1. mornhavon's Avatar
    Microsoft has announced that they'll be releasing a Windows 10 ROM so that Android "power users" can flash it onto their phones to turn them into Windows 10 devices.
    Source: TechCrunch | Microsoft Is Developing Software That Converts Android Phones To Windows 10

    I think that if BB10 followed that move by releasing a BB10 ROM for Android devices with an unlockable boot loader, there might be some benefits for BB. I realize there would be drawbacks as well, but I think it could make for an interesting discussion.

    Some of my thoughts:
    1) The last full-touch BB10 device was released 18 months ago with specs that are now 3 years old. There's no successor on the roadmap for this year. Instead of losing users to another platform, this would at least give the hardcore all-touch crowd something to tether them to BB10 until a "true" all-touch BB10 device is released.

    2) Appealing to the tech enthusiast market did wonders for Android. I understand that a BB10 ROM won't have nearly the same effect, but what better way is there to entice enthusiasts to actually try out BB10 and compare it to the dominant OS on an apples-to-apples basis? Just look at some of the excitement that OS's like Jolla Sailfish & Ubuntu have generated by doing the same. If you want the enthusiasts to see BB10 as being far different from BBOS, this would certainly help. Enthusiasts are also the ones that their friends/family often look to for advice when shopping for a new phone, generate some excitement and it will be contagious.

    3) BB10 has received no love from developers, even with ported Android apps. Part of the reason for that (aside from the obvious reasons that are brought up regularly) is that developers rarely have BB10 devices to test their apps on. If a ROM was freely available to them that could switch between 1:1 and 16:9 ratios and show how the Android Runtime on BB10 is running their app (and troubleshoot it if need be), there might be fewer apps in the Amazon App Store blocking BB10 devices.

    I'm not saying that BlackBerry needs to do this, it would take time and maybe nothing good would come from it. I would just be excited to see/try something like this and I'm curious if I'm alone or not. As it stands, it just seems like there may not be much of a future for BB10 unless something changes its trajectory.
    03-18-15 01:05 PM
  2. Ment's Avatar
    High development cost, low return. Won't fly while Chen is at the helm. Would be great for enthusiasts tho.
    Troy Tiscareno and JeepBB like this.
    03-18-15 01:16 PM
  3. thurask's Avatar
    No, still no apps for it.

    Posted via CB10
    03-18-15 01:22 PM
  4. ljfong's Avatar
    Nope. Not even sure if BB10 goes open-source with no string attached licensing will help.
    03-18-15 01:30 PM
  5. LateToTheGame's Avatar
    I'd love to put BB10 on my iPhone 4S (I know, a pipe dream as the 4S doesn't have enough memory) and see how much attention I got in the office with it...
    03-18-15 01:32 PM
  6. CrackberryQ's Avatar
    well BlackBerry can release a bb10 theme with gestures and limited hub, to give android users a taste of bb10, that may be a marketing ploy to get them over if executed properly.

    But a BlackBerry rom for android phones costs more, and no return.

    Dunno.

    Love the idea but don't see the funding.

    Ps. Hats off to microsoft!!!! Doing it the PC way, a software you install on any hardware! And they got the cash to back it up!

    Posted via CB10
    anon(8063781) likes this.
    03-18-15 01:40 PM
  7. robsteve's Avatar
    It would have to be a real ROM chip or whatever BlackBerry uses in their phones to ensure end to end security. In other words, license the technology to a third party like Samsung, but the phone would not be an Android phone, just a BlackBerry made under license by a third party. BlackBerry would not release their software for use on existing phones, as BlackBerry could not ensure the security of both the device and the software.
    03-18-15 01:59 PM
  8. pttptppt's Avatar
    How would gestures work? Most android phone and physical buttons, bb10 requires the bottom bezel for leaving an app

    Posted via CB10
    03-18-15 02:18 PM
  9. vbdwork's Avatar
    Android based autoloader for all devices will be much better offer.

    BB10 ROM for popular Android devices will be the end of BlackBerry hardware.
    03-18-15 03:15 PM
  10. Tatwi's Avatar
    I would put WP10 on my Z10 to test it out, provided I could go back to BB10 without issues.

    As far as BlackBerry 10 on Android hardware goes... realistically I doubt I would buy an Android to put BlackBerry 10 on it, because I already have a spare Z10 and I prefer using my Q10.

    That said, if I didn't have Q10 and Z10, I would be more than happy to buy an Xperia or HTC and install BB10 on it.
    03-18-15 04:15 PM
  11. mornhavon's Avatar
    No, still no apps for it.
    I agree with you that ecosystem is by far the largest point against BB10, but if there's no appeal to the OS itself despite the lack of apps, doesn't that essentially mean BB10 is doomed outside of the enterprise/government organizations? And if it has retreated that far, isn't it simply a matter of time before lack of R&D and an increased competitive environment kill BB10 completely?

