utilize Android for what we wish. As I've said multiple times and as recently quoted by Tim Neil to N4BB. RIM is tracking the Android Source currently at jellybean 4.1. Imagine a jellybean runtime floating within BB10. The possibilities with their new OS are really endless.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    How can it destroy Google??? That doesnt even make sense. Google develops the software for free. Where do you think RIM would get their updates? GOOGLE. If Google reinvents its OS to some new format RIM can do nothing about it. About the time Jellybean could possibly be added into their runtime, a new version of Android will be out.
    10-17-12 12:32 PM
  5. Michel Souris's Avatar
    Personally the Android apps suck...but I see the apeal. I would gladly like my OS free of the android app player. I wouldgladly welcome more native apps. But until BB10 get all developers on board I will continue to use Beweather on the player and thats all....
    Nonsense. There are bad Android apps, and superb Android apps. We have choice.
    As for PB App World, there is very little choice. It remains awful, and getting quality apps from it is far harder than getting them from Android.
    Time to wake and smell the coffee ...
    10-17-12 01:07 PM
  6. rkennedy01's Avatar
    i know the tools at the time were "lacking" to put it mildly but whose fault is that? LIke i mentioned in other post, i swear the PB worst enemy was RIM itself.
    No question, RIM dropped the ball by launching the platform without a working NDK or similar. In fact, I credit this fact more than even the lack of a native email client for why the PB never took off. Because, with a decent set of tools, third parties could have stepped in and filled some of those early gaps. But when all you can do is write glorified web wrappers for javascript code, it's hard to build the kind of serious apps that would have helped sell the PB story.

    Sigh...what could've been...what might've been...

    RCK

    Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2
    omniusovermind likes this.
    10-17-12 01:10 PM
  7. TheScionicMan's Avatar
    Until we consistently see BB10 apps listed next to the "iPhone, iPad and Android" app links, I think it serves a purpose. Many of the criticisms aimed at Android apps can be said for a lot of native apps too.

    The "apps" thing has been generalized to death. Too many overly broad statements that don't apply to every app or user.
    10-17-12 02:30 PM
  8. jegs2's Avatar
    Looking back, do you think it was a good thing or a bad thing? Did you think it was a bad idea at first but changed your mind later? What about vice versa..
    Think it was an excellent idea. Without the Android player, I'd not be able to read the Bible on Olive Tree, play PSX games on an emulator, or read Kindle books.
    10-17-12 02:35 PM
  9. James Nieves's Avatar
    Android Runtime is a strategic investment in RIMs future. QNX is known for being a cornucopia in the sense that it can already run so many libraries (or libraries can be ported) because of its micro kernal architecture and strict POSIX compliance. It's real time and real deal. The runtime was built for the purpose of supporting developers efforts in coming to the platform. It's alllll about the tooling. RIM came to understand that without a proper NDK bringing a new "tablet" and new OS wasn't enough. Apple could do it, but BlackBerry couldnt. It had to win-back developers if they wanted a successful launch. They understand every single reason why Playbook failed, they are not only learning from their mistakes but uping the ante of the entire industry. We've never had a product like BB10. It's uniquely it's own and yet entirely everything that's come before it. And that's the point. ONCE BB10 is launched and people see and hold the platform and it intices consumers. Developers will be able to get onto the BB10 bandwagon very quickly, once impressed by that it leaves the door open for better relationships and more apps for App World. This is also true of the Runtime, in many ways as it's just a method of entry onto the platform. As they track the source of Android and see's how it grows they can take the latest builds of android and incorporate what they want.
    "RIM needs a Java VM so as to provide legacy support for QNX-based devices like the PlayBook, such as custom apps which corporations might have deployed and don�t want to � or can�t � recreate as a native version. Official access to Android apps would be another thing, however; that would require RIM working with Google to certify its platform in some way, so as to provide official support to the Android Market." -SlashGear

    Again done for tooling purposes. If they wanted to more openly support Android they could. But that was never their intent by design or reality. I think it's a good idea, because RIM can use it to pump Androids growth into it's own. Convincing the developers is all it takes, and as RIMs native Cascades impresses more and more you might see those Android-Java turning Qt and Cascades. How many SDKs does Apple have? How many does RIM have? It just goes to show the power of QNX and RIMs dedication to making it happen. These tools together with devs will help bring BB10 up from nothing and into the lime light aside Android and Apple. Microsoft hopes its 1-billion dollar marketing strategy for Surface and Windows 8 will attain a similar goal.


