How to Run Android Apps on your Blackberry Playbook

Posted 11/09/2011 at 11:07am | by Seamus Bellamy

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Step Four: The Right Tools for the Job

Until recently, side loading .BAR files to the Playbook was a frustrating process thanks in no small part to RIM’s byzantine combination of development standards and needful tools. When the possibility to convert Android .APK files into .BAR files so that they could be loaded on to a Playbook became a viable option for the tablet’s users base, Playbook aficionados began working tirelessly to not only see what Android apps would run after being converted for use on QNX powered Blackberry hardware, but also devised more efficient methods for installing the files. One of our favorites has been devised by HaTax—Blackberry developer and insanely active member of crackberry.com’s  user forums. Thanks to HaTaX’s free Playbook toolset, installing .BAR files has become a drag-and-drop operation. The Playbook toolset can be downloaded here.

Once the download is complete, unzip the file and locate the the PB-installer batch file. Using Notepad or another text editor, open the batch file. One you’ve opened the file, you’ll need to hunt down two things: A line that starts “TABLETIP=“ and another that reads “TABLETPASS=”. Enter your Playbook’s IP address (located under the same pane as where you turned development mode on back in Step Two), and your tablet’s password, respectively. Save the file and close it. 

Step Five: Find Some Apps

Converting .APK files to BAR files isn’t an easy process, and requires a lot of preparation including a Blackberry developer’s account, hardware signing key, Android SDK and of course, the Android APK files you want to convert. Even once you have everything set up and ready to go, there’s no guarantee that the file has been converted for installation as a .BAR will work. Until February and the official release of the Playbook 2.0 operating system roll around, running Android apps on a Playbook is an experimental venture which, depending on the application, can provide very mixed results.

Fortunately, Playbook users with the time and the tools to do the job have been hard at work building a database of Playbook-compatible Android apps that have already been tested and proven capable. The database, which can be found here, also includes listings for applications that are currently being tested, as well as any that have failed to open on the Playbook after being converted. Click the links for the apps that interest you and download them to your rig. For those looking to plug that PIM gap left by RIM thus far, it’s worth noting that Google’s Android Email, Calendar and Contacts apps have all been converted to .BAR files and are yours for the taking. Remember to check the database on a regular basis, as more apps are being added all the time.

Step Six: Installation

You’ve got a Playbook, you’ve got the software and you’ve the apps. It’s time to put it all together. Plug your Playbook into an available USB port and wait for it to be recognized by Windows. Once the tablet mounts, simply click on the .BAR file you want to install and drag it to HaTax’s batch file. If you correctly inserted your Playbook’s IP address and password as instructed back in Step Four, the .BAR file will be installed to your tablet, appearing on your Playbook’s home screen just as if you’d downloaded it from Blackberry App World. 

Hopefully, this process will hold Playbook users over until January when the process for getting Android software on to RIM hardware will no doubt get a whole lot easier.