[prateek.samtani]

Hi,

I don't want to say that BlackBerry 10 is going to be a failure but I am not sure if android porting will be really so good in terms of giving a premium UI experience.
It's all about the flow. Android ports will be very limited and of course native is native.

I'm just hoping to see a really nice OS experience and the app thing which was missing.

Don't know why I am not feeling very positive on this.

*Fingers crossed*

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[Nathan Bael]

Not a game changer, but a bandaid until we can get the apps we need.

[sexybabe88]

would you rather buy a top of the line Samsung or a blackberry which runs most of its top apps on an android emulator - for the same price?

[BriniaSona]

Without apps. No one wants to buy any phone. Even os bb10 made holograms, without instagram and net flicks Ko one would buy it.

I love my zed10. I have all the apps I need.

[serbanescu]

Android porting was (and still is) a must, because there was no other way to build a significant app portfolio. Native apps will get traction when BB10 fleet will grow. The dynamic will be as follows: when one market segment will became saturated, going native will offer a competitive advantage. The other players will be forced to go native too, in order to keep up.

So, for the time being, Android apps are doing much more good than harm. In fact, they are building the market that could later sustain the native ones.

--------------------

Calorie Monitor Pro for Z10, Q10, Q5 and PlayBook

[gonzo uk]

If we didn't have android player then the app gap would of been too high to sell any phones.
If we can run all android apps in the future and therefore have no app gap that would indeed be a game changer.
It would not be worth loosing millions of android apps for the few native ones we would gain.

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[prateek.samtani]

QUOTE=Nathan Bael;8821773]Not a game changer, but a bandaid until we can get the apps we need.[/QUOTE]

This seems to the most perfect answer.
A band aid.

But these apps should be in app store and not like port through a long process. A common user does not have the time to do all of this.

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[prateek.samtani]

would you rather buy a top of the line Samsung or a blackberry which runs most of its top apps on an android emulator - for the same price?

Prices are way different. I got my Z10 for a stable, secured and new OS. Apps of course but I am ready to wait. Please give me native. Cascades are everything and every where.



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[emtunc]

To an extent I would say yes.
At the moment there aren't as many 'top' Android ports on BlackBerry world hence why you find a lot of us geeks side loading and converting. Apks.
Remember though that the platform is still evolving and maturing and I would expect to see bigger partnerships and automated processes to bring over a good selection of apps.

From the point of view of an Android developer, it gives them the ability to 'test the waters' and look at download/usage statistics of their app. If they're seeing what they want to see then they have some incentive to develop natively or better mould the Android app to fit BlackBerry standards and UI experiences.

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[howarmat]

i wish they never would have had the idea to come up with the "android player." It hurts BB having it and hurts them not having it. For me it hurts more having it though

[ajst222]

Not at all. It is a quick fix for the app gap.

[ajst222]

i wish they never would have had the idea to come up with the "android player." It hurts BB having it and hurts them not having it. For me it hurts more having it though

I agree. The user doesn't always experience a good in app experience with a port or sideload. Plus I'm sure it is an excuse for app developers to be lazy.

[bluetroll]

I think it was a great idea....

without out, there are many apps you probably wouldn't see on BB10. Or users would be waiting MONTHS before an app gets on BB10 as a native app.

[AT_Nepal]

i wish they never would have had the idea to come up with the "android player." It hurts BB having it and hurts them not having it. For me it hurts more having it though

Curious why you say that howarmat... In my opinion, yes it "dilutes" the brand that is blackberry by introducing non-native pieces to the puzzle.

However, my experience is different: Recently I started using a Nexus 7 and am absolutely amazed at how many more apps there are. forget netflix or other apps, im talking productivity apps like good pdf readers that are FAST and render smoothly even 500mb files (and they are free, like mantano lite or muPDF. In addition, im in the medical field and there are 10-15 different apps (epocrates, epmobile, Gracemobile) that are essential but just aren't for BB. So my plabook was great for multitasking and really good to hold in the hand, and the UI itself is FANTASTIC, but its pdf reader was relatively slow (i had repligo which was ok speed, but not super smooth), and it just didn't have the necessary apps.

I doubt everyone has similar story like me, but im sure there are substantial amount that have some similar concerns. I think a good working android player will help to bridge that gap. otherwise, the alternative for me is to not have those vital apps. So what did I do? Go buy a nexus 7: not as well-built, camera isn't as great, speakers aren't as good, UI is not good, not true multi-tasking but in terms of functionality, its 5 stars. Now, what if we could combine the best of both worlds? that would be great, and i think the player is a right step in that direction.

If BB can fix the problem in another way, sure. Otherwise, for the end user, its a disappointment.

[Chanlion]

I still think it should be a band aid kind of thing. Kind of like a transition period into native.

[MobileZen]

It's an option that BlackBerry 10 can provide as part of their app offering but also market to Android developers that porting is fairly simple but also consider the new development tools to build native BB. It wasn't long that my side loading of Android apps Crackle and Poynt was quickly followed by their porting into BlackBerry World.

