( CNN ) -- Once the most popular smartphone , the BlackBerry has been losing ground in the past year to iPhone and Android models . So Research in Motion is trying to carve out a new market with the PlayBook ( the upcoming BlackBerry tablet ) due to hit stores in the U.S. and Canada on April 19 . Prices start at $ 499 , same as for the iPad 2 . However , the BlackBerry operating system is definitely not on the cutting edge of smartphone platforms . So there 's been ample skepticism about how attractive a BlackBerry tablet might be to consumers , especially compared with slick offerings such as Apple 's iPad and the growing array of Android tablets . On March 24 , in a move apparently aimed at compensating for the weaknesses of the BlackBerry OS and relatively lean BlackBerry App World offerings , RIM announced that the PlayBook will support Android apps , as well as the Java-based apps that currently run on BlackBerry smartphones . According to the news release , `` RIM will launch two optional 'app players ' that provide an application run-time environment for BlackBerry Java apps and Android v2.3 apps . These new app players will allow users to download BlackBerry Java apps and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on their BlackBerry PlayBook . '' However , the release also notes that `` The new app players for the BlackBerry PlayBook are expected to be available from BlackBerry App World this summer . '' So if you rush out to buy a PlayBook this spring , you 'll have to wait a few months to get those Android apps and see how well they run . Crackberry clarified , `` This does n't mean that RIM is working with Google to bring Android marketplace to BlackBerry , but rather that developers who have made Android apps can sign up as BlackBerry App World developers ( which is now free of charge ) and distribute their apps to BlackBerry PlayBook owners via App World . '' And as to the user experience , Crackberry notes , `` Because these Android Apps and BlackBerry Smartphone apps will be running in a sandboxed environment , to use RIM 's vocabulary we can likely expect the experience to be more along the lines of simple open-and-use 'apps ' rather than the deeply integrated 'super apps ' that RIM often likes to talk about . '' Media analyst Jean-Louis Gassée sharply criticized RIM 's app strategy for the PlayBook , as well as RIM 's entire business approach of late . He points out that touting the PlayBook as running Android apps is misleading , since consumers wo n't be able to download apps from the Android app market and run them on the PlayBook . Rather , developers will have to adapt their Android apps to run within the PlayBook 's app player and then get them approved to be offered in the BlackBerry App World , a hurdle few developers are likely to be willing to jump for a new , unproven tablet with established competition . `` Launching what is clearly an immature product and trying to compensate for a dearth of applications with a misleading claim of compatibility with the wrong version of Android is insane , '' Gassée wrote . I 'm puzzled by the market strategy here . Clearly , RIM is using the PlayBook to push hard to get more users in the consumer media and gaming market . But that represents a huge away shift from the company 's original ( and still strong ) market base , which is mostly corporate users focused on messaging services . On that front , there 's a further complication : The PlayBook reportedly falls short in terms of supporting the integrated messaging services that die-hard BlackBerry fans love . According to Information Week : `` The PlayBook will first launch in a Wi-Fi only configuration ( Sprint will sell a WiMax version this summer ) . That means the PlayBook can only snag emails and other data when in range of Wi-Fi hotspots . Email , contacts , and calendar data are not 'live ' on the PlayBook as they are on a regular BlackBerry . In fact , the only way to access live corporate PIM data is to tether a BlackBerry to the PlayBook via Bluetooth . The PlayBook will then mirror whatever data is on the BlackBerry . '' This sounds like a huge drawback for RIM 's existing business users . It means that in order to take advantage of the features BlackBerry users love , they 'll have to carry around both devices and take the time to tether them . It 's good that RIM is branching out in new directions , and a tablet makes sense . But why not build on the company 's strengths to create a robust tablet experience for business users rather than go flailing after the consumer and gaming markets , a strategy that pits the PlayBook squarely against the iPad ? Does n't sound like a fair fight . The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran .
BlackBerry 's PlayBook tablet hits stores April 19 and will start at $ 499 . In an effort to make the PlayBook more attractive , BlackBerry is opening it to Android apps . But few Android app developers may be willing to jump through hurdles for an unproven tablet . The PlayBook also falls short in terms of supporting integrated BlackBerry messaging services .