RIM BlackBerry Playbook to run Android 2.3 and BlackBerry Java apps

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook

Research In Motion today announced that they have expanded the application ecosystem for the BlackBerry PlayBook with the addition of optional “app players.” These will let users download BlackBerry Java apps and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on their BlackBerry PlayBook.

“The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet. The power that we have embedded creates one of the most compelling app experiences available in a mobile computing device today,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform.”

The optional app players will be available for download from BlackBerry App World and will run in their own secure memory “sandboxes.”

RIM also announced that an open beta for its BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (NDK) will begin this summer. It will allow developers to build high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications with industry standard GNU toolchains.

The BlackBerry PlayBook will launch in Canada and the US on April 19th.

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