BlackBerry is changing their ways and we just have to wait and see the appetite for native development. I downloaded some of the Android Dev tools and it didn't look too user friendly (and turned me off a bit to attempt to build an android app) but I haven't got around to comparing it with BlackBerry's new Dev tools.

Now let's take a look at Instagram. I have this on my Droid and iOS devices. It's a social network of sharing photos with some filter features and the ability to follow other Instagram users. Now if I want to share, I know within Instagram I can share to other sites including Facebook. So it seems that the app is centric over the photo itself.

Well BlackBerry 10 has the ability to edit photos and add filters to it before even touching any app. If I want to share that edited photo, I would use the social networking site where I have the most reach and that's Facebook. Why would I go into both Instagram (or any other app) and Facebook to share the same photo? As well I can share that same photo to my other communication methods including text/sms, BBM, Whatsapp, NGC, Bluetooth, all my individual email accounts (to send from rather than just to) , Twitter, Foursquare, etc. I don't think Instagram can do half of what I just listed when it comes to sharing options. Also isn't the image quality degraded too using Instagram?

If Instagram ever officially (not sideloaded) comes over to BB 10 would I use it? Probably no because there's no need to do it even now if it were offered as a native app.

I have a ton of apps on all my devices and I rarely use them to be honest. It doesn't matter if they are native or not. I think it is just overrated and turned cliche to say that apps are everything.


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[bp3dots]

Now let's take a look at Instagram. I have this on my Droid and iOS devices. It's a social network of sharing photos with some filter features and the ability to follow other Instagram users. Now if I want to share, I know within Instagram I can share to other sites including Facebook. So it seems that the app is centric over the photo itself.

Well BlackBerry 10 has the ability to edit photos and add filters to it before even touching any app. If I want to share that edited photo, I would use the social networking site where I have the most reach and that's Facebook. Why would I go into both Instagram (or any other app) and Facebook to share the same photo? As well I can share that same photo to my other communication methods including text/sms, BBM, Whatsapp, NGC, Bluetooth, all my individual email accounts (to send from rather than just to) , Twitter, Foursquare, etc. I don't think Instagram can do half of what I just listed when it comes to sharing options. Also isn't the image quality degraded too using Instagram?

If Instagram ever officially (not sideloaded) comes over to BB 10 would I use it? Probably no because there's no need to do it even now if it were offered as a native app.

I have a ton of apps on all my devices and I rarely use them to be honest. It doesn't matter if they are native or not. I think it is just overrated and turned cliche to say that apps are everything.Posted via CB10

A lot of people will have more reach on IG, and since it can share directly with FB and twitter, it covers the largest group of social networking. Outside of that, you still have to share the photo individually on separate methods anyway.

No need for you maybe, but for the millions of IG users, it's a make or break deal when choosing the device, and most people won't wont to be sideloading, and they won't want a port that works poorly.

[howarmat]

Curious why you say that howarmat... In my opinion, yes it "dilutes" the brand that is blackberry by introducing non-native pieces to the puzzle.

However, my experience is different: Recently I started using a Nexus 7 and am absolutely amazed at how many more apps there are. forget netflix or other apps, im talking productivity apps like good pdf readers that are FAST and render smoothly even 500mb files (and they are free, like mantano lite or muPDF. In addition, im in the medical field and there are 10-15 different apps (epocrates, epmobile, Gracemobile) that are essential but just aren't for BB. So my plabook was great for multitasking and really good to hold in the hand, and the UI itself is FANTASTIC, but its pdf reader was relatively slow (i had repligo which was ok speed, but not super smooth), and it just didn't have the necessary apps.

I doubt everyone has similar story like me, but im sure there are substantial amount that have some similar concerns. I think a good working android player will help to bridge that gap. otherwise, the alternative for me is to not have those vital apps. So what did I do? Go buy a nexus 7: not as well-built, camera isn't as great, speakers aren't as good, UI is not good, not true multi-tasking but in terms of functionality, its 5 stars. Now, what if we could combine the best of both worlds? that would be great, and i think the player is a right step in that direction.

If BB can fix the problem in another way, sure. Otherwise, for the end user, its a disappointment.

its stop native developement as we have seen with many apps being straight android ports instead of native written. Skype is a good example along with Kobo and Kindle. This "runtime" is another set of UI elements to the mix ruining the flow of the UI that BB10 is trying to create. Its just a bad idea IMO. Its a cheap way to say "we got 130k apps" for our platform. IMO is doesn't actually benefit the BB10 community.

[Emaderton3]

Curious why you say that howarmat... In my opinion, yes it "dilutes" the brand that is blackberry by introducing non-native pieces to the puzzle.

However, my experience is different: Recently I started using a Nexus 7 and am absolutely amazed at how many more apps there are. forget netflix or other apps, im talking productivity apps like good pdf readers that are FAST and render smoothly even 500mb files (and they are free, like mantano lite or muPDF. In addition, im in the medical field and there are 10-15 different apps (epocrates, epmobile, Gracemobile) that are essential but just aren't for BB. So my plabook was great for multitasking and really good to hold in the hand, and the UI itself is FANTASTIC, but its pdf reader was relatively slow (i had repligo which was ok speed, but not super smooth), and it just didn't have the necessary apps.

