BlackBerry-manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) has plans to install its "app player" engine into its forthcoming handsets to offer Android compatibility.

Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg reported that the Canadian manufacturer’s RIM's QNX-based handsets will have the Android compatibility module to allow apps developed for Google's Android platform to be run on RIM's, when they will come out in 2012.

Earlier in March, RIM announced that it would ship “app player” software for its PlayBook to allow the tablet to run Android apps.

It should be noted here that the PlayBook tablet is based on QNX. Thus, it is quite possible that the QNX-based handsets will too get the ability to run Android apps.

The move will help RIM in addressing criticism that BlackBerry doesn’t have sufficient apps. In addition, it will decrease the Canadian firm’s struggle to plead with developers to write apps exclusively for BlackBerry.

The RIM PlayBook tablet has been criticized for lack of sufficient number of apps since its launch almost a year ago.

Bloomberg also reported that the eagerly-awaited upgrade to add native email to the PlayBook tablet will come next month; however, the upgrade for the Android element could take a long time.