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I always wished BlackBerry would adopt Android operating system. It desperately needs some enterprise hardened secure version with good VPN. Also I really miss

by qwerta 13y ago

I always wished BlackBerry would adopt Android operating system. It desperately needs some enterprise hardened secure version with good VPN. Also I really miss decent Android phone with Qwerty keyboard.

gaius 13y ago
You can run Android apps on BB10. But there would be no point in running Android, it would be a big step backwards security wise. Not to mention that Google don't do Android out of the goodness of their hearts. They want to make phone handsets commoditized with all the cool stuff in the software and in their "cloud". That's not a market you want to be in as a manufacturer - just ask IBM who were driven out of PCs, a market they created...
- qwerta 13y ago
  I read that Android support in BB10 is not so great. Most of Android components are open sourced. There are versions of Android which strips out Google stuff. For example Facebook released their phone which runs on Android. There is even alternative OS (sailfish) with similar architecture, which runs Android apps just fine. The problem is that BlackBerry tries to be manufacturer. They do everything by themselves. Instead they should focus on services and existing standards.
  - gaius 13y ago
    But so do Apple and they are wildly successful. BlackBerry's security model relies on integration of the OS with the hardware in such a way that they'd need to rewrite the Android kernel anyway to keep the same benefits.
  - disgruntledphd2 13y ago
    Facebook did not release a phone. They released a home screen/app launcher for Android. HTC did release a phone with it preloaded, which bombed (because move fast and break things works better on the web than on phones).
  - contextual 13y ago
    Data point: I sideload Android apps onto my BB Z30 all the time, and it's less than five minutes from start to finish. I feel like I have the best of both worlds.
wslh 13y ago
Moving 100% to Android would mean a partial write off of the QNX purchase but they have alternatives such as supporting Android side by side via virtualization. People will have the best of the two worlds. I think it is impossible for them to attract developers and fill an app store in the short term.
rayiner 13y ago
Android is a race to the bottom for everyone who isn't Google (controls the software side) or Samsung (fabs the key silicon).
- georgemcbay 13y ago
  or Microsoft (patent payments).

by qwerta 13y ago

gaius 13y ago

You can run Android apps on BB10. But there would be no point in running Android, it would be a big step backwards security wise. Not to mention that Google don't do Android out of the goodness of their hearts. They want to make phone handsets commoditized with all the cool stuff in the software and in their "cloud". That's not a market you want to be in as a manufacturer - just ask IBM who were driven out of PCs, a market they created...

qwerta 13y ago
I read that Android support in BB10 is not so great. Most of Android components are open sourced. There are versions of Android which strips out Google stuff. For example Facebook released their phone which runs on Android. There is even alternative OS (sailfish) with similar architecture, which runs Android apps just fine. The problem is that BlackBerry tries to be manufacturer. They do everything by themselves. Instead they should focus on services and existing standards.
- gaius 13y ago
  But so do Apple and they are wildly successful. BlackBerry's security model relies on integration of the OS with the hardware in such a way that they'd need to rewrite the Android kernel anyway to keep the same benefits.
- disgruntledphd2 13y ago
  Facebook did not release a phone. They released a home screen/app launcher for Android. HTC did release a phone with it preloaded, which bombed (because move fast and break things works better on the web than on phones).
- contextual 13y ago
  Data point: I sideload Android apps onto my BB Z30 all the time, and it's less than five minutes from start to finish. I feel like I have the best of both worlds.

wslh 13y ago

Moving 100% to Android would mean a partial write off of the QNX purchase but they have alternatives such as supporting Android side by side via virtualization. People will have the best of the two worlds. I think it is impossible for them to attract developers and fill an app store in the short term.

rayiner 13y ago

Android is a race to the bottom for everyone who isn't Google (controls the software side) or Samsung (fabs the key silicon).

georgemcbay 13y ago
or Microsoft (patent payments).