I have dabbled in development for the BlackBerry Playbook, having created a couple of small applications using the Adobe Air platform. Recently, I decided that since I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to take a look at the other development options available, with the aim of creating a larger, more complex application that has been on my drawing board for a while now. To that end, I began to expand my horizons a little to look at other options and languages that I could delve into. One thing became apparent, which concerns me greatly as a current and potential end-user of RIM products.

With the launch of Playbook OS 2.0, the integrated Android player allows for the repackaging of Android applications to be installed and run on the Playbook. This functionality will apparently also feature on RIM’s upcoming lineup of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, which in theory expands the app ecosystem creating a plethora of applications available to BlackBerry users.

Herein lies the problem, why develop for BlackBerry at all? From the standpoint of someone looking to either get into development or to expand their horizons, there are a ton of options available. If one were looking to create an application and easily deploy it to many potential consumers at once, the easier route in some cases would be to create the app for Android first, then simply repackage it and submit to App World. While future updates should hopefully bring the operation of Android apps up to speed on the Playbook, the current state is less than 100%.

As a result, we have an application existing in two separate ecosystems. One within the Android system, created using the Android tools, and providing the experience to the user intended by the developer. Another version of the same application is within App World, but due to limitations of the OS is buggy, slow, and crippled, missing features and functions present in the native Android application. The developer manages to sell more, having a new audience to peddle to, but the end-user loses out in the end.

Thankfully, there will always be those who take pride in what they do and will go the extra mile to provide the best possible experience, and those will be the ones that will develop directly for the platform to provide the best application possible. On the other side of the coin will be the ones that will repackage a crippled and poorly functioning app without bothering to fix it, simply to make a couple of bucks more with minimal effort.

I understand the effort to bring more developers to the BlackBerry platform, and wholeheartedly applaud the initiative. RIM has taken great strides in creating a better developer experience, and has opened up new avenues for both potential and current developers to bring their efforts to their platform. It just seems to me that some of these choices have been at the expense of the consumers, something which is never advisable from any company. There is also a potential negative for developers, both those who quickly repackage their app for a quick buck and those who fully port their app from Android. If the state of Android apps on the BlackBerry platform doesn’t improve, consumers could end up shying away from them as a whole, painting them all with the same brush. If this happens, everybody loses.

The testing house at RIM is going to need to keep the end user in mind when approving repackaged Android apps, and insist on setting the bar just a little bit higher. (pun intended)