The QNX-based RIM BlackBerry PlayBook will soon gain the ability to run apps originally written for Android, thanks to the release of the Android App Player. Owners of the tablet have been waiting for the promised functionality since the device was released, which will greatly expand their access to apps. When we see the first QNX BlackBerry smartphones come out, will they get the same feature? A Bloomberg report states that not only will those phones get Android support, but they’ll ship with it available.

Apparently this push is to avoid some sentiments that have come from the PlayBook’s release, where the lack of features like the Android App Player may have given the impression that the tablet was rushed-out unfinished. Sources familiar with the project say that the App Player for RIM smartphones will be essentially the same one coming to the PlayBook, but with enhanced support for devices of varying resolutions.

The first QNX-running BlackBerry is expected to be what we’ve heard called the BlackBerry Colt. First anticipated for 2012, there’s a chance we just might see it arrive late this year.

Source: Bloomberg

Via: MobileSyrup