    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
    10-17-12 03:08 PM
  10. Majestic Lion's Avatar
    10-17-12 04:42 PM
  11. Chrysalis1156's Avatar
    I think it was good. Some people want to use android apps and choice is a plus. I only have one android game on my pb (didn't know it was one when I bought it and do wish AppWorld made the distinction) and it runs quite well so I have no complaints. I just make sure I close it out and it's all good.
    10-17-12 04:48 PM
  12. SifJar's Avatar
    Think it was an excellent idea. Without the Android player, I'd not be able to read the Bible on Olive Tree, play PSX games on an emulator, or read Kindle books.
    There's actually a native PSX emulator for the PB, and I can't really imagine the performance of an Android one being better than the native one (which runs quite well). When I tried to use emulators from Android, I couldn't even get the GBC emulator to run. I struggle to understand how a PSX emulator could run without using any native code. Which emulator do you use?
    10-17-12 05:15 PM
  13. npunk42's Avatar
    Sure! We now have the fart noise apps.
    10-18-12 12:39 AM
  14. kill_9's Avatar
    In my opinion, my unequivocal answer is that it's a good thing. First of all I would rather have more choice than less choice. Even if it disincetivized developers from making native apps, I think the overall net effect was that the PB user ended up with more apps.
    I unequivocally disagree with your position on this topic, however, at the very least the BlackBerry Android Player should have been a separate download and easily removable, including cleaning up the subdirectory structure and content at time of removal. Research In Motion should have focused its attention on bringing high-quality productivity applications to the BlackBerry PlayBook. The lack of a full-fledged, multi-tabbed PDF reader, annotations aside, is inexcusable.
    Ratteler and James Nieves like this.
    10-18-12 01:01 AM
  15. kill_9's Avatar
    Android Runtime is a strategic investment in RIMs future. QNX is known for being a cornucopia in the sense that it can already run so many libraries (or libraries can be ported) because of its micro kernal architecture and strict POSIX compliance. It's real time and real deal. The runtime was built for the purpose of supporting developers efforts in coming to the platform. It's alllll about the tooling.
    I could agree with you if and only if Research In Motion had released the BlackBerry PlayBook with 2GB RAM (or 4GB RAM preferably) to support running these emulators and associated applications at the same time as running "native" BlackBerry PlayBook applications. The BlackBerry Android Player subsystem is a resource hog diminishing the overall user experience.
    10-18-12 01:06 AM
  16. aha's Avatar
    I am sending this post with my tapatalk app on playbook, which would not be possible without android runtime.
    10-18-12 01:32 AM
  17. Ratteler's Avatar
    The Android App player worked out badly for me personally.

    I went for my Playbook based on specs and impulse, only to find that it didn't support MOST of the features I wanted in a tablet.
    I held on to it instead of reselling it, on the promise of the Android App player.

    Today still have no access to SKYPE, Kindle, Google Drive, Netflix, Hulu, and Celtx, among many other apps.
    I also find sideloading to be a pain since I'm on a, Mac.. I want Access to Google play so I can just load the apps I need on my device without hooking it up to my computer.

    RIM has blown a major opportunity by treating Android like an unwelcome guest, and not romancing the developers of apps that people expect on to be standard on any tablet.

    It's a real shame that RIM is trying to act like Apple, and expecting developers to to come to them, because QNX is a superior OS compared to Android. Instead of returning to prosperity they are on route to be the next Commodore with the Playbook as the Amiga. Superior hardware and OS, with no software to show it off or make it worth using.

    End sideloading, and make whatever deal you need to so the Playbook just works with what the customer wants to do.
    therealjoeblow likes this.
    10-18-12 03:34 AM
  18. Ratteler's Avatar
    I haven't found many native apps that I use frequently enough to notice a slowdown by running Android apps in the background.
    RIM should support loading android apps with out sideloading, and using the stats of what apps Playbook owners are using to pitch WHY those developers should accept their help in making a native port of those apps.
    10-18-12 03:44 AM
  19. Qaxl's Avatar
    I used to cringe at the thought of having to use apps that were not native but I find myself using android apps more often than native apps, simply because they have no native counterparts. Most important for me were ebook readers, google maps, dropbox etc. If they add functionality for me that is a good thing.
    Going back to when RIM said we would be able to use android apps on the playbook, i used to be under the impression that we would simply get an android marketplace icon next to app world and we could download any app just like in android, and that all aps would just work out of the box,, im sure the hardware is capable and the software is almost there, and the only thing standing between us and android app nirvana is just a seemingly impossible license agreement.
    The reality was that the apps were to be repackaged and sent to app world, there was no way to tell an app was android, (how hard is it to overlay a little green android man on top of an icon in app world an the main OS app Drawer ) and they could only be run one at a time up until OS2.1, plus most of the apps i use had to be sideloaded

    In a perfect world we would get App World + Google Play + iOS Market (businesscat2000 proved ios apps can run on playbook), all individual icons all apps with fully supported apis or libraries to make them work good with the PB hardware. That would mean that Playbook could run almost every mobile app ever created, its ok to dream ... But anyone could pull off such a dream that would be the Playbook
    10-18-12 07:03 AM
  20. Bakamushi's Avatar
    The Android emulator gives people the desire to buy an Android device to get the real thing, and makes them realize they put the equivalent money in the playbook.
    10-18-12 09:13 AM
  21. PanaSama's Avatar
    There's actually a native PSX emulator for the PB, and I can't really imagine the performance of an Android one being better than the native one (which runs quite well). When I tried to use emulators from Android, I couldn't even get the GBC emulator to run. I struggle to understand how a PSX emulator could run without using any native code. Which emulator do you use?
    He's probably refering to the native PSX emulator, people seems to think that the Android player and Sideloading are the same thing.
    10-18-12 11:11 AM
  22. SifJar's Avatar
    He's probably refering to the native PSX emulator, people seems to think that the Android player and Sideloading are the same thing.
    I know, I was trying to coax him into telling us that so I could point out the difference to him.
    10-18-12 11:33 AM
72 123

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