RIM rep confirms BlackBerry PlayBook will run Android apps

Could you be adding Android apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook homescreen?
Could you be adding Android apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook homescreen?

It's not all Apple rumours round these parts, you know. We also have a nice line in BlackBerry business, and we've been following the one about Android apps for a while now.

Back in January, the rumour that RIM's flagship tablet, the BlackBerry Playbook, may come with Android app support surfaced.

Since then, we've seen a mysterious someone testing an Android app on some BlackBerry handsets, and now we hear that a BlackBerry employee has been caught on video talking about the PlayBook running Android apps.

Heads may roll

During a video demo of the tablet shot at Mobile World Congress, the anonymous representative is heard to say, "We will also support Android apps when we release the Dalvik engine on top of QNX."

Well. That seems fairly conclusive; or does it?

We don't know who this narrator is; is he definitely a RIM employee? And if he is, is he definitely privy to the future plans for the PlayBook? It's possible that the man has, in fact, just read the rumours on tech sites much like this one.

The Dalvik engine was mentioned in the original rumours, so it is possible that this is a case of life imitating rumour imitating life. That's the cynical view.

The more upbeat view is that this guy just let slip the truth, that Android apps will be coming to the PlayBook! This would be exciting, giving the impressive hardware a leg-up in the software stakes.

Either way, we're watching this rumour develop with interest. Now all we need is to hear that the PlayBook will be coming in white and we'll be almost as excited about it as we are about the iPad 2.

Via CrackBerry

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.