The long-promised, yet to be delivered Android App Player for the BlackBerry Playbook arrived in Beta form before it was quickly pulled by RIM.

The software update which will allow certain compatible apps from the Android Market to be ported over to the BlackBerry PlayBook was announced when RIM revealed plans for the PlayBook many moons ago.

p>A select number of PlayBook owners were able to obtain the file before it was removed from the BlackBerry.com website, and early reports suggest that it's slow-running and lacks many of the features RIM had promised.

The suggestion is that this version of the Android App Player was an old build and won't be the final version that is offered to PlayBook users. However, its very appearance means that an overdue release is surely imminent.

Probably the biggest hurdle preventing the PlayBook from taking off (aside from the fact that it's not the iPad 2) is a barren wasteland of an App Marketplace. Very few developers have become engaged with RIM's new format, so the presence of Android apps is bound to be a bonus.

Link: BlackBerry (via Washington Post)