[barrist]

The only problem is some app dev may get lazy and just code an android app and repackage it and not write something that could really take advantage of the PB OS.

Is RIM going to provide the tool that takes your Android source code and
package it into what is needed for the PB? If so if you wrote android apps you'd be kind of silly not to take advantage of it.

I hope the player is integrated so that everything is transparent. You load up an android app by clicking the icon and not having to start a VM player and then load the app that way.

i hope so too. i hope calling it a 'player' is just an easier way to explain the VM. Myriad Alien Dalvik integrates right into the homescreen so the apps looks like any other native app icon so its definitely possible.

[Kerms]

What would really kick **** is if someone could figure out how to side load .apk files without having to go through RIM's Market.

Now that I think about it, this brings up another question. I'm guessing if a person bought an android app from the google market place they'd have to rebuy the app for the PB...

Does BB have a group of guys like XDA or DevTeam?

[Kerms]

This is also coming at a time when Google is decidedly making Android a more restricted platform:

Android openness withering as Google withholds Honeycomb code

Andy Rubin says that Honeycomb source code won't be widely released for some time so Google can ensure a cohesive user experience. One of the primary examples given is vendors who install Android on unsupported form factors, presumably the Galaxy Tab. This surely puts RIM's hack on the wrong side for Google. I wonder what does Google think about this with their new focus on a unified user experience. RIM is not yet a partner on Android.

Also keep in mind that RIM will only be supporting Gingerbread apps at this time. This means phone apps blown up to tablet size. Also, as Kevin noted, likely restricted in subtle and confusing ways from interacting with the OS. The more that is announced about the PlayBook the harder it is to see how it will attract regular users who expect a polished device.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I said way back that the problem with Android is it being open. I like that, don't get me wrong but that's where Apple & RIM hold the better cards. They control the software and the hardware.

Some people get a bad taste for Android after trying a $100 knock piece of junk android tablet and then thinks Android sucks.

[barrist]

Also keep in mind that RIM will only be supporting Gingerbread apps at this time. This means phone apps blown up to tablet size. Also, as Kevin noted, likely restricted in subtle and confusing ways from interacting with the OS. The more that is announced about the PlayBook the harder it is to see how it will attract regular users who expect a polished device.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

most android apps scale fine on my nook color. maybe if the PB was 10" you could start to see some odd looking apps.

[sivan]

most android apps scale fine on my nook color. maybe if the PB was 10" you could start to see some odd looking apps.

Seriously, running phone apps on a tablet is a hack and not a selling point.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[barrist]

Seriously, running phone apps on a tablet is a hack and not a selling point.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Seriously, they run fine on my 7" tablet. So you can call it a hack, but the casual user isn't going to tell the difference between a phone app vs tablet app in most cases.

The easiest to port over are going to be the simple pick up and play games (like Angry Birds, which works quite well on a 7" i might add) and they're likely the apps that are downloaded the most.

[howarmat]

some will look good, some will not. Its just going to depend on the app/game. I think most games will transfer quite well. the apps might not though.

You also have to keep in mind many of those 200k apps will not be transfer over. Many are also widgets. There will still be a ton more than the 25k available for the entire BB/QNX platform, but the 200k is very misleading

[sivan]

Why would anyone want something like this when they can buy an iPad that comes with tablet-specific apps?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Najo]

Why would anyone want something like this when they can buy an iPad that comes with tablet-specific apps?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Right, because, it is certain that neither Android, or Rim will allow tablet specific apps to be developed for the tablets they are putting on the market. I am also certain that there will be just some random phone apps in the native OS, there couldn't be any "tablet specific" apps on it.....

Right.

[dutchtender]

What would really kick **** is if someone could figure out how to side load .apk files without having to go through RIM's Market.

Now that I think about it, this brings up another question. I'm guessing if a person bought an android app from the google market place they'd have to rebuy the app for the PB...

Does BB have a group of guys like XDA or DevTeam?

yeah users will have to get android apps from the BB appworld. Not so appealing is it? Meanwhile Android users now have an amazing appstore from Amazon that, get this, offers NATIVE apps.

[Najo]

yeah users will have to get android apps from the BB appworld. Not so appealing is it? Meanwhile Android users now have an amazing appstore from Amazon that, get this, offers NATIVE apps.

Oh, so you have used the new app world?

[howarmat]

well it looks like they plan on using an emulator or similar technology to run the android apps/games perhaps

RIM Welcomes tinyHippos! | BlackBerry Developer’s Blog

[sf49ers]

well it looks like they plan on using an emulator or similar technology to run the android apps/games perhaps

RIM Welcomes tinyHippos! | BlackBerry Developer’s Blog

I think they have nothing to do with Android Apps on QNX platform, from their website it is evident RIM bought them to leverage their experience to boost WebWorks SDK as they seem to have a significant experience using web technologies like HTML5 and Javascript, and also they seem to own web/widget frameworks and also a on browser test emulator called ripple.

[howarmat]

im sure they can provide benefits is several areas but to me they specialize with emulation with Ripple. We will see how they pull it off

[Bren S.]

