Reports Suggest BlackBerry Might Release An Android Phone

BlackBerry is considering equipping its upcoming smartphone with Android operating system as the company realizes that its revamped line of devices could not appeal to the masses, according to reports.

According to a report on Reuters, Blackberry is likely to run Android on an ‘upcoming slider device’, which is expected to be released this fall. The smartphone would combine a touchscreen with a slideout keyboard, according to the Reuters report.

The Canadian company had evaded Android as it believed that its BlackBerry 10 line of phones would be able to get back its market share that it had lost to Apple’s iPhone and other devices powered by the Android platform. Blackberry that used to rule the smartphone segment now holds a market share of less than one percent, according to Reuters report.

According to IDC, the BlackBerry OS saw its market share fall to just 0.4 percent in 2014, reports CNET. The decision to adopt Android would fall in line with Blackberry’s focus shift toward software and services layered on top of devices, reported CNET.

At the 2015 Mobile World Congress trades show, BlackBerry teased a smartphone featuring a curved display that wraps around the side, resembling the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and a slide out keyboard. The smartphone maker also took the wraps of an all-touchscreen phone called the Leap at the Mobile World Congress, reports CNET.

Blackberry had unveiled its plans to create a ‘Blackberry Experience Suite’ in March, in which the company woulf take BlackBerry features like its Hub messaging portal, virtual keyboard and security capabilities and turn them into a range of features and apps that will be made available to iPads, iPhones and devices powered by Windows OS and Android. The company also made its BBM messenger service available to iOS and Android in 2013, CNET reported.

By getting an Android device that would feature a large touchscreen and a physical keyboard, Blackberry hopes to grab its share in the touchscreen dominated Android market, reports The Telegraph. The device might lure the existing users of Blackberry devices who would want to avail larger app options offered by Android, as per the Telegraph report.

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