[kfh227]

This is easy to do via a custom launcher. Take the front end of BB10 and do an Android equivalent to it. This should take 6 months tops for a dev team. You already have BBM in Android!

On top of that, remake the BB10 Hub in Android. And sell the combo via hardare.

Then advertise both the Android version and BB10 for secure environments agressively.

This way you can have your cake and eat it to.

I'd say more but it is late. And I am tired. But this needs to be done. The consumer space is not to be given up on. It is dominated by Samsung and iOS. Samsung owns Android because of marketing and nothing more. You can easily become the #2 player in Android!

This should also help sell BES10. And if you do it right, you could have some secure features in Android that only BES10 can access.

[Skatophilia]

Neat Idea, as long as BB had control of its software on andriod

[just_luc]

It's certainly a thought, but I see a different play.

Building a BB10 launcher over android would consume extra resources, be top heavy and as you eluded be less secure.. performance would suffer in my opinion.

BB10 is a better OS.. so I say let BB10 be BB10.. let it run the hub, the settings, the PIM apps and all the core services, but fully embrace android on the apps side. Perfect the runtime, keep it up to date with the latest android version at all times.. license google play on device, forget about conversions, set it up to run android apps natively and make sure all apps can be ran, and that they perform as well or better then they do on actual android devcies and just embrace it. BB10 core and all android apps. The best of both worlds and instantly no more worrying about the ecosystem.

Posted via CB10

[BlueHeel]

If I wanted an Android device, I'd have bought one already. But to each his own, I guess. Some of you won't be happy until there are only two OS options (iOS or Android) for everyone to choose from, or every option on the market is identical. Which is kind of silly. As far as I'm concerned, it would be awesome if BlackBerry was able to come up with something that is beyond the boundaries of what is already out there, while maintaining itself, and without the assistance of (or in the case of this suggestion, the need to assist) another platform such as Android. This seems feasible with BB10. Innovative minds are needed to make it happen, though. Keep it BlackBerry through and through.

Posted via CB10

[BlueHeel]

It's certainly a thought, but I see a different play.

Building a BB10 launcher over android would consume extra resources, be top heavy and as you eluded be less secure.. performance would suffer in my opinion.

BB10 is a better OS.. so I say let BB10 be BB10.. let it run the hub, the settings, the PIM apps and all the core services, but fully embrace android on the apps side. Perfect the runtime, keep it up to date with the latest android version at all times.. license google play on device, forget about conversions, set it up to run android apps natively and make sure all apps can be ran, and that they perform as well or better then they do on actual android devcies and just embrace it. BB10 core and all android apps. The best of both worlds and instantly no more worrying about the ecosystem.

Posted via CB10

This is a much better suggestion.

Posted via CB10

[netwerx1]

BB10 is a better OS.. so I say let BB10 be BB10.. let it run the hub, the settings, the PIM apps and all the core services, but fully embrace android on the apps side. Perfect the runtime, keep it up to date with the latest android version at all times.. license google play on device, forget about conversions, set it up to run android apps natively and make sure all apps can be ran, and that they perform as well or better then they do on actual android devcies and just embrace it. BB10 core and all android apps. The best of both worlds and instantly no more worrying about the ecosystem.

That would reel me back in it were to ever happen...I switched over to a Nexus 5 this week and really miss the Hub, swipe gestures, and how BB handles email; but I want the apps that I want, and I don't want to jump through hoops to get them or a lesser facsimile. It's currently easier for me to set up Android to work like I'm used to working in BB10, than getting everything I need in BB10 alone...so I would be all over a BB10 core with full Android app support, since it's highly unlikely that BB10 will ever realize comparable developer buy-in for native apps.

[Brutal Efficiency]

No Android please. Including Android will see me leaving BlackBerry.

Posted via my Z30.

[rthonpm]

Android is a commodity OS pure and simple. All of these suggestions to take BlackBerry to the side of an Android OEM are laughable and show absolutely no business sense at all. Yes, you'd get all the apps you want, but you'd also be stuck with a platform that only one company, Samsung, has shown an ability to make any profit from. Why would a struggling company want to move to a platform that has dozens, if not more players in, but only one making any considerable profit from.