Why are Android people getting so pissy about this? I mean seriously what does it take away from them?
Makes no sense to me and seems so juvenile to have an issue with this.

I personally am very happy to see Android become available on the PlayBook and I have NEVER bashed Android, I just think more applications being available for more devices is a good thing for everyone.

[cwong15]

well it looks like they plan on using an emulator or similar technology to run the android apps/games perhaps

RIM Welcomes tinyHippos! | BlackBerry Developer’s Blog

The Ripple emulator is for HTML5 web development: think HTML, CSS, JavaScript. As sf49ers said, this is not really about Android apps, which are really "Java" apps from a developer's perspective. It's a whole other category.

RIM announced Playbook compatibility with both BB Java and Android apps in the same section. They said there was "a high degree of API compatibility". What I interpret this to mean is that they will have a Java API/class library that will support both BB and Android "Java" apps virtually unchanged. This is only "emulation" in the sense that all Java apps run under a virtual machine.

Notice I used quotes around "Java" for Android. The wrinkle with the Dalvik VM is that it does not support native Java bytecode. Java classes are converted to Dalvik instructions as part of the process of building an Android binary. Native BB apps are "real" Java apps in that they are real Java classes, but also repackaged into a compact COD format. For a Java runtime to support both Android and Java apps, you would prefer a common binary format. I am guessing that when RIM says Android developers need to "repackage" their apps, this means replacing the Java-to-Dalvik conversion with a Java-to-COD packaging or something. That way, the Playbook Java runtime should be able to run both BB and Android apps.

This may actually be an advantage for the Playbook. Dalvik is a compromise VM designed to run on smaller devices. For more powerful tablets, it might make sense to run a real Java JVM with all the performance advantages of the Hotspot optimizer. Java SE Embedded is about 3X faster than Dalvik.

[ericlc2]

Why would anyone want something like this when they can buy an iPad that comes with tablet-specific apps?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Why get an IPAD when you can get flash? B)

[sf49ers]

The Ripple emulator is for HTML5 web development: think HTML, CSS, JavaScript. As sf49ers said, this is not really about Android apps, which are really "Java" apps from a developer's perspective. It's a whole other category.

RIM announced Playbook compatibility with both BB Java and Android apps in the same section. They said there was "a high degree of API compatibility". What I interpret this to mean is that they will have a Java API/class library that will support both BB and Android "Java" apps virtually unchanged. This is only "emulation" in the sense that all Java apps run under a virtual machine.

Notice I used quotes around "Java" for Android. The wrinkle with the Dalvik VM is that it does not support native Java bytecode. Java classes are converted to Dalvik instructions as part of the process of building an Android binary. Native BB apps are "real" Java apps in that they are real Java classes, but also repackaged into a compact COD format. For a Java runtime to support both Android and Java apps, you would prefer a common binary format. I am guessing that when RIM says Android developers need to "repackage" their apps, this means replacing the Java-to-Dalvik conversion with a Java-to-COD packaging or something. That way, the Playbook Java runtime should be able to run both BB and Android apps.

This may actually be an advantage for the Playbook. Dalvik is a compromise VM designed to run on smaller devices. For more powerful tablets, it might make sense to run a real Java JVM with all the performance advantages of the Hotspot optimizer. Java SE Embedded is about 3X faster than Dalvik.

I suspect the same, I hope even BB OS 6.1 may surprise us with such an announcement by making their Java API "a high degree of API compatibility".

[missing_K-W]

Tiny hippos goes above and beyond their product offering which is awesome....depth of potential=priceless

Rim has other plans for these guys!!

Rim wants their talent to work on sdk's,emulator, simulators etc...turn the BB developer platform into a premier turn key out fit...they have big plans for this bunch!

And that would be just helping BB dev support in general! Devs should be pumped!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Kerms]

missing_k-w do you work for RIM or something?You sure talk a lot about what RIM plans to do

[howarmat]

he says he is a carpenter, but yeah he seems to think he knows RIMs complete 10 year plan

[missing_K-W]

missing_k-w do you work for RIM or something?You sure talk a lot about what RIM plans to do

Career wise I specialize in crafting high end custom greenhouses for very wealthy clientele...forged some relationships with prominent people that have blessed me with knowledge and insight in the world of investment(and others areas!)....anyway! I just tend to focus on what "is" and stray from holding to much weight on perception. Whether my opinions are insightful to some ....that is what it is...if some of my opinions are too much to bare....just ignore me!lol

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Kerms]

I was just wondering because he lays it on thick in every thread. Maybe RIM needs to hire him LOL
Even CX doesn't do that

[Plazmic Flame]

Android apps have never been anything to gush over.... absolutely hate this idea and path RIM has chosen. I would rather have the Playbook with next to no apps than have them do this. This was suppose to be a fresh start all around, not give devs the ability to port over their crap Android apps.

[Duvi]

first thing i thought about when i heard this was whether we'll be getting Swype... Swype can update to support the PlayBook, but "will RIM allow it?" is what I was thinking.