Why doesn't RIM put out an android phone?

**TedStriker** · 06-24-2012, 10:38 PM

One Android phone will not mean their selling out, and RIM always makes quality hardware. It could be a nice way to diversify a little. Samsung and HTC are doing quite well with this, RIM could sweeten the deal with their network capabilities. If you can't beat them, join them? I would probably choose a 4.65" RIM android phone over the current crop.

**tmelon** · 06-24-2012, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by TedStriker

One Android phone will not mean their selling out, and RIM always makes quality hardware. It could be a nice way to diversify a little. Samsung and HTC are doing quite well with this, RIM could sweeten the deal with their network capabilities. If you can't beat them, join them? I would probably choose a 4.65" RIM android phone over the current crop.

Android phones with portrait keyboards have never turned out well and if they made a full touchscreen it would just get lost in the crowd of other Androids.

**JR A** · 06-24-2012, 10:50 PM

Probably because the Android market is saturated as it is, and any resources and focus are all for BB10.

I dont think it's a matter of "If you can't beat them, join them", but more of "Even if we tried to join them, we wouldn't gain much at all."

**sf49ers** · 06-24-2012, 11:15 PM

Windows Phone OS or Andorid is a short term solution. Everybody making devices for it is quite susceptible and vulnerable to competition. HTC was the number 1 was making killing profits 2 years ago, and now Samsung has taken the crown and HTC profits have lowered quite a bit, it is not guaranteed if Samsung will remain number 1 two years from now.

Firstly RIM doesn't have the hardware manufacturing scale such as a Samsung or LG or Sony etc, and the hardware margins are cut throat and I can't see much of future for it in android.

**D_March** · 06-24-2012, 11:25 PM

I could be wrong on this but I don't think HTC is doing quite well.

**AVPTI** · 06-24-2012, 11:27 PM

A lot of Android don't sell for software, rather their hardware specs. RIM would need to beat the SIII in terms of hardware to sell any devices and RIM doesn't have the means to produce such a device.

**Jake Storm** · 06-24-2012, 11:33 PM

Palm tried it with WinMo. How'd that work out for them?

**sf49ers** · 06-24-2012, 11:43 PM

Windows Phone OS or Andorid is a short term solution. Everybody making devices for them is quite susceptible and vulnerable to competition. HTC was the number 1 and was making killing profits 2 years ago, and now Samsung has taken the crown and HTC profits have lowered quite a bit, it is not guaranteed if Samsung will remain number 1 two years from now.

Firstly RIM doesn't have the hardware manufacturing scale such as a Samsung or LG or Sony etc to compete with them as an hardware vendor only, I can't see much of future for RIM in android.

**Real Estate Appraiser** · 06-24-2012, 11:43 PM

If I wanted a droid I would buy one of the dozens of them already out there. I want a blackberry.

**otacon** · 06-25-2012, 03:49 AM

The Laser Focus that RIM has right now does not include saturating themselves with a device that doesn't run their proprietary OS. It's like asking MS to sell Mac OSX just because Windows Vista was a failure... It just doesn't make sense...

**Pete6** · 06-25-2012, 04:41 AM

This is going backwards.

Why would I take my Mercedes-Benz and put a cheap, burned out out motor in to it.

This makes no sense whatsoever. The BlackBerry OS is far superior to Android in terms of reliability, security and ease of use.

If I wanted to drive a clapped out Toyota, I'd buy one.

**jrohland** · 06-25-2012, 06:30 AM

I'm willing to explore this idea;

RIM decides to release a phone running Android.

Enterprises are going to expect RIM's security. To do that, RIM will have to lock it down so it can't be rooted. The Android influencers are all about rooting so, they won't buy it.

Developers are not going to write their apps for a bunch of different RIM phones so they are going to demand apps written for BB10 run unchanged on the Android phone.

At the end of this experiment RIM has a quasi-BB10 phone running on an Android kernel which is much less mature and capable than QNX. They can't manufacture nearly as cheaply as Samsung. Android fanbois won't buy it. And they wasted time and resources they don't have to allow Android apps to run on this device when Android apps will already run on BB10.

Of course, they can show BBM running on top of Android. Is that good? It will just increase the demand to open BBM to other platforms.

I'm not seeing the advantage.

**kill_9** · 06-25-2012, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by TedStriker

One Android phone will not mean their selling out, and RIM always makes quality hardware. It could be a nice way to diversify a little. Samsung and HTC are doing quite well with this, RIM could sweeten the deal with their network capabilities. If you can't beat them, join them? I would probably choose a 4.65" RIM android phone over the current crop.

ROFLMAO Oh, stop with the comedy act. You are making my stomach ache with excessive laughter. If BlackBerry smartphones start running Google Android, the company can just fold up shop.

The company could grow its user base across a variety of market segments if their management really had a freaking clue. Healthcare and education are huge untapped markets for Research In Motion yet they seem content to chase after teenage girls. Maybe that is legal in Germany but in Canada that will get a middle-aged CEO into cell..and I am not referring to a telephone.

**southlander** · 06-25-2012, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by jrohland

I'm willing to explore this idea;

RIM decides to release a phone running Android.

Enterprises are going to expect RIM's security. To do that, RIM will have to lock it down so it can't be rooted. The Android influencers are all about rooting so, they won't buy it.

Developers are not going to write their apps for a bunch of different RIM phones so they are going to demand apps written for BB10 run unchanged on the Android phone.

At the end of this experiment RIM has a quasi-BB10 phone running on an Android kernel which is much less mature and capable than QNX. They can't manufacture nearly as cheaply as Samsung. Android fanbois won't buy it. And they wasted time and resources they don't have to allow Android apps to run on this device when Android apps will already run on BB10.

Of course, they can show BBM running on top of Android. Is that good? It will just increase the demand to open BBM to other platforms.

I'm not seeing the advantage.

The seemingly big advantage in Android would have been time to market.

Sent from my BlackBerry Bold 9930 using Tapatalk

**ayekon** · 06-25-2012, 09:24 AM

I can't believe this is a topic of discussion

**hondateg91** · 06-25-2012, 10:03 AM

Why doesn't Apple put out an Android or Blackberry?

**PippinTook** · 06-25-2012, 11:16 AM

Android is not a solve all problem solution. You still have to create the skin, license the app store from Google, then the hardware would have ot be designed and built. In the Andorid world better specs seem to be ruleing at the moment. However I fail to see what better specs are going to do for me on my phone.

With all the work put into getting the QNX tech it would be pretty much dropping everything they have already done starting from the ground up. Lets see what BB10 brings before we discuss dropping it

**dbmalloy** · 06-25-2012, 11:36 AM

Another issue looming is how long Google will keep Android as open source... Since buying Motorola there has been a lot of talk about Google creating a Closed Andorid OS for their use and stop developing open source.... If they did this it would cause major issues for those using the current itteration of Andorid.... If google was to stop at Jelly Bean.... it could smoke the competition... sure you would get some development but it would become an orphaned OS..... RIM would be in big trouble if this happened.....