Research In Motion says its new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, which launches in the US and Canada next month (and is expected in the UK this summer), will also be able to run Android applications and BlackBerry Java apps.

Two optional 'app players' will be offered by RIM in a few months, enabling users to download and run BlackBerry Java apps and Android v2.3 apps from BlackBerry App World.

RIM has announced a launch date and pricing for its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. It'll be available in the USA and Canada on 19th April via Best Buy, with a range of other retailers also expected to sell the devices.

There'll be three WiFi-equipped models, from $499 (around £305) for the 16GB version to $699 for the 64GB version.

Nokia produced the largest number of smartphones last year - but Apple generated more revenue from the smartphone market. That's the conclusion of a new report from Strategy Analytics.

It's calculated that the smartphone market was worth a total of $99 billion in 2010, almost double the 2009 figure.

RIM's BlackBerry Protect security software, which was announced as a limited beta last year, is now available for anyone to try - but only if they’re based in North America and some parts of Latin America. Other countries will be added in the next few months, although there's no confirmation whether or not the UK will be included.

BlackBerry Protect lets users backup, restore and locate a BlackBerry smartphone wirelessly.

Orange customers in the UK will soon be able to pay for content purchased on their Window Phone devices by adding the charge to their mobile phone account. It means they won't need to give their bank information when opening a Microsoft account to buy music, games or apps.

The news comes a week after Research In Motion and Telefonica announced they were working together to introduce integrated carrier billing to BlackBerry App World.