What's in BlackBerry's PlayBook? Android Apps.

According to a Bloomberg report citing three sources, RIM is working on a way to allow Android Apps to run on the upcoming BlackBerry PlayBook.  It looks like we're starting to see the consolidation of various mobile operating systems.

Hot on the heels of Nokia’s decision to adopt the Windows Phone 7 platform, RIM seems to be placing its bet on Android.  The death of Symbian was not unexpected, but it will be interesting to see if this is the first step in transitioning to Android-compatible system across all Blackberry devices.  Once customers get used to the plethora of apps on the BlackBerry PlayBook, it's hard to see how they will accept a lesser offering on their phones.  Still, It's a brilliant move for RIM who has been losing market share rapidly in the last few quarters.  Android's open nature would allow Blackberry to retain exclusive use over their signature products (ie. BBM and BES), while opening up the phones to a host of new feature and apps.  The Mobile OS wars may have just fizzled out with Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7 being the last major players remaining.

With access to over 250,000 apps in the Android Market, the PlayBook would be an instant player in the tablet world when it's released later this year.  With RIM’s security features already a given, this could be just what enterprise customers were waiting to see from a BlackBerry tablet. 

In an interesting move, RIM has apparently decided not to use Google's Dalvik to ensure Android compatibility because of the ongoing legal issues between Google and Oracle over the Java software.   How they end up connecting to the Android Market is yet to be seen.