[wilkto]

Yes

Posted via zedten

[texn884]

I have not and will not download any google apps

[AbAll87]

I downloaded a few android apps, just to show people that I can have android apps on my phone lol... but I only use google maps but I have bemaps pro on my phone so... barely use google maps...

Also Android apps are laggy, which could be fine and then the phone gets hot!!! Luckily I have all the apps I need without needing android apps!!!

I am hoping for 10.3 though... Just so I can get friends to get a BB10 if the right android apps work (with no lag and phone doesn't get hot)

[ubizmo]

Funny thing is, most people don't have many. It's a curiosity, the importance of apps when the average number on a phone is actually fairly low.

It's no more a curiosity than the importance of a large number of words in a dictionary when the average person only looks up a few words, ever.

I have never understood the logic of "Why is it important to have hundreds of thousands of apps in the app store when nobody uses hundreds of thousands of apps?" The importance of the large number of available apps is to enable the user to find the few that he or she actually wants.

An app doesn't have to be popular to be important to someone. There are plenty of apps that you and I never heard of that are dealbreakers for some people. If there are enough like that, they become dealbreakers for the platform.

[Banco]

It's no more a curiosity than the importance of a large number of words in a dictionary when the average person only looks up a few words, ever.

I have never understood the logic of "Why is it important to have hundreds of thousands of apps in the app store when nobody uses hundreds of thousands of apps?" The importance of the large number of available apps is to enable the user to find the few that he or she actually wants.

An app doesn't have to be popular to be important to someone. There are plenty of apps that you and I never heard of that are dealbreakers for some people. If there are enough like that, they become dealbreakers for the platform.

That's true, but I suspect it's more a perception issue than reality. You have the key apps which amount to several dozen and beyond that it's more about the ease of mind than anything else - it being there if you go looking for it.

On any platform, the number is so bewildering and the volume of pointless apps so large, that the average user doesn't know what they haven't got or even that they might want it. So the headline number of a million apps is a useful shorthand for 'it'll be there if I really want it'. And that's fair enough.

Posted via CB10

[Mike_Jones]

I have no idea why so many people are "against" using android applications. It's really ridiculous.

[Coffee Shampoo]

I have no idea why so many people are "against" using android applications. It's really ridiculous.

Because they fear they'll get their grandma's phone stolen and given to the big corporations that already have their location.

Posted via CB10

[1magine]

It's no more a curiosity than the importance of a large number of words in a dictionary when the average person only looks up a few words, ever.

I have never understood the logic of "Why is it important to have hundreds of thousands of apps in the app store when nobody uses hundreds of thousands of apps?" The importance of the large number of available apps is to enable the user to find the few that he or she actually wants.

An app doesn't have to be popular to be important to someone. There are plenty of apps that you and I never heard of that are dealbreakers for some people. If there are enough like that, they become dealbreakers for the platform.

So well said, I wish I said it myself.

[1magine]

I have no idea why so many people are "against" using android applications. It's really ridiculous.

Well for me, it's a matter of principal! Those damn robots are putting good human app makers out of business. Androids don't need jobs, human do, and... what......oh. Never mind.

[ubizmo]

On any platform, the number is so bewildering and the volume of pointless apps so large, that the average user doesn't know what they haven't got or even that they might want it. So the headline number of a million apps is a useful shorthand for 'it'll be there if I really want it'. And that's fair enough.

That's true, but it's an important message. Whenever this app discussion comes up, I read about more apps I never even heard of before. But to the people who mention them, they are the "important" ones.

My standard example is TunePal, an Android app for people who play traditional Irish/Celtic music. It's able to record a bit of a tune, make a guess at what tune it is, and then bring up the sheet music for the tune and play it back with midi synth. Very few people are into this, compared to the general population of smartphone users, but for those of us who are, it's an incredibly useful app, with no competition at all. That's my example, but pretty much everyone else has their own example of something similar.

As a general principle, more is better, for the same reason more words in a dictionary is better. The closer to "unabridged" your app selection is, the more likely everyone is to find what they want or need.

That said, I understand why some people simply don't want to install Android apps on their BB10 device. There is something inherently disappointing about using them. But it's not nearly as disappointing as not having the apps at all. At lease, that's my take on it.

