The BlackBerry PlayBook is a pretty capable tablet spec-wise but it still has glaring issues that’s been plaguing the sales since it first came out. One is that there’s no way to integrate your online calendar, mails, and contacts not unless the source is from a BlackBerry phone. Then the second one is simply the lack of apps.
RIM has promised that they are going to address those concerns in the next major PlayBook update and here are a couple of proofs that they will make good on that promise.
The screen above shows an Accounts screen in the Settings which wasn’t available in the PlayBook we reviewed a few weeks ago. This will function similarly to the Accounts settings in Android where you can integrate your mail, calendar and contact accounts to your tablet. The screenshot also shows account integration Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Then from this screenshot we also see an Android robot icon on the far left of the screen which is the Android Player. This will allow the PlayBook to emulate Android apps and games to instantly boost its functionality. There’s still no word how or if the player will allow the Android apps to access data from the PlayBook. Given that there’s an alarming number of malwares in the Android market and RIM’s propensity for security, we might be seeing a sandbox mode used on this Android player thereby limiting the number of apps you can effectively use. But then again, that’s just an assumption. We’ll know more when this PlayBook Android player becomes available.
We’ll keep you updated as to when the PlayBook OS 2.0 which feature this upgrades will be available. Earlier talks with RIM reps revealed that it might be late this year.
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