[RyanGermann]

If BlackBerry's lack of device sales is a problem...
...And the app gap is a primary factor in that problem...
...and the relatively low number of devices running BB10 is a factor in that problem...

...then it stands to reason that if there were more devices running BB10 (yes, a lot more) then morehigh-profile native apps would come to BlackBerry 10.

...so I think BlackBerry should follow the Windows model and release BB10 OS in a form that can be installed on other hardware, like the Nexus 7 2012 edition.

I think a lot of gadget freaks would be curious enough to install it and play with it, but before it could happen, the bezel swipe detection would have to be able to work on devices that don't have a "touch sensitive bezel" and BB10 would have to be able to scale to screens that aren't necessarily known in advance (perhaps by way of a setup wizard question about physical screen size (the hardware hopefully would report pixel resolution.

They could give license keys away free for a while, then start charging even $9.99 for it... but it would spread the BB LOVE to a influential group... anyone who takes the time to install it on an idled Android device would probably be an "influencer" in their social circle, and BlackBerry would gain more advocates... because with BB10 to know it is to love it.

Posted via CB10

[Troy Tiscareno]

That's not really possible.

The miniature phone OSs are not like desktop OSs, that have a standardized driver model and come supplied with drivers for tens of thousands of devices. Instead, drivers have to be hand-integrated and a build containing those specific drivers has to be created for that device. This is, for example, one big reason why many Android devices get "left behind" with updates: a chip manufacturer may not bother to write/update a driver for their chip that will work with a new OS version, so any phone using that chip is stuck on the previous version. The chip may be the CPU, GPU, network, or other chip, or even things like the camera. Without driver support, it simply won't work.

BB has its hands full trying to get BB10 working on the relatively few number of devices they make themselves - the last thing they have time and money for is to pay their developers to make BB10 work on non-BB devices. And remember that BB10 is closed-source, so the only people who have access to the source code, which would be required to do any of this type of work, are the BB engineers. Android, being open-sourced, has thousands of people working on new versions or adapting Android (and newer OS versions) for other devices - that's one of many advantages of an open-source model.

[RyanGermann]

if BlackBerry picks one popular device (especially a "last years model" that didn't get KitKat) they could probably pull it off.

Posted via CB10

[leejayh]

I would love bb10 on my HTC One

Posted via CB10

[sentimentGX4]

This is an interesting idea; but, realistically, the interest for installing alternative OSes on your phone, like Ubuntu, just isn't there even among technophiles.

There is also the risk of free BB10 being too successful and cannibalizing hardware sales. BBRY isn't renowned for either the quality or value of its hardware. Imagine a Nexus 5 with BB10. Twice the specs of the Z30 at roughly half the price! Or the Nexus 4 vs the Z10 or Jakarta.

[propeller10]

No need to support tons of Android devices. Galaxy s4 and HTC one would be enough in my opinion. Not a bad idea but it would take a bit of work for it to happen. BB10 being closed source will make things harder as well.

[RyanGermann]

No need to support tons of Android devices. Galaxy s4 and HTC one would be enough in my opinion. Not a bad idea but it would take a bit of work for it to happen. BB10 being closed source will make things harder as well.

Yes, there is the closed source angle, but with the leaks and the emulators available, the apps are available to most people if they want to mess around already... this idea was so that people who legitimately want to play with BB10 can do so... and I was thinking mostly of Tablet devices of 7" or more, rather than phones... BlackBerry already makes phones :-) but I think BB10 would run very nicely on a $229 nexus 7 FHD or... put another way...

Suppose BlackBerry approached Asus and said "Make us a Nexus 7 but it will be preinstalled with BlackBerry 10 on it". If they could sell a Nexus 7 FHD but running BB10, maybe having 2 full gigs of ram and an HDMI port on it, for the low low price of $299... ok, so let's say they only do a run of 200,000 devices... let's say it's $399.

