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BlackBerry will reportedly phase out BlackBerry 10 in favor of Android

By Cookie Monster - on 3 Feb 2016, 8:00am

BlackBerry will reportedly phase out BlackBerry 10 in favor of Android

 The BlackBerry Priv.

Since BlackBerry unveiled its first Android smartphone last year, there has been speculation on the fate of the BlackBerry 10 (BB10) platform. BlackBerry CEO has stepped forward to give his assurance that the company will continue to invest in BB10, but the reality is that BB10 is dying a slow death.

Damian Tay, senior director, APAC product management at BlackBerry, reportedly told The Economic Times that the company will transition fully to the Android platform over a period of time. In addition, the company will not have two platforms and is considering Android as the sole platform.

"The PRIV device is essentially our transition to Android ecosystem. As we secure Android, over a period of time, we would not have two platforms, and may have only Android as a platform [for smartphones]," Damian Tay, senior director, APAC product management at BlackBerry, told ET. "But for now, we have BB10 and Android platforms for our smartphones."

"The future is really Android. We went for Android essentially for its app ecosystem. In addition, all the enterprise solutions that we have been doing have been cross-platform for a long time now. So it's a natural progression towards Android," Tay said, explaining the move.

Tay explains that BB10 smartphones will continue to be manufactured and sold to enterprise customers as they are still more secure than Android devices. However, BlackBerry will gradually help these enterprise customers switch over to Android devices.

"Essentially, there is a transition which is happening, wherein the company is looking to get certifications and clearances from these governments for the Android-powered BlackBerry smartphone," he added.

BlackBerry is said to be releasing another two Android phones later this year which are going to be more affordable than the BlackBerry Priv. 

Source: The Economic Times via VentureBeat

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