Windows Phone has taken the other path: Building up a native-only app selection. And even with the resources of Microsoft to throw at it, they're struggling. Personally, I view their struggle as proof that BB10 could not possibly succeed at native-only. Every time someone posts "BlackBerry should try harder to get native apps," I think, if Microsoft can't make this happen, what reason is there to think BlackBerry can?

But there's a chance -- an outside chance -- that the partnership with Amazon will make the idea of building generic Android apps (i.e., without Google Play Service dependencies) a little more attractive to developers, and this will help to build up the user base. And if the user base builds up, at some point maybe developers will take another look at native BB10.

I grant you, it's pretty iffy.

In the meantime, as a BB10 user I'm not going to turn my nose up at Android apps. Like everybody else, I look in BB World for native first, but if what I want isn't there, I'm not about to give up.

[Banco]

That's true, but it's an important message. Whenever this app discussion comes up, I read about more apps I never even heard of before. But to the people who mention them, they are the "important" ones.

My standard example is TunePal, an Android app for people who play traditional Irish/Celtic music. It's able to record a bit of a tune, make a guess at what tune it is, and then bring up the sheet music for the tune and play it back with midi synth. Very few people are into this, compared to the general population of smartphone users, but for those of us who are, it's an incredibly useful app, with no competition at all. That's my example, but pretty much everyone else has their own example of something similar.

As a general principle, more is better, for the same reason more words in a dictionary is better. The closer to "unabridged" your app selection is, the more likely everyone is to find what they want or need.

That said, I understand why some people simply don't want to install Android apps on their BB10 device. There is something inherently disappointing about using them. But it's not nearly as disappointing as not having the apps at all. At lease, that's my take on it.

Windows Phone has taken the other path: Building up a native-only app selection. And even with the resources of Microsoft to throw at it, they're struggling. Personally, I view their struggle as proof that BB10 could not possibly succeed at native-only. Every time someone posts "BlackBerry should try harder to get native apps," I think, if Microsoft can't make this happen, what reason is there to think BlackBerry can?

But there's a chance -- an outside chance -- that the partnership with Amazon will make the idea of building generic Android apps (i.e., without Google Play Service dependencies) a little more attractive to developers, and this will help to build up the user base. And if the user base builds up, at some point maybe developers will take another look at native BB10.

I grant you, it's pretty iffy.

In the meantime, as a BB10 user I'm not going to turn my nose up at Android apps. Like everybody else, I look in BB World for native first, but if what I want isn't there, I'm not about to give up.

Don't disagree with a word you say. That's why though I say it's a perception thing as much as reality. We aren't typical of most users of a mobile phone - we care enough to sign up to a place like this in the first place, and look at the number of posts each of us has. That's not normal, we're both a bit bloody weird and obsessive by almost all standards.

On the compatibility issue, it seems that the Z30 is substantially better than the other devices, so presumably this will be better going forward with new phones anyway, and we're told 10.3 handles them better anyway.

Like you, my view is it's better than nothing.

[Jamescunni]

I'm just curious because a lot of you on here boast BlackBerry amazing security but have android apps. I don't because it's important to not have those malware apps on here. For me it's native or nothing.

Posted via CB10

Nope if I wanted Android apps I would have a Android phone I did download at first but I would rather pay for native versions of the apps I wanted


Posted via CB10

[FrankUnderwood]

Remy Danton has let me use his BB10.

Yeah but you only use BB7.

Posted via CB10

[Gearheadaddy]

Android apps are run on an emulator (Android Runtime) on our BlackBerrys...that should keep us all safe...

Crackberry Genius on Verizon STL100-4 10.3.0.296/442

[collinc93]

I dont care really...I simply set my apps to 'divert' so if any one seeks to get my data...they get sent to an old woman in Natucket

[ubizmo]

On the compatibility issue, it seems that the Z30 is substantially better than the other devices, so presumably this will be better going forward with new phones anyway, and we're told 10.3 handles them better anyway.

Like you, my view is it's better than nothing.

