Newsletter
A year ago it might have seemed unlikely that BlackBerry would be once again dominating the headlines and especially in the Android world. But that is exactly what has been happening over the last few weeks and months. While a number of smartphones have landed from the likes of Samsung, Sony, LG and even the two new Nexus devices, there is a keen interest in what BlackBerry has to offer and can bring to the market. Again, especially the Android market.
By now, it is no secret that BlackBerry will be releasing an Android running smartphone. The company has already announced the device which is going by the BlackBerry PRIV name and are currently in the pre-release promoting period. For some, the release of an Android BlackBerry is not only news to be followed, but also highlights BlackBerry’s admittance of the fact that they need to enter the Android sphere to stay viable or relevant in the smartphone market, with the slow decline of their own BB operating system continuing.
Well, on that note, BlackBerry CEO, John Chen was talking today at a Code/Mobile event in California and revealed some interesting thoughts. Firstly, Chen made it clear that if BlackBerry can’t become financially successful in the smartphone world by this time next year, there is a high chance they will exit the smartphone market altogether. With the impending launch of the company’s first Android smartphone, it seems likely that with Chen’s current statements, this will be a make or break device for them. Which is a sentiment that has been heard before in recent weeks.
On a slightly separate note, Chen was asked about the duality of running two OSes going forward and according to the report, Chen suggested that if he could bring all of the security features from BB10 over to Android successfully, he would consider abandoning their own OS for Android within the next one to two years. Although, that might not sound too revealing, it does further highlight that BlackBerry is considering an Android-only future. Although, that does seem to be highly dependent now on the success of PRIV.