BlackBerry Devices May Run Android Apps

crankyspice writes "RIM is allegedly prepping the QNX-based operating system running their forthcoming PlayBook tablet to run Android applications, according to a Bloomberg article. As RIM has stated that the QNX platform will run at least some of its upcoming smartphones as well, this could cinch Android's status as the lingua franca of smartphone application environments, especially with BlackBerry's current market leadership and Android's explosive marketshare growth."

Comments

Re:what i'd like

[Joe Jay Bee]

You joke, but their jobsite url is actually http://rim.jobs.

Very, very stupid idea

[DavidinAla]

This is a horrible idea. Why would anybody outside of RIM bother to write apps for Blackberry if this happens? If they're really doing this, it just proves that RIM doesn't care about the user experience for Blackberry users. To have apps from different platforms mixing will mean that there's no consistency in look and feel. Native Blackberry apps will dry up (even more than they already are). Soon, people will say, "Why buy a Blackberry when I'm just running Android apps?" I don't really care whether RIM does it, because I don't use Blackberry or Android. (I'm an iPhone user.) I just think it's a really stupid business move. It's going to be hard for RIM to survive as an independent company, but this certainly won't help.

Re:Very, very stupid idea

[icebike]

RIM's core market are business users. This market is safe.

No, its not safe.

Android is going after business as well. (Apple pretends to, but then insists you install a music player to manage a phone).

There isn't a single mainstream business platform that Android can't interact with, securely. Sometimes with built in apps, in other cases third party apps are better. Look at TouchDown some time as merely one example.

Rim was/is the leader in this, but they can't rest on their laurels.