During the time I was running the 10.3 leak, I did notice it ran Android apps better than the 10.2.2 I'm now using, and that was/is a very early leak. I have confidence that improving it is a very high priority at BlackBerry these days. Compatibility bugs need to be squashed as fast as possible.

I hate repeating things I've said in other threads but... those who find certain Android apps laggy or causing their phone to heat up shouldn't assume it's a BB10 problem. I used an S4 for seven months and I know that many Android apps were laggy on there too, and some (Waze!) caused it to heat up.

I only have a handful of Android apps on my Q10 but, few as they are, they make a huge difference in terms of my overall satisfaction with the phone.

[amjass12]

Yes

[RubberChicken76]

That said, I understand why some people simply don't want to install Android apps on their BB10 device. There is something inherently disappointing about using them. But it's not nearly as disappointing as not having the apps at all. At lease, that's my take on it.

Same here. Some of them work pretty badly and it feels like a stop gap. Others feel like they work well enough that you don't notice that much.

Windows Phone has taken the other path: Building up a native-only app selection. And even with the resources of Microsoft to throw at it, they're struggling. Personally, I view their struggle as proof that BB10 could not possibly succeed at native-only. Every time someone posts "BlackBerry should try harder to get native apps,"

Yeah - of all the armchair executive comments on CrackBerry, this one is one that I think is the most naive and empty, filled with comments like "They should do whatever it takes" or "pay money" or "develop for people".

Reality is, it's the steepest uphill battle you can possibly imagine. One of the most illuminating comments I ever read about this was by Daniel from Windows Phone Central. As you say, Microsoft has thrown a ton of money and filled the native app void better than BlackBerry but they too struggle. Daniel gave plenty of examples where Microsoft offered to pay for apps to be brought to Windows Phone, cover the physical development of the first app and then hand it over ... and still developers either refused the offer or make any updates moving forward.

Microsoft has arguably the best developer relations team and OEM team on the planet ... and still has trouble with this. BlackBerry will be worse.

[huungryshark]

With the focus on android and having many useless apps in bb world I don't think we'll see any interest from developers. The gov/ prosumer focus is not likely to change that any time soon. The lack of an all touch upcoming flagship also points away from native app development for anything but niche.

It�s sad but i think so ,too.

BlackBerry knows exactly that his normal customers, about 80% of them, want to buy a fulltouch flagship. And they know how the winner should look alike. Really no rocket science to find that out.

But they know they are done in the consumer market, 0.5% market share. And now they destroy themselfs completely with that arkward Passport /Classic Phone.
A lot love the Z10 (Z30) form factor and want simpy a successor device with top-noch hardware, display and battery now. Paired with Dual SiM / Miracast /Radio and they have a winning horse.

[faheem24]

Yes. A lot actually. IG, Shazam, Google maps, etc etc.

Had no problems with any of them.

Posted via CB10 from my (amazing) Z30.

[GSM-S]

Just a few android apps. I stick to native apps and websites when I can.

Posted via CB10

[Raestloz]

Why yes, it's not like Square Enix will port their software token app to BlackBerry 10

Z10 STL100-1/10.2.1.3247

[Doggerz]

I just realized that "Crush The Zombies" for BB10 is an android port to BBW. So I guess it's not really native.

I do think it was a native PlayBook app though.

It's a great game to have fun for adults and kids.

Is somehow an android app that makes it to BBW "better" (to those of you who hate android) than apps you get from Amazon? The Skype app for example is on BBW but I think it gets more updates on Amazon.

Maybe BlackBerry should have just purged all but the really good BlackBerry apps and ported every Amazon app to BBW. Have everything under one roof. Maybe have a search option that would distinguish native vs ported apps.

Wouldn't surprise me if some people thought they were using native apps - that is what happened to me with Crush the Zombies.

Z30STA100-5 / 10.2.2.1531 / T-Mobile USA

[John Scholz1]

Yes because some developers aren't building apps for os10 and blackberry isn't developing such apps internally. Apk fills some of the voids. One void not filled that business users need is a Vlingo replacement. BlackBerry should do it itself because developers have not and apks can't fill the void.

Posted via CB10

[q10guy]

How can I, in plain English and easy step by step, download Garmin Connect and MyfitnessPal?

Posted via CB10