RIM adds Android app support to BlackBerry PlayBook
engadget.com
engadget.com
We do?
Obviously, YMMV. But they may be improving.
(I'm also probably a bad data point with Apple, though: I'm sure they took longer than normal considering I am currently somewhat-visibly contributing to Cydia and some jailbreakst.)
Homestly, though, neither was particularly difficult. (Palm webOS was equally pain-free, fwiw.)
snort Sure, or at least that's what happens after you've gone through provisioning hell on the iPhone. (I don't know how the Playbook works, that may be a problem as well).
For what it's worth, the iPhone SDK was much less developer-friendly early on than it is today - an unpolished developer experience, by itself, won't be a showstopper. What will really matter is how many people buy the Playbook.
Count me skeptical.
Developers who really care about the platform will create native apps, and ones who merely want Playbook users to be able to run their app will go with some cross platform thing. (The web, Android, etc).
I haven't been a fan of RIM's products as of late, but I think the PlayBook is actually the only credible competitor to the iPad 2 right now. The pricing is right, it excels in a couple of areas that the iPad 2 does not (particularly, enterprise security), it matches or exceeds almost all of the hardware specs (including battery life, apparently), and it is very clearly targeted at the enterprise market. Plus, the OS isn't a clunky piece of crap like the versions on their current phones.
Jokes aside, that's not really the issue... every American I've ever asked didn't know that RIM was Canadian. Hell, they had no problem when their president was seen everywhere with a BlackBerry.
The actual pre-launch cynicism was "this is just a big ipod". The reason for the the cynicism is because there was a geniune belief that the ipad was going to be something breathtakingly different, something akin to the original iphone (or the courier). I remember the coverage in the months leading up to it, and people were predicting off the wall things that didn't turn out. I remember one prediction that the ipad was going to be just screen that is powered (wirelessly) by your iphone, for example.
The cynicism was "this is all?". It's still valid today. There are many people who have written about how their ipads are collecting dust. There's a novelty to it that wears off, to some degree (to some people, certainly not every one, I still use mine fairly often).
But what I don't remember is "this thing isn't going to sell".
Sure. When they ship it might be different.
" it excels in a couple of areas that the iPad 2 does not "
Sure. When they ship it might be different.
"it matches or exceeds almost all of the hardware specs"
Sure. When they ship it might be different.
"including battery life, apparently"
Oh, so you've tried one? No? Perhaps because they're not for sale yet? The skepticism may be forced, but isn't your enthusiasm a little premature?
Does each generation need to relearn the lesson that the value of vapourware = 0?
Also, what constitutes enthusiasm in your view? A factual argument as to why the product might actually be successful?
Finally, how is this product vapourware? It's in the wild - people have touched it, played with it, tested it, built apps for it. I actually have tried one in Waterloo, thank you very much.
"A factual argument as to why the product might actually be successful?"
Until you get your hands on one, it's not 'factual' it is 'conjecture', or 'speculation'.
"Finally, how is this product vapourware?"
Something that is changed so much, and delayed so often is a good candidate. But these days, and especially with the appalling record of recent tablet announcements and then failure to deliver/materialise, pretty much any tablet should be regarded as vapourware right up until it appears in your hot little hands.
But that's okay, you complain about my scepticism and I'll complain about your gullibility and then we'll all be happy. :D
"This stuff is shipping April 19th... I actually have tried one in Waterloo"
Well, that's good news for RIM.
They always need to catch up when Google updates the Android API.
It takes forever for Android users to get the new versions anyway so RIM users won't be any worse off than any other Android app users.
It does suck for video games though.
Having more apps offers an incentive for early adopters and end users to invest in the platform in the near term. Eventually, as the platform grows (perhaps as a result of the various app offerings), developers will start creating native applications.
Rim aren't confused, they know there is not enough room for more than 2 device platforms, and they are the underdog.