Is RIM really going to supplement BlackBerry apps for Android?

Daniel Carey Feb 25, 2011 Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Me Follow Us Android, Applications, Mobile, Mobile Software, News, Smartphones, Tablets, software

A recent article on BGR suggests that Research in Motion will be looking to supplement its BlackBerry application store with Android based apps. As crazy as it sounds, this isn’t the first time sources close to the smartphone manufacturer have leaked information to the aforesaid popular blog. No, in fact, late last month BGR received a tip claiming that Android applications would make their way to RIM’s upcoming Playbook tablet.

According to the article, application developer ‘ShopSavvy,’ is claiming that their application was tested on several BlackBerry devices; with statistical data proving the claim coming from Flurry. RIM’s older generation handsets: the 8300, 8600 and 8520 are all reported to have been used, with location based hits coming from Waterloo Ontario, Canada — aka RIM’s world headquarters.

Data below provided by ShopSavvy:

BlackBerry 8300 ran ShopSavvy on January 31, 2011

BlackBerry 8600 ran ShopSavvy on January 17 and 24, 2011

BlackBerry 8520 ran ShopSavvy on February 7, 2011

While the data may suggest RIM is looking at Android applications, there really isn’t any word on what it would mean for the company. Currently BlackBerry users can get their apps from BlackBerry App World, with apps being built upon the Java standard. However, a move to Android applications will mean RIM would lose some control over part of their ecosystem. And to date, they’ve proved a degree of control is key.

It’s no secret that developer hype on RIM’s platform has subsided in recent years. Most are looking to join the iOS or Android space, and why wouldn’t they. To date, the smartphone game has turned into a two tier race (with Windows Phone joining in occasionally). For that reason it makes sense to adopt one of the winning ponies, and let’s face it, iOS will never make it to other devices, so by process of elimination Android is the only viable choice.