As for creating a launcher, what would be the point? All it would be is another Android skin. The time and talent it would take to make a launcher would be better served being dedicated to BlackBerry's own platform, handsets, and software.

[BravoZuluDelta]

No Android please. Including Android will see me leaving BlackBerry.

Posted via my Z30.

I believe the OP is talking about putting a BB10 launcher onto Android phones - bringing at least some of the BB10 experience to those who have not yet purchased a BlackBerry phone. This won't have anything to do with BB10 phone owners.

My question is whether this even requires input from BlackBerry. Couldn't any indy developer create this launcher? (i.e., Kickstarter time!)

[skibnik]

Google will never allow Google play store apps to be available on a BB10 device. Google play apps need to be ported over to the BB10 android runtime BlackBerry uses an android runtime that is not Android alliance certified something that Google tightly controls, so if the dev of a particular app is not inclined to spend the time or resources to port over or write a native app we are sol.

Unless of course those enterprising independent app devs write client apps like Blackgram lol

Posted via CB10

[webbert]

This is easy to do via a custom launcher. Take the front end of BB10 and do an Android equivalent to it. This should take 6 months tops for a dev team. You already have BBM in Android!

On top of that, remake the BB10 Hub in Android. And sell the combo via hardare.

Then advertise both the Android version and BB10 for secure environments agressively.

This way you can have your cake and eat it to.

I'd say more but it is late. And I am tired. But this needs to be done. The consumer space is not to be given up on. It is dominated by Samsung and iOS. Samsung owns Android because of marketing and nothing more. You can easily become the #2 player in Android!

This should also help sell BES10. And if you do it right, you could have some secure features in Android that only BES10 can access.

I think the better options could be:
1. Somehow connection to google market for android apps, i don't know how, but this would solve the app gap.
2. License the OS to other phone makers:
2.1 without workspace for free
2.2 with workspace maybe for money, or the os for free, but BES license more expensive than for a BB device
3. Partnership with lenovo, lenovo should be the premium partner for BB os, selling hardwarebundles for example tablet (improved yoga 10 with bb 10, HDMI, 2 or 3 GB ram) and Z10 + keyboard and and and.....

So much options! But Blackberry, please hear me, here in germany I know a lot of companys which changing from BES to GOOD or Mobile Iron, move on, do something, stop it! I talked to some of the changers, no of them is believing that Blackberry has a change against the Rest of the market. In particular the US companies are extremely aggressive, the pump a lot of mony not only in marketing, they spreed rumors with money, they are buying sentiments, i will not imagine what they are else doing for market shares. So my opinion:
MR. CHEN, BLACKBERRY NEEDS A PARTNER TO HOLD THE HANDSET/DEVICE BUSINESS! SOOOOON!

[Troy Tiscareno]

I think the better options could be:
1. Somehow connection to google market for android apps, i don't know how, but this would solve the app gap.

You don't know how because it can't be done without BB dumping BB10 and running Android. Google owns the Play Store and sets the rules, and only Google-certified Android devices get access to it. BB10 could never get this certification.

2. License the OS to other phone makers:

BB has been trying to find companies interested in licensing BB10 for over a year. They've had no takers.

3. Partnership with lenovo, lenovo should be the premium partner for BB os, selling hardwarebundles for example tablet (improved yoga 10 with bb 10, HDMI, 2 or 3 GB ram) and Z10 + keyboard and and and...

BB has also been looking for partners for over a year. Again, no takers. Lenovo doesn't want to make BB10 phones, they want BB's patent library and maybe BBM. If they'd have bid, that's what they would have done it for.

IMO, people need to STOP looking to OTHER companies (most of them being direct competitors!) for solutions to BB's problems, because while that might help BB, the other companies would be taking the risk and getting no value from these proposals.

BB very intentionally CHOSE to do their own thing, with BB10, BB World, and their own hardware. They could have made different decisions in 2009/2010, but they decided to go it alone, and now they've got to solve their problems themselves. That's a direct consequence of the decision they made, and that consequence was apparent to anyone who has been paying attention.