Why don't BlackBerry let all android apps be ported to BlackBerry surly it's better than no apps
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Why don't BlackBerry let all android apps be ported to BlackBerry surly it's better than no apps
Posted via CB10
Because BB would need to know that indeed the dev(s) porting the app over are the original Android devs. You can't take someone else's work, repackage it and call it your own. And the original devs, unfortunately, don't seem to be interested.
If the developer of the app wants to port it for BlackBerry, the only thing that's stopping them is themselves. BlackBerry isn't stopping them.
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Yep.
I'm sure if BBRY could do without any legal issues, it would.
Heh. I actually read 'ported' as 'sideloaded.' :cant-watch: Post requires a slight edit.
Ha... I interpreted it the same way.
But to clarify, OP, I am sure BBRY would love every app to be ported. it just isn't that simple.
That's like me allowing you to own every Ferrari ever made. It's just not within my powers to do that, just like it's not within Blackberry's power to port every Android app.
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Must commend BlackBerry's foresight in anticipating the app gap by implementing the android runtime to make life so very easy for devs to make their apps available for BlackBerry. Look at how well the flip board app works on the Z30 for example. Porting Instagram for example wouldn't take more than a few hours work judging by how well it works sideloaded. Unfortunately the devs are just not doing so. I think the devs have been told not to give their support to BlackBerry to support their local industry (meaning apple and google)
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I doubt Apple and Google would conspire with devs to deprive BB10. Why not WP?
I think it's simpler: the ROI isn't there.
You mean the other way around op right ?
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Considering again how well most sideloaded apps work. How much investment do you think it would take to port an app to bb10?
I think it would be completely negligible.
Flip board for example didn't even take the time to sort out the Instagram account login keyboard incompatibility which proves that they didn't even spend time testing it.
I had to cut and paste my login detail to add my account but since it was a 1 time thing it was pretty painless.
And since we're so app deprived that days work by a single developer would result in at least 2 million added users.
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If it was so negligible, and returns so guaranteed, we'd ask be doing it.
Development and maintenance costs money. Developers have to decide if they want to create and maintain an app on a newish platform, or spend those resources polishing up apps on platforms already yielding returns.
It's an android port so no development or maintenence needed for BlackBerry's version. Just plonk in the changed codes ment for android into blackberry world.
Waze for example has just been left there without updates since Google bought them. I'm pretty sure there's already more than a million Waze BlackBerry downloads.
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I know android apps are not native but I would rather have them than none. I like BlackBerry 10 for the hub ect. If BlackBerry got more apps people would opt for the devices and then they can start getting there own apps because they would have the support
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Thing is, not every Android app works. Most devs still do minor changes to their apps before they port them over, simple GUI changes and changing words from Android to Blackberry and such.
You completely missed the point buddy. Lol. It's not within Blackberries power. They DO allow it. But the devs just don't want to. Simple as that
"If you can't soar with the eagles, then don't fly with the flock!" (BBM#18)
Some have already mentioned this, but maybe you missed it. BlackBerry would love to have all apps ported. They have provided all the tools necessary.
It's the android app developers who have chosen to pass up the opportunity.
Again, BlackBerry isn't stopping them. The developers just don't want to port.
The most famous ones are apps like Instagram and Netflix. BlackBerry have pleaded with them, even offering to write the apps themselves. Those companies just don't want their apps on BlackBerry.
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Netflix is on the Nintendo wii u yet officially there are more bb10 devices than wii u sold. Why?
I agree that devs just don't want their apps on BlackBerry 10.
Facebook and Twitter bb10 apps were apparently written by BlackBerry themselves. No investment needed by the app company. Same deal applies to other app companies. Yet they still reject.
Still think nothing else is in play here?
It's not a conspiracy it's just the big boys making sure the competition stays down. The ROI argument doesn't make sense to me as long as bb10 has the android runtime.
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Eh, there's no need for conspiracy theories (ie Google and Apple are stopping people from doing it). Just go by the numbers. The Nielson report in Q2 2013 gives BB 3% of the market. Now out of that 3%, many are still on older versions of BBOS. So let's be generous and say 2% of the 3% are BB10 owners (honestly my guess is it's more like 1% considering I see more older BBs than BB10 devices). That's not very appealing for a developer.
Now the big question is "is that 2% going to grow or shrink?" And for most devs it's a reasonable choice to just wait a few months and see if it gains market share or loses it. I'm guessing that's what most devs are doing. Wait and see if Blackberry survives.
RIM was genius in having the Android run time environment though. If only it worked better (which I heard it does with 10.2). Android apps aren't nearly as good as native, but at least you can use them. Blackberry needs to stay on top of that though and keep on updating their runtimes.
Yup, and I'm thinking the updated 4.1 runtime will make a difference for many dev's. I don't know much about android apps and the porting process, but I'm guessing the old runtime (2.2 or 2.3 whatever it was) limited quite a few developers as to what they could actually port. I'm hoping to see many more apps ported with 10.2's updated runtime.
It's not about Wii. It's about Nintendo. BBRY doesn't have the power that Nintendo or Sony have. You're looking at it through a myopic lens.
The ROI argument makes sense if you look at it from a developer's point of view. It's easy for non-developers to refer to it as being "easy" LOL.
If BBRY makes it worth the time, those apps would be here
Do a check for the thread by Youmail. Long time BBOS developer that breaks down the numbers. It helps shed light on the whole "it's easy" idea. No conspiracy.
The funny thing is that we still hear Android people claiming there are conspiracies too. Nah... Developers have to justify resources. As I said earlier, it it was so easy, we'd all be doing it. BBRY would be making BBM clients for Tizen, bada and Symbian.
So what other considerations are there besides the number of devices when it comes to ROI? How much of a ransom the platform owner can/is willing to pay?
No. Pretty much the number of devices (or marketshare percentage) is THE factor that devs look at.
BB10 has sub-1% of the smartphone market. It really isn't difficult to figure out why that doesn't get devs all excited.
I'm not an app developer but I am a technical director of my i.t company with a background in computing science. I will look into youmail's thread and see just how much development is required to port over an app like flip board and or instagram. I'm betting that's it's not significant. Otherwise side loading wouldn't work would it?
Nintendo did well with the wii not so much with the wii u and the game cube before. And blackberry used to be the largest player in the smartphone market. Power is not measurable.
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Let's talk numbers of users then. Bb currently has 62 million bbos bis subscribers. Lets say only 10 percent of them gets carried on to BlackBerry 10. Combine that with the existing bb10 user base. You would have 10 million users. Isn't that enough for a crummy ported app which works sideloaded anyway with no resources or "development" time spent?
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