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 The move would be an about-face for the Waterloo, Ontario-based
company, which had shunned Android in a bet that its BlackBerry 10
line of phones would be able to claw back market share lost to
Apple's iPhone and a slew of devices powered by Android.
The sources, who asked not to be named as they have not been
authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the move to use
Android is part of BlackBerry's strategy to pivot to focus on
software and device management. BlackBerry, which once dominated
smartphone sales, now has a market share of less than 1 percent.
It is not clear whether a move to use Android would spell the end of
the company's BlackBerry 10 line of devices that were initially
launched to much fanfare in early 2013. After positive early
reviews, the late-to-launch BlackBerry devices haven't competed well
with Android or Apple, mainly due to a lack of big name apps.
"We don't comment on rumors and speculation, but we remain committed
to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and
productivity benefits that are unmatched," said the company in an
email.
A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.
BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen is banking on the company's new
device management system, BES12, that allows corporate and
government clients to not only manage BlackBerry devices on their
internal networks, but also devices powered by Android, Apple's iOS
platform and Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system.
One of the hurdles it faces in that transformation is convincing big
customers that its device management software works across many
different platforms.
Two sources said that by launching an Android-based device of its
own, BlackBerry would be sending a signal to skeptics that it is
confident that the BES12 system can not only manage, but also secure
smartphones and tablets powered by rival operating systems.
BlackBerry will probably use Android on an upcoming slider device
that is likely to be released this autumn, two sources said. The
slider will combine a touch screen with a physical keyboard that
users can use if they prefer.
BlackBerry briefly showed off the slider device on stage at Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona in March, but it has provided little
detail on it since then.
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By making an Android device that boasts a large touchscreen and a
physical keyboard, BlackBerry hopes to snag a niche in the
touchscreen-dominated Android market. The device may attract those
still using older BlackBerry keyboard handhelds but who want access
to the larger app options Android offers.
HARDWARE CONUNDRUM
Two sources said that if BlackBerry moves forward on a plan to
launch an Android device, it could come with some of the patented
features in its BlackBerry 10 operating system.
In March, BlackBerry announced that it planned to deliver its
patented security, productivity and communication tools to any
mobile device running iOS, Android or Windows.
The company, which a while ago opened its popular BlackBerry
Messaging app to those using rival operating systems, has said it
plans to offer more in-house features on rival devices, including
BlackBerry Hub and the predictive text capabilities of its virtual
keyboard.
Chen in March said the company was still committed to its own
devices business.
Since that time however, BlackBerry has cut headcount in its
hardware unit even further. The company, which at a 2011 peak
employed 17,500 people and in February was down to 6,225, said last
month that it was making further cuts on the device side, without
providing any numbers.
(Additional reporting by Yasmeen Abutaleb. Editing by Amran Abocar
and John Pickering.)
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