BlackBerry® PlayBook™

[so31guy]

Good Evening Everyone, I need some help and advice please regarding a Playbook.

I had a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" and found that firstly i could not move apps to SD Card so i sold it.

But now i want to buy a Blackberry Playbook and understand that Android Apps are on the new software update.

But i am trying to find out if i can buy them from Google Android Apps as i have a Google Account and used to buy android apps from there, can they be used on the Playbook??

Finally can someone advise me if there is a SD Card external port if i wanted to add a extra 32GB of storage. Looked everywhere on the Spec but with no joy finding out.

Any help and suggestions would be really Handy.

Its Nearly 2013 so wishing you all a Happy New Year.

[Xandrex · Accepted solution]

1) a far as I know, no SDcard reader available for the PlayBook currently.

2) Android apps, that you can download from the Google Play with your Google Account will not work on anything else than an Android powered tablet.

3) what you have certainly read on the internet, is that "the PlayBook can run Android apps", which is not exactly true.

What is true is this, and you will be quite disappointed:

A) applications for the PlayBook are either web applications (like GMail using the browser), or applications installed from the App World (it is a Blackberry store, just like the AppStore for iOS or Google Play for Android).

B) for a given developer that has developped an application for Android, it is very easy to convert their app to the BlackBerry format, and publish it on the App World.


====> basically, if you want to install an application that is available for Android, you have to wait for the developer to port the application to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

for the financial issues, I believe that if you buy an app on Google Play, and the app is available on the App World, then you have to buy it again (and vice versa).


I will end by saying that if the only reason for you to sell your Galaxy Tab 2, is that the apps cannot be moved to the SDCard, then I am not sure the PlayBook will suit your needs for that aspect.

[Wolf359 · Accepted solution]

The playbook has an android player, but the only way to get apps on there is through blackberry app world or through a process called sideloading.  There is a chance that an app you have associated with your google account will not be available on the playbook.  I recommend checking with the vendor of these apps for playbook support.  My guess is that more and more apps of this kind will make it across once bb10 is released.

The playbook does not have a way to add additional storage

[so31guy]

Many Thanks for you advice. I will now be a bit hasty in buying this now. So glad i did not go to PC world and hand over £130 Quid. 

[Wolf359]

Agreed!!