BlackBerry considering Android for future devices

Written by Matti Robinson @ 12 Jun 2015 9:16 User comments (9)

In its golden days RIM was a force to be reckoned with. Since it has changed its name to reflect their line of smartphones, BlackBerry. It went all in with BlackBerry 10, the operating system released in 2013 – delayed time after time.

Now it seems that soon there might be one less reason to call the company BlackBerry. According to sources cited by Reuters

BlackBerry might be switching to Android. It is not revealed whether the company would abandon BlackBerry operating system though. Reuters says that the four sources are close to the matter and need to stay anonymous.

The company's BlackBerry brand became synonymous with messaging oriented and QWERTY keyboard equipped smartphones. BlackBerry 10 was meant to fight for the touchscreen interested masses but flopped and was never a contender against Apple and Google.

Tags: Blackberry Android BlackBerry 10

<The Angry Bird and Sonic mashup is really happening >Moonraker was Nokia's take on the smartwatch

112.6.2015 10:02

smcrzyguy

Send private message to this user

Newbie

QWERTY on android again. All for that!

212.6.2015 11:34

hearme0

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Originally posted by smcrzyguy:
QWERTY on android again. All for that!

A physical keyboard is what you're wanting??? Please!

touchscreen kb is all anyone needs............PERIOD!

Besides, one can type much faster with on-screen keyboard.

312.6.2015 12:32

smcrzyguy

Send private message to this user

Newbie

Originally posted by hearme0:

Originally posted by smcrzyguy:
QWERTY on android again. All for that!
A physical keyboard is what you're wanting??? Please!

touchscreen kb is all anyone needs............PERIOD!

Besides, one can type much faster with on-screen keyboard.

Dont be a hater. Its a matter of preference. I have a note 4. I have hated and have never gotten used to on-screen kb since galaxy s1 epic (and all the way back to the ppc-6700). I type at least 3x faster on the physical keyboard w/o errors when typing, unlike now when typing have errors every few words. Also, i hate auto rotate screen and used to have it rotate only when i pop out the keyboard. The biggest argument for physical: the kb doesnt take up 80% of the screen in landscape. So actualy,what anyone "needs" is some type keyboard. Beyond that is preference.

412.6.2015 17:01

Bozobub

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

AN interesting fact: No matter how emphatically you say "period" afterwards, it does not, in fact, actually make any particular statement true. Period. Especially when that statement was opinion, not fact ^^' .

There are actually touchscreen prototypes that have little bumps that rise up over the on-screen keys on a video keyboard, as a kind of halfway point between standard physical keyboards on on-screen types; I'd be happy to see it come to production. That said, as smcrzyguy notes, both types of keyboard have their advantages and disadvantages.

513.6.2015 15:28

thymol

Send private message to this user

Newbie

BlackBerry 10 has had both touchscreen and physical keyboard phones for several years now, with a superior non-buggy simple secure and private operating system, and predictive typing options on both the touchscreen and physical keyboard phones. I wish i could justify buying the Passport as its on sale at BB World for $499 right now, and the reviews from people who actually used them are amazing. A physical keyboard with touchscreen features and word-swipe? Using it instead of your laptop? However i am so satisfied with the BlackBerrys I already have, Z30, with amazing battery life, the Z10 slightly smaller and lighter to hold, the Q5 which is an amazing little phone and way underpriced, along with a few BB7s, as often smaller is better, all are fun to use and switch between, and allow for sd card storage, and ALL of the BB10 phones already allow for installation of android apps now for those who want a few of those, but BlackBerrys do what they do quite well without having to morph into being an android. If they really do this i hope they still keep BlackBerry 10 running as well.

Just to say, the reason people arent buying them in droves is simple ignorance of what they are and what they can do, along with carriers sweeping them under the rug as much as possible unless you speak the magic words stating that you are a Business.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 13 Jun 2015 @ 3:31

613.6.2015 16:49

DarthMopar

Send private message to this user

Member

Originally posted by hearme0:

Originally posted by smcrzyguy:
QWERTY on android again. All for that!
A physical keyboard is what you're wanting??? Please!

touchscreen kb is all anyone needs............PERIOD!

Besides, one can type much faster with on-screen keyboard.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, you pompus prick. PERIOD. Furthermore, I thought you didn't own a cell phone...in other words, your opinion is moot.

I'd love one an actual keyboard as well, smcrzyguy. +1

714.6.2015 01:22

Morreale

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Makes more sense to me if Blackberry starts packaging the Google Play store on their phones with their current system than fully switching to Android. I have a Q10 currently and with the latest BB10 software its excellent. Spec wise its a low end phone but you couldn't tell with how smooth and snappy the system is.

814.6.2015 15:26

Bozobub

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Understandable. That's exactly why Windows Phone has endured; lower-spec phones do quite well with it, lowering costs.

914.6.2015 15:56

Bozobub

Send private message to this user

Senior Member

Oops, double post

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 14 Jun 2015 @ 3:57

	YouTube Premium starts showing ads to subscribers (13 Nov 2024 3:09) For years, YouTube Premium has been marketed as a way to enjoy an ad-free YouTube experience. But apparently, that is no longer the case, as Premium subscribers are now starting to see ads on the platform.
	Android 16 will launch sooner than expected (01 Nov 2024 6:45) Google announced that upcoming Android 16 will break the traditional once-a-year cycle of major Android launches. Next Android is poised to launch in Q2 of 2025, so Android 16 should ship before end of June, 2025.
	Winamp ends its "open source" project that wasn't really open source (20 Oct 2024 11:12) Less than a month after the legendary MP3 player Winamp made its source code public, the company has made a sudden U-turn and removed its code from distribution. 2 user comments
	Winamp released its source code - but didn't go open source (25 Sep 2024 12:38) The source code of Winamp has now been officially released. However, it hasn't become a pure open-source project, as its licensing terms prohibit the creation of new, different versions.
	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens (25 Aug 2024 8:30) When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments

	Guide: Phone battery drains quickly - how to fix (iPhone / Android) In this guide, we go through the most typical reasons for rapid battery drain with phones, and look at potential reasons or solutions.
	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment
	What happens if you don't update Android? Sometimes it can be tempting to avoid updating to a new Android version. What happens if you decide to delay major updates to the OS?
	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments
	What IP rating for dust and water resistance means An IP classification (such as IP68) is given to mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other devices, but what do these classifications mean? 1 user comment

BlackBerry considering Android for future devices

9 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review - obstacle avoidance doesn't work as it should, otherwise almost perfect robot vacuum We put the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra through a very, very long review process. The $1800 mopping robot vacuum is almost perfect, but its obstacle avoidance was surprisingly bad, considering the price - and compared to its competitors.
	Sharge x OnePlus Pouch review: Beautiful power bank that supports SuperVOOC charging In our review, we take a look at Sharge's power bank that supports OnePlus SuperVOOC quick charging technology as well as standard USB PD charging. It has small design flaws, but despite those, the Pouch is very nice product. 1 user comment
	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.