1. leejayh's Avatar
    Blackberry - if you are to become a software company - why not allow your fan's and followers a way to load BB10 onto specific strategic partners phones. As example - this is making great headlines:
    Meet the One, OnePlus' $299 Nexus killer

    Given someone else if better at making super cheap, high end spec phones - why not allow BB10 to be loaded onto a "unlocked, plain vanilla hardware" where you load a custom BB10 ROM and then lock to BB.

    I know that I might be in the minority, but I would be willing to pay $100 to BB to be able to get a genuine BB10 rom (locked, secure, etc) to load onto key other players hardware.

    Of course, I don't know if this is even technically possible - but hey - if it is, it would be a great model.
    04-23-14 07:58 AM
  2. rthonpm's Avatar
    BlackBerry has been seeking a partnership for quite some time, the issue is low marketshare for the OS. You could also argue that their new partnership with Foxconn really is a step in that direction.
    04-23-14 08:00 AM
  3. ajst222's Avatar
    It is possible to load onto devices running Android, and I could see that as a possibility for the future

    Photo a Day: C002B5A07, my amateur photography Channel
    04-23-14 08:00 AM
  4. theRock1975's Avatar
    I agree. BB10 is an amazing OS.

    I think if Foxconn is successful with Z3, it may sway other manufacturers to try BB10 as well.

    Preload BBM
    More app commissions
    More native apps
    Rise in market share / awareness
    ...




    Posted via CB10
    04-23-14 08:12 AM
  5. spikesolie's Avatar
    That would mean they give up on their hardware... some they haven't even released yet

    Zee coolest flicking smartphone evah
    04-23-14 09:20 AM
  6. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    As we discussed in another thread, the nature of these operating systems means a separate build is required for each combination of hardware, and since only BB has the source, it means BB would have to develop a ROM for each different model of phone that they'd want to support - that's a HUGE task and would be an expensive one.

    Then there's the issue that there's a LOT of hardware that does not have an open-source driver available (Android driver binaries are released by the hardware manufacturer), and so there are no QNX drivers available. This is in fact why some Android phones don't get updated past a certain OS version: of the manufacturer won't release an updated driver for that camera or sensor or chipset, then development can't move forward. This is why Ubuntu and Firefox have had to develop their own phone hardware, instead of just making the OS available for installation on other phones.

    The only reason it can be done on Android is because Android is open-sourced and there is an army of developers who work on releases for free. For a closed-source OS, this means BB would have to hire people to do all of this work (development, testing, etc.) and that none of the security approvals would be valid. Given that yearly compensation for a developer has to cost BB at least $150,000/year total (wages/benefits/taxes), they'd have to sell a whole lot of licenses in order just to break even, and are there really that many people who are willing to pay for BB10 but not willing to pay for BB10 hardware?
    04-23-14 11:21 AM
  7. Playbook007's Avatar
    The Foxconn devices might allow some to let go of their iphones for those devices siting the fact that Foxconn built it, not so much BlackBerry and it must be good as they also make the flawless iphone. So that may help the BB10 platform. On another note, I do believe I read that some have loaded BB10 onto android devices already. How well they function I am not sure.

    Posted via CB10
    04-23-14 11:23 AM
  8. leejayh's Avatar
    As we discussed in another thread, the nature of these operating systems means a separate build is required for each combination of hardware, and since only BB has the source, it means BB would have to develop a ROM for each different model of phone that they'd want to support - that's a HUGE task and would be an expensive one.

    Then there's the issue that there's a LOT of hardware that does not have an open-source driver available (Android driver binaries are released by the hardware manufacturer), and so there are no QNX drivers available. This is in fact why some Android phones don't get updated past a certain OS version: of the manufacturer won't release an updated driver for that camera or sensor or chipset, then development can't move forward. This is why Ubuntu and Firefox have had to develop their own phone hardware, instead of just making the OS available for installation on other phones.

    The only reason it can be done on Android is because Android is open-sourced and there is an army of developers who work on releases for free. For a closed-source OS, this means BB would have to hire people to do all of this work (development, testing, etc.) and that none of the security approvals would be valid. Given that yearly compensation for a developer has to cost BB at least $150,000/year total (wages/benefits/taxes), they'd have to sell a whole lot of licenses in order just to break even, and are there really that many people who are willing to pay for BB10 but not willing to pay for BB10 hardware?
    Your last question is a really good one. I don't know if others are willing to pay or not. I only know that I would be. If i could get bb10 on one of the One Plus phones it would be $299 phone +$100 bb10 for a grand total of $399. I paid far more than that to get the Z10 when it first came out.

