RIM has announced that it’s BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet, to be released on April 19th, will have support for Android and BlackBerry Java apps in addition to it’s native BlackBerry Tablet OS apps. This will be available when RIM launches two “app players” that provide an application run-time environment for BlackBerry Java apps and Android v2.3 apps. The “app players” will run in a sandboxed environment on the PlayBook. App developers will be able to publish their apps in the BlackBerry App World they  will also need to “repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World.” The app players themselves will also be available for download from App World.

RIM also announced that the Native C/C++ will be added to the PlayBook SDK allowing developers to take advantage of the platform hardware themselves.

With potential access to 200,000 Android apps, does this new addition to the PlayBook feature set make it more attractive to you?

Relevant Links:

• RIM Press Release announcing Andorid and BlackBerry Java Support

Amazon has launched it’s own application marketplace for the Android platform. This will compete directly with Google’s Android Market. The appstore has been launched with exclusive access to Angry Birds Rio, which will be available free of charge for a limited time. In addition, Amazon will feature a new paid app available for free every 24 hours. This sounds like a pretty good way to encourage users to try the store out.

In order to use the Amazon appstore, users will need to download it to their mobile device. To do so, you can visit the appstore’s website and enter an email address or phone number to which you will be sent a download link. Alternatively, you can find direct download links if you search hard enough. As the appstore is not available in Android Market, users will be not be able install it unless they allow the installation of non-Market application by selecting the “Unknown sources” option in the device’s application settings. Amazon makes light of this requirement, which will likely scare some users, in an introductory video by saying, “Remember, it’s just Amazon”. Not sleazy-like at all…

Amazon Likes Geography

Currently, the appstore is only working in the Unites States, but they will eventually roll it out to more countries. In countries which are unsupported (TT included), users are unable to even download free apps. This is in contrast to the native Market which provides access to free apps, provided that you meet the geographical requirements set by the app developer. Utilizing HotSpot Shield to “pretend” that we were in the US proved to be an exercise in futility, so don’t even bother.

Relevant Links:

• Amazon appstore
• Amazon appstore introductory video

Samsung is offering proof positive the competition is indeed a GOOD thing with the formal announcement of their new Android 3.0 Honeycomb based tablets. Initially unveiled on Feb 13th 2011, the Tab 10.1 featured a thickness of 10.9mm. However, Apple’s iPad 2 put the first, unreleased, iteration of the Tab 10.1 to shame and Samsung has responded with a redesign which brings the thickness down to an iPad 2 beating 8.6mm. The Tab 8.9 shares the 8.6mm specification. In addition to the thinness of the devices, there’s also the matter of weight. The Tab 10.1 comes in at 595g and the Tab 8.9 at 470g, figures which compare quite well to Apple’s 601g weight (in WiFi only configuration).

In case you couldn’t figure it out, the Tab 10.1 and 8.9 sport 10.1″ and 8.9″ LCD displays, respectively. The tablets will be powered by 1GHz dual core processors, which will likely be a mix of NVIDIA Tegra 2 and Samsung Exynos SoCs.

Pricing for the devices has been set for WiFi-only configurations so far :

• Tab 10.1 16 GB – US$499
• Tab 10.1 32 GB – US$599
• Tab 8.9 16 GB – US$469
• Tab 8.9 32 GB – US$569

Without a doubt, the iPad 2 has forced tablet makers to rethink their positions and I suspect that we will be hearing something soon from first out-the-gate Motorola and their Xoom tablet’s positioning and pricing.

Images and details of the previous Tab 10.1 can be found here.

More pictures and detail specs after the jump… (more…)

BlackBerry Protect is RIM’s remote phone backup, locking and phone locating service. It’s akin to Apple’s MobileMe Find My iPhone functionality. In addition to the location service, Protect remotely backs up your Contacts, SMS messages, Calendars, Tasks, Memos, and Browser Bookmarks. It does not backup emails, however. This isn’t too large a negative as your mail is almost certainly backed up in the cloud with your Hotmail, Gmail, or similar accounts. At the moment, Protect is still in the beta testing phase but it available for a wide range of BlackBerry devices in App World under the Test Center category. Only devices with system software of 4.6 or higher are compatible. This means that users of older phones like the 83×0 series are out of luck. Protect uses your BlackBerry ID account. This account is the same one used to log in to BlackBerry AppWorld. The app is fairly configurable in that you can select exactly which bits of information you want backed up and how often (daily, weekly or monthly).

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Apple sparked the tablet revolution in 2010 when they announced the original iPad about 13 months ago. Surprising few, the iPad became an instant hit, selling millions of units in a device category that had been written off by most every other manufacture and technology enthusiast alike. Between now and then, the iPad has often been imitated, but never duplicated. All of the major tech players have entered the market with updated devices and operating systems – HP with WebOS, Google and partners with Honeycomb and RIM with it’s Playbook. Today, Apple answers the challenge being presented by the up and comers.

Here are the details:

• 1GHz A5 Processor, same power draw as A4, 2X fast
• Dual-Core
• 9X faster graphics
• Rear (HD, 720p) and Front (VGA) facing cameras – Both supported by FaceTime
• Built in gyroscope
• 33% thinner, 8.8mm (was 13.4mm)
• Same 9.7″ 1024×768 IPS LCD
• Weight: 1.3lbs
• Two colours – Black and White
• GSM and CDMA versions (AT&T and Verizon support)
• 10 Hour battery life, same as original iPad
• HDMI mirrored video out – 1080p
• Pricing starts at US$499 – All prices same as original iPad
• Shipping NEXT WEEK – March 11 2011, March 25 internationally

New accessories:

• HDMI mirrored video out adapter cable with 1080p support (US$39)
• New folding cover/case. Uses magnets to keep itself attached to iPad 2. Available in plastic (US$39)or leather ($US$69).

Video and pics after the jump! (more…)

NVIDIA is showing off benchmarks of their new Tegra 3 SoC (System on a Chip) which have it beating the Intel Core 2 Duo T7200. This is for a chipset that’s goin to be available in tablets around August of this year and in smartphones by the end of 2011. The code-name for this chip is Kal-El, Superman’s Kryptonian name. Without a doubt, NVIDIA has some big expectations for Tegra 3.

Taken by itself, this is pretty impressive but let’s consider how this could affect Microsoft’s position in the mobile arena. In January, Microsoft announced that they have begun work on porting Windows to the ARM architecture and went as far as to give live demos of exactly that. It seems that by the time that Windows 8 ships, ARM based SoCs will be able to offer desktop class performance. One may  presume as well, that ARM will continue to have a power utilization advantage over x86 based CPUs from Intel and AMD. ARM architecture based CPUs include NVIDIA’s Tegra, Texas Instrument’s OMAP, Qualcomm’s SnapDragon, and Apple’s A4, among others.

More, including additional video after the jump.

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