I think BlackBerry could sell a metric tonne of these (on Star Trek the Next Generation they still say "metric tonne"... wouldn't it just be "ton" by the 24th century? and when you're talking about "tons" of material, does the distinction matter since a metric tonne (2200 pounds) is only 200 pounds more than a 2000 pound "ton"? Oh, you science fiction writers just don't get that people that watch your shows already know this stuff!) but if they could optimize it specifically for, say, a couple of last-generation devices like the Galaxy SIII or even the Nexus 4 or the Nexus 7 2012, and, this is the best part, somehow arrange to do 'workshops' in large cities (maybe a few days in a major city then move on) where you just show up and bring your device and they stick BB10 on it for you for free... and while you're there with your device, the staff in the 'booth' can show you how the navigation works and how the standardized BB10 peek-and-flow in apps and the Hub integration makes all the BB10 apps feel more like an integral part of the OS, not just a bunch of "apps", I think they'd get a lot of tire kickers interested to just try it out, knowing that if they don't like it, they can just go reinstall stock firmware.

I think it could have a very short-term positive impact on the perception of BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry technology in general, and thereby BlackBerry Ltd.

I don't know how feasible it is really, but if Android can be adapted to run on literally hundreds of devices, then maybe a "taster" version of BB10 that is generally installable on old Android devices would be a worthy investment... then maybe the OEMs would start lining up to license BB10 and... well, make it easier for BB to get out of handset development altogether, I guess, but if the end result is a lot of people trying and liking BlackBerry, I think that's an all round good thing, which would be more likely to reaffirm BlackBerry's commitment to their own hardware (once the public-at-large sees what WE see in BB10).

[Prem WatsApp]

I would love bb10 on my HTC One

Posted via CB10

I'd buy one!

iPhone for me? Scr... ahem Q that! (posted from the latter)

[Troy Tiscareno]

I don't know how feasible it is really, but if Android can be adapted to run on literally hundreds of devices, then maybe a "taster" version of BB10 that is generally installable on old Android devices would be a worthy investment...

Android is a totally different situation, being open-source. You can't compare a closed-source OS like BB10 to that situation at all.

then maybe the OEMs would start lining up to license BB10 and... well, make it easier for BB to get out of handset development altogether, I guess, but if the end result is a lot of people trying and liking BlackBerry, I think that's an all round good thing, which would be more likely to reaffirm BlackBerry's commitment to their own hardware (once the public-at-large sees what WE see in BB10).

If BB were to make BB10 for Android devices, it would immediately kill what has been their biggest source of revenue: handset sales. How would they replace that revenue? You think people would be willing to PAY for BB10 on their old Android phone in any significant numbers?

Plus, remember that BB would have to be paying their limited number of engineers, managers, and testers to make these BB10 versions for other phones, which would take them away from working on BB phones and further delay developments of BB phones. BB doesn't have the money to hire more people - they're still downsizing.

Android development for unsupported phones is done by volunteers for free, something open-sourcing allows. BB10 doesn't share that advantage, and likely never will.

[RyanGermann]

Android is a totally different situation, being open-source. You can't compare a closed-source OS like BB10 to that situation at all.



If BB were to make BB10 for Android devices, it would immediately kill what has been their biggest source of revenue: handset sales. How would they replace that revenue? You think people would be willing to PAY for BB10 on their old Android phone in any significant numbers?

Plus, remember that BB would have to be paying their limited number of engineers, managers, and testers to make these BB10 versions for other phones, which would take them away from working on BB phones and further delay developments of BB phones. BB doesn't have the money to hire more people - they're still downsizing.

Android development for unsupported phones is done by volunteers for free, something open-sourcing allows. BB10 doesn't share that advantage, and likely never will.

BlackBerry's business model right now is evolving... and the faster it evolves from "technology that is (unjustly) the subject of worldwide
- disinterest or
- ridicule, or
- underestimation
the sooner they can start selling devices in larger volumes at a profit and "prove" to the world that BlackBerry is more than a little bit "relevant". Free samples are a time honoured way to acquire new loyal customers and giving away hardware is not sustainable. If they focus on just a few popular devices, I think it could work.

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[cgk]

Did we ever get a working WebOS port? I remember people trying.

[Troy Tiscareno]

One of the big problems with WebOS is that there are no drivers for it for modern devices/chipsets. No drivers = no workable OS.