RIM Playbook to support Android, Java Apps

kjk · 03-24-2011, 05:15 PM

http://www.androidcentral.com/blackb...-press-release

Quote:

Developers will simply repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World. Once approved, the apps will be distributed through BlackBerry App World, providing a new opportunity for many developers to reach BlackBerry PlayBook users. Users will be able to download both the app players and the BlackBerry Java and Android apps from BlackBerry App World.

So it will support Blackberry Tablet OS directly, and Java and Android Apps inside app players.

Dulin's Books · 03-24-2011, 05:58 PM

its brilliant, really. BlackBerry just instantly added 200k apps.

wodin · 03-24-2011, 06:42 PM

Isn't that what Java is all about? Cross platform code! HP WebOS could also benifit from this model.

Barty · 03-24-2011, 06:53 PM

Won't the apps be running in some kind of emulator and will suck compared to native aps? Otoh, their users have access to more apps. Otoh, they're pretty much admitting "our store sucks; we don't expect devs to invest in making apps for our platform so we'll just piggyback on android."

wodin · 03-24-2011, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barty

Won't the apps be running in some kind of emulator and will suck compared to native aps? Otoh, their users have access to more apps. Otoh, they're pretty much admitting "our store sucks; we don't expect devs to invest in making apps for our platform so we'll just piggyback on android."

No, Java was designed from the ground up to be a multi platform interpreted development system. The difference is the installer; the Android installer uses files packaged in something called an APK, WebOS uses a different installer, but the program code itself is the same. Now, it would appear that PlayBook is also using Java, meaning if you package the Android or WebOS apps in a file format that the PlayBook installer understands it will run.

RainingLemur · 03-24-2011, 07:50 PM

This has me even more excited about the PlayBook. Can't wait to get my hands on one.

leebase · 03-24-2011, 09:09 PM

RIM should ask IBM how successful running another platform's code works out. OS/2 ran windows apps, so nobody made OS/2 apps (or very few did) -- and windows was always better at being windows than OS/2 was.

Nonny

wodin · 03-24-2011, 09:13 PM

This isn't Windows code on an OS2 platform, it's Java code on an Java platform. Anybody with the SDK and a little knowledge can repackage the code for another OS.

snipenekkid · 03-24-2011, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

No, Java was designed from the ground up to be a multi platform interpreted development system. The difference is the installer; the Android installer uses files packaged in something called an APK, WebOS uses a different installer, but the program code itself is the same. Now, it would appear that PlayBook is also using Java, meaning if you package the Android or WebOS apps in a file format that the PlayBook installer understands it will run.

well, not exactly right either. As an interpreted language the runtime interpretor is going to be different for each platform. Now as the new Crackberries are running a special wrapper layer over QNX there was was very likely an existing interpretor for QNX. This makes it easy for RIM to get with the folks at Sun. Same might be said for Android in that it runs on top of Linux, right?

So sure each platform obviously needs a native installer for each OS but the main difference is not just the installer, it's the runtime for that given OS and that version of Java for the version of the underlying OS. It's not impossible and of course Java's original intent was to be cross platform, the same promise has been made for pretty much every interpreted language.

Novell's Mono is a good example of a good try at leveraging the interpreted nature of C# as well (also they tried a runtime for Visual Basic) but since MS and most MS developers seem to lack the restraint to not use the latest Windows specific code in their apps, I am amazed Novell's Mono project made it as far as they have. So the promises of cross platform plug-n-play code comes down to the developers not using functions specific to a given platform and/or the interpretor handling as much of the original version for a given language.

My point is even a C# or Visual Basic app can run on the Crackberry OS as long as the runtime is there. Java is not special or unique in that regard.

FF2 · 03-24-2011, 10:18 PM

I just want to know if Verizon will charge additional for tethering the Playbook with a BB phone - I'm pretty certain I know the MONETARY answer but I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised.

kjk · 03-24-2011, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

This isn't Windows code on an OS2 platform, it's Java code on an Java platform. Anybody with the SDK and a little knowledge can repackage the code for another OS.

Well, this is JAVA running in an app, or as RIM's CEO calls it, a VM. In fact, Blackberry JAVA and Android apps are all running inside apps that run on the Playbook OS, but for performance you still want to write for the QNX SDK.

Barty · 03-25-2011, 01:52 AM

Java: write once, debug everywhere, no?

jbjb · 03-25-2011, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

This isn't Windows code on an OS2 platform, it's Java code on an Java platform. Anybody with the SDK and a little knowledge can repackage the code for another OS.

Bear in mind that Android doesn't use a normal Java VM (it uses a Dalvik VM), and the .dex Dalvik Executable format isn't Java bytecode.

/JB

RockdaMan · 03-25-2011, 09:48 AM

RIM CEO Basically Admits That Android Support Is There To Check The "Lots Of Apps" Box

Quote:

co-CEO Jim Balsillie didn't make it sound like his heart was all-in on Android.

He basically said that the Android support is there to check off the "tonnage of apps" box -- so that RIM can say that tens of thousands of Android apps are compatible with their devices, for people who get excited about those things.

Meanwhile, he said that anyone interested in high performance apps, gaming, etc., will want to make custom PlayBook apps via the new QNX software developers kit.

http://www.businessinsider.com/rim-c...#ixzz1HcR5prQ2

kjk · 03-25-2011, 09:53 AM

Balsillie also made clear these were Android phone apps, not tablet apps, that the VM app would be able to run.

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03-24-2011, 05:58 PM	#2
Dulin's Books Wizard Posts: 2,806 Karma: 13500000 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Portland, OR Device: Boox PB360 etc etc etc	its brilliant, really. BlackBerry just instantly added 200k apps.

03-24-2011, 06:42 PM	#3
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	Isn't that what Java is all about? Cross platform code! HP WebOS could also benifit from this model.

03-24-2011, 06:53 PM	#4
Barty doofus Posts: 2,521 Karma: 13088847 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Won't the apps be running in some kind of emulator and will suck compared to native aps? Otoh, their users have access to more apps. Otoh, they're pretty much admitting "our store sucks; we don't expect devs to invest in making apps for our platform so we'll just piggyback on android."

03-24-2011, 07:50 PM	#6
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	This has me even more excited about the PlayBook. Can't wait to get my hands on one.

03-24-2011, 09:09 PM	#7
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	RIM should ask IBM how successful running another platform's code works out. OS/2 ran windows apps, so nobody made OS/2 apps (or very few did) -- and windows was always better at being windows than OS/2 was. Nonny

03-24-2011, 09:13 PM	#8
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	This isn't Windows code on an OS2 platform, it's Java code on an Java platform. Anybody with the SDK and a little knowledge can repackage the code for another OS.

03-24-2011, 10:18 PM	#10
FF2 Wizard Posts: 1,105 Karma: 1025784 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: WiFi Kindle3	I just want to know if Verizon will charge additional for tethering the Playbook with a BB phone - I'm pretty certain I know the MONETARY answer but I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised.

03-25-2011, 01:52 AM	#12
Barty doofus Posts: 2,521 Karma: 13088847 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kindle Voyage	Java: write once, debug everywhere, no?

03-25-2011, 09:53 AM	#15
kjk . Posts: 3,408 Karma: 5647231 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: never enough	Balsillie also made clear these were Android phone apps, not tablet apps, that the VM app would be able to run.