AfterDawn: News

BlackBerry considering Android for future devices

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.

Written by: Matti Robinson @ 12 Jun 2015 9:16

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• 9 comments

• smcrzyguy

  QWERTY on android again. All for that!
  

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  12.6.2015 10:02 #1

• 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.

  12.6.2015 11:34 #2

• smcrzyguy

  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.

  12.6.2015 12:32 #3

• Bozobub

  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.

  12.6.2015 17:01 #4

• thymol

  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.

  13.6.2015 15:28 #5

• DarthMopar

  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
  

  13.6.2015 16:49 #6

• Morreale

  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.
  

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  14.6.2015 01:22 #7

• Bozobub

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

  14.6.2015 15:26 #8

• Bozobub

  Oops, double post

  14.6.2015 15:56 #9