Tizen phones and tablets will run Android apps

Part of the beauty of Android is that its open nature allows non-Google developers to make its engine run on other operating systems. RIM introduced it to BlackBerry PlayBook owners in PlayBook OS 2.0, and now it looks like OpenMobile’s ACL (app compatibility layer) will bring the same functionality to Tizen and Meego devices.

The ACL will provide device manufacturers an easy way to offer their customers a way to enjoy hundreds of thousands of additional apps — sort of. Google won’t welcome these non-Android devices into the Google Play marketplace, which means users of Tizen phones will have to either head to a third-party market (like Amazon AppStore or OpenMobile’s own AppMall) if they want to install apps or wait for the dev community to hack in access to Google Play.

As you can see in the video, it’s not always a smooth experience — and sometimes the apps (like Facebook and Winamp) don’t look particularly great when scaled up to a tablet-sized screen. Often you’re left with tiny text and equally tiny UI elements that don’t work well on what appears to be a 10-inch tablet. On a phone, hopefully, the experience would be an improved one.

But why buy a Tizen phone with OpenMobile’s ACL instead of a similar Android phone that offers direct access to all the big-name apps? For users who like what they see in Tizen and genuinely don’t want their devices running the full Android OS, being able to run the apps will no doubt be a big bonus. In the end, it may all come down to price.

If someone who wants Android apps can get a cheap, open, hacker-friendly Tizen device without shelling out as much cash as they would for a comparable Android, they might just be willing to opt for the alternative — especially if Samsung and friends can prove they’re going to push updates in a timely fashion. You know, once there are actual devices out there that need them.

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