I doubt everyone has similar story like me, but im sure there are substantial amount that have some similar concerns. I think a good working android player will help to bridge that gap. otherwise, the alternative for me is to not have those vital apps. So what did I do? Go buy a nexus 7: not as well-built, camera isn't as great, speakers aren't as good, UI is not good, not true multi-tasking but in terms of functionality, its 5 stars. Now, what if we could combine the best of both worlds? that would be great, and i think the player is a right step in that direction.

If BB can fix the problem in another way, sure. Otherwise, for the end user, its a disappointment.

I know a lot of people in the medical field used to use BlackBerry phones. It is a shame some of the biggest medical apps aren't available. They seem to be a group that really liked the keyboards. And sideloading doesn't cut it when some of the apps don't work correctly or allow for updates that may have important information. Physicians are a group I could see coming back.

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[emtunc]

its stop native developement as we have seen with many apps being straight android ports instead of native written. Skype is a good example along with Kobo and Kindle. This "runtime" is another set of UI elements to the mix ruining the flow of the UI that BB10 is trying to create. Its just a bad idea IMO. Its a cheap way to say "we got 130k apps" for our platform. IMO is doesn't actually benefit the BB10 community.

So having an Android port of Skype which works relatively 'okay' compared to not having it on the platform for (let's be realistic) 6-12 months or even more?
The same could be said about IG assuming they're still taking their time porting to BB. If this option wasn't available to them then perhaps they wouldn't have bothered looking at the BlackBerry platform full-stop!

It's better to bridge the gap with lower quality apps than not having them at all. I'm sure the majority share this opinion.

I understand the whole ruining the flow and UI stuff but I'm expecting that inconsistency to become more and more abstract the later down the BlackBerry 10 life cycle we go

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[howarmat]

So having an Android port of Skype which works relatively 'okay' compared to not having it on the platform for (let's be realistic) 6-12 months or even more?
The same could be said about IG assuming they're still taking their time porting to BB. If this option wasn't available to them then perhaps they wouldn't have bothered looking at the BlackBerry platform full-stop!

It's better to bridge the gap with lower quality apps than not having them at all. I'm sure the majority share this opinion.

I understand the whole ruining the flow and UI stuff but I'm expecting that inconsistency to become more and more abstract the later down the BlackBerry 10 life cycle we go

Posted via CB10

its not my problem if BB cant convince IG or MS to bring their apps to BB. I agree it hurts not having them on the platform but that is just the way the business is. MS is getting it done somehow with their app catalog. BB needs to step up the game and get people building GOOD native apps. Everyone is waiting for 4.2 to come on BB10 with the promise of more apps. To me is just give devs an even easier way out and leads to an even bigger dependency on the android ecosystem. Face it, without help from android, BB10 would be doing even worse probably. Thats not the BB10 I want. I want it to stand alone and kick the crutches to the curve.

I tried to rely on skype on my Z10 for a meeting with the Mods here on CB and it failed miserably. Resulted in my missing half the meeting. To me it would be better not to have it as an option than to have to go through what I did that day. I would have just used my laptop or Nexus where it would have worked fine instead or working with the half baked port on the Z.

[Emaderton3]

its not my problem if BB cant convince IG or MS to bring their apps to BB. I agree it hurts not having them on the platform but that is just the way the business is. MS is getting it done somehow with their app catalog. BB needs to step up the game and get people building GOOD native apps. Everyone is waiting for 4.2 to come on BB10 with the promise of more apps. To me is just give devs an even easier way out and leads to an even bigger dependency on the android ecosystem. Face it, without help from android, BB10 would be doing even worse probably. Thats not the BB10 I want. I want it to stand alone and kick the crutches to the curve.

I tried to rely on skype on my Z10 for a meeting with the Mods here on CB and it failed miserably. Resulted in my missing half the meeting. To me it would be better not to have it as an option than to have to go through what I did that day. I would have just used my laptop or Nexus where it would have worked fine instead or working with the half baked port on the Z.

Just out of curiousity--why didn't you all use BBM?

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[howarmat]

i dont know i didnt call the meeting but i assume so people could also use a computer too if they wanted. Does BBM support conference calls yet?

[JTon]

Great points made on both sides in this thread. But I do absolutely think android ports are a game changer.

For a little insight: In software dev speak, this is a classic chicken and egg problem. Article below explains it perfectly, it's a long read but it's well worth it Strategy Letter II: Chicken and Egg Problems - Joel on Software

[SDTRMG]

It is a chicken before the egg problem. I think it's a plus because some developers like the one from "MyWorkOut", port there app over, and when they see support released a native version.

Port - http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...ntent/26395882

Native - http://appworld.blackberry.com/webst...ntent/30313887

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