RIM exec talks PlayBook, App World, QNX on phones, etc

While we wait for the BlackBerry PlayBook to released in its WiFi – and WiMAX-equipped forms over the next few months, RIM’s taking every opportunity it can to talk about the platform – and the latest comes from an interview between FierceDeveloper and the company’s veep of developer relations, Tyler Lessard, who played a prominent role at BlackBerry DevCon ’10 a while back where the PlayBook was first announced. When asked about RIM’s decision to partner up with Sprint and deliver a WiMAX version first before looking at bigger carriers with more broadly-used technologies, Lessard says,

“were really excited about was Sprint’s interest and excitement in coming to the table and working with us on a product like that” — which we take as code for either “they paid us the most” or “no one else bit.”

Either way, interesting comments to say the least – though he does say that there are other versions in the pipe. On App World, Lessard notes that BlackBerry’s third-party app platform has taken in some 5,000 apps in the last couple months alone – not a big number, necessarily, until you consider that they’re only up to 17,000 total, so they’re definitely seeing some nice growth percentages there. This is mostly likely due to the release of BlackBerry OS 6.

via:Engadget