A leaked version of the Android App Player for the BlackBerry PlayBook has found its way onto the Internet, meaning owners of the tablet may actually get their hands on the selection of Android apps sometime soon. RIM indicated an intention to put Android apps on the tablet before its release, but the poor sales performance of the PlayBook may be motivating RIM to finally push out the feature. The leaked version is old, RIM told Ars, but an official version is coming later this summer.
Prior to the launch of the PlayBook, RIM seemed to be drawing out a long will-they-won’t-they tease with Android apps. The company eventually confirmed that Android apps would be hosted on the QNX-based platform, though it wouldn’t say when. To the disappointment of customers and reviewers, Android apps ended up not being a launch feature of the PlayBook, though Ars speculated that the marriage would generate mixed results. Since then, the PlayBook hasn’t been much of a success, missing internal sales targets by 90 percent.
Now that the App Player has leaked, PlayBooks can get access to all 250,000 Android apps, if they are willing to dabble in a software gray area. The leaked version is still a beta, so apps run a little roughshod over the platform. The experience also suffers for many of the apps due to the tablet’s lack of a back button. A representative for RIM confirmed to Ars that the leaked version of the App Player is “outdated and non-functional in many respects,” and that they hope to release an official beta version later this summer.
If the App Player gains some polish before it’s released to the public, the PlayBook could become a much more serious contender in the Android tablet space. RIM, if all customers had to do to get Android apps on the PlayBook was not buy PlayBooks, you should have just said so.
