Early last year the Blackberry Playbook received a firmware update that gave it an Android Emulator. This allows people to convert Android apps and games (APK) to the proprietary BAR format. There are numerous tools that allow users to convert these apps from one format to another, but they are often fairly complex. Why is it that some apps work and most, such as Angry Birds, don’t?
The Playbook is fairly fickle in Android compatibility when it comes to most apps. When it comes to games, the number of supported editions diminishes substantially. The emulator on the Playbook handles Flash and Javascript apps really well. Any games that are made on a custom framework simply don’t work. This entails MOST apps and games that are available on the Android Market, such as Angry Birds, Netflix, and Skype.
Some other factors that prevent apps and games from either converting or running properly on the Playbook are if the programs require a Google Account, use Google’s Billing Service, rely on Android Text to Speech, or if they use GPS Maps.
If you are looking for BAR files for the Playbook, check out our own Good e-Reader App store! We have been converting apps since March of last year and have close to 1,000 that work. In seems 1/10 apps we test actually work on the Playbook, which is a deplorable ratio.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