    To some of the earlier posters, i agree this is somewhat like the Foxconn deal, but I would submit that it is a little different. Foxconn still has to make the hardware, which adds risk. In the new world of the "generic, high end phone" from the OnePlus, or the XiaoMi's of the world - you could theoretically vastly remove cost from hardware development, etc - and simply ride on top of the generic phone with your OS. I agree - that would be alot to support if you were going after every phone. But what if you just went for key phones like One Plus, XiaoMei, HTC One, and Samsung (HTC and Samsung Google phones can hvae unlocked bootloaders, which Blackberry could theoretically overwrite and then lock to BB".

    I like BB for BB10. Their hardware is mediocre - and I tolerate it.

    That might be different if they came up with a slider phone (Even with this strategy, they should stick to physical keyboard phones both normal and sliders - since that is a true differentiated product).
    04-23-14 04:08 PM
  9. homl's Avatar
    BB is so doing it. You can't get a bigger phone mfg than Foxconn. I doubt anyone can build a less expensive phone of the same quality.
    Why let BB10 roam free without BB's QC? You are just asking for poor BB10 user experience and security.

    Also there are a ton of cheap Android phones that are just plain awful. Hate to see BB10 fall into that state.
    04-23-14 04:41 PM
  10. spikesolie's Avatar
    Your last question is a really good one. I don't know if others are willing to pay or not. I only know that I would be. If i could get bb10 on one of the One Plus phones it would be $299 phone +$100 bb10 for a grand total of $399. I paid far more than that to get the Z10 when it first came out.

    To some of the earlier posters, i agree this is somewhat like the Foxconn deal, but I would submit that it is a little different. Foxconn still has to make the hardware, which adds risk. In the new world of the "generic, high end phone" from the OnePlus, or the XiaoMi's of the world - you could theoretically vastly remove cost from hardware development, etc - and simply ride on top of the generic phone with your OS. I agree - that would be alot to support if you were going after every phone. But what if you just went for key phones like One Plus, XiaoMei, HTC One, and Samsung (HTC and Samsung Google phones can hvae unlocked bootloaders, which Blackberry could theoretically overwrite and then lock to BB".

    I like BB for BB10. Their hardware is mediocre - and I tolerate it.

    That might be different if they came up with a slider phone (Even with this strategy, they should stick to physical keyboard phones both normal and sliders - since that is a true differentiated product).
    Still support for the key phones would be expensive

    Zee coolest flicking smartphone evah
    04-23-14 05:45 PM
  11. medic22003's Avatar
    I'm a paramedic. I will say that BlackBerry is woefully lacking in medical apps. I even have a hard time finding android apps that work. With that said, I am also responsible for vehicle maintenance and procurement. Emails regarding this are a breeze with the hub. The paratek antenna helps me when I'm out and about on calls. I keep telling people we need our protocols on pdf. I don't use my BlackBerry as hard as some but I really like what it can do.

    Posted via CB10
    stlabrat likes this.
    04-23-14 10:45 PM
  12. crackbrry fan's Avatar
    Why would I want to load it on other phones? If the other phones are so great, let them continue being wonderful all on their own, let BlackBerry be BlackBerry! I would not want any other device running BlackBerry if it's not a BlackBerry

    Posted via CB10
    spikesolie, 1raygin and stlabrat like this.
    04-23-14 11:02 PM
  13. Raddin's Avatar
    It is possible for this to happen, but I doubt that very many people would care if it did.

    One cool thing about owning Android devices is you actually own them. You're free to do things with Android devices even if the manufacturer doesn't want you to do them. With BlackBerry, you can do everything they allow you to do and too bad if you don't like it.

    With most Android devices, you are free to root, remove Android and flash a custom ROM. Some devices can even move to completely different operating systems such as Ubuntu or even Sailfish OS. So it could work, but I doubt BlackBerry would have the resources to do it.

    Personally, I'd be more interested in being able to take a PlayBook, Q10 or Q30 and replace the BlackBerry OS with a different OS.
    04-24-14 01:08 PM
  14. anon(6038817)'s Avatar
    Would licensing BB10 and allowing it to be loaded onto other devices compromise or create vulnerabilities for its security?

    Security is an area BlackBerry is trying to push and market heavily, so I can't see them doing so if it would jeopardize that in any way.
    04-25-14 07:57 AM
  15. Batmark's Avatar
    Also there are a ton of cheap Android phones that are just plain awful. Hate to see BB10 fall into that state.
    Exactly my thinking.



    I like BB10...and that's all that matters to me.
    04-26-14 12:24 PM
  16. rajbir01's Avatar
    I recently purchased a OnePlus One....if I could have BB10 on that phone it would be amazing.
    09-16-14 04:34 PM

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