    I was just hoping there was a glimmer of hope for it as part of the enthusiast space, and through that, a niche within the consumer space.
    03-18-15 05:50 PM
  12. mornhavon's Avatar
    well BlackBerry can release a bb10 theme with gestures and limited hub, to give android users a taste of bb10, that may be a marketing ploy to get them over if executed properly.
    I'm looking forward to seeing if the BB10 Hub/Keyboard are available to all Android devices, or if it's more of a BES tie-in. Either way, anything that BlackBerry releases for Android seems like it would draw more BB10 users to Android than the reverse, especially without a flagship all-touch in the works.
    03-18-15 05:51 PM
  13. mornhavon's Avatar
    It would have to be a real ROM chip or whatever BlackBerry uses in their phones to ensure end to end security. In other words, license the technology to a third party like Samsung, but the phone would not be an Android phone, just a BlackBerry made under license by a third party. BlackBerry would not release their software for use on existing phones, as BlackBerry could not ensure the security of both the device and the software.
    I don't think any manufacturer has a reason to license BB10, so if that's what BB would require, it's dead in the water.

    Flashing a BB10 ROM onto an Android device wouldn't be a solution for enterprises or government organizations looking to benefit fully from BB10's security. It would simply be a way of keeping BB10's dwindling consumer base interested and hopefully gaining it some newfound respect from the enthusiast crowd, and through it possibly a niche in the consumer crowd. If BB10 is worth saving in the long-term, something needs to be done to showcase the OS on its own merits.
    03-18-15 05:54 PM
  14. mornhavon's Avatar
    How would gestures work? Most android phone and physical buttons, bb10 requires the bottom bezel for leaving an app
    Outside of the single small button on the Samsung Galaxy S/Note series, I can't remember the last Android device I saw with a physical button on the front. Maybe there are still some others that cling to them, but most modern Android devices that I'm aware of have no front-facing buttons.
    03-18-15 05:55 PM
  15. pttptppt's Avatar
    Outside of the single small button on the Samsung Galaxy S/Note series, I can't remember the last Android device I saw with a physical button on the front. Maybe there are still some others that cling to them, but most modern Android devices that I'm aware of have no front-facing buttons.
    I've seen many that appear not to have physical buttons but in fact, they don't appear until needed (in which case, they get illuminated)
    It's kind of like a toolbelt except you can't see it

    Posted via CB10
    03-18-15 09:37 PM
  16. mornhavon's Avatar
    I've seen many that appear not to have physical buttons but in fact, they don't appear until needed (in which case, they get illuminated)
    It's kind of like a toolbelt except you can't see it
    Thanks for explaining. Those are software buttons that just use part of the normal touchscreen display, when those buttons aren't displayed that part of the screen is used like any other part of the display. They wouldn't exist with another OS installed on the device.
    03-18-15 09:48 PM
  17. pttptppt's Avatar
    Thanks for explaining. Those are software buttons that just use part of the normal touchscreen display, when those buttons aren't displayed that part of the screen is used like any other part of the display. They wouldn't exist with another OS installed on the device.
    I know what you're talking about, the software buttons on nexus phones.

    What I meant was the buttons that look like software buttons, but in reality aren't. I know HTC uses these, xiaomi does and a few others

    Posted via CB10
    03-18-15 10:03 PM
  18. mornhavon's Avatar
    I know what you're talking about, the software buttons on nexus phones.

    What I meant was the buttons that look like software buttons, but in reality aren't. I know HTC uses these, xiaomi does and a few others
    Thanks. I wasn't aware of those.

    Like Microsoft though, BB could pick and choose which models to support. It's not an all-or-nothing scenario. There are many suitable models without capacitive buttons.
    Last edited by mornhavon; 03-18-15 at 10:47 PM.
    03-18-15 10:06 PM
  19. toneytone's Avatar
    I don't think any manufacturer has a reason to license BB10, so if that's what BB would require, it's dead in the water.

    Flashing a BB10 ROM onto an Android device wouldn't be a solution for enterprises or government organizations looking to benefit fully from BB10's security. It would simply be a way of keeping BB10's dwindling consumer base interested and hopefully gaining it some newfound respect from the enthusiast crowd, and through it possibly a niche in the consumer crowd. If BB10 is worth saving in the long-term, something needs to be done to showcase the OS on its own merits.
    This would be my point in making it happen. If the likes of HTC, LG or Sony stay away from OS10 it would help to get and keep the tech community talking about BB. Samsung wouldnt mind either i dont think.

    Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android
    03-18-15 11:41 PM
  20. JeepBB's Avatar
    High development cost, low return. Won't fly while Chen is at the helm. Would be great for enthusiasts tho.
    I agree with this. I can't see BB doing this.

    For Microsoft, the idea makes more sense. I'm sure quite a few techie people would try out WP10 on their handsets, just to see something of the OS which is often mentioned in the techie sites they visit. Some might even be sufficiently impressed to stay with WP10.

    MS and BB are at different stages with their OS's. BB10 has a tiny marketshare, and its shrinking. WP has a small (but much larger) marketshare, and it's growing... It has a buzz ... it's seen as new ... It's in the press (and unlike BB, for the right reasons!)... That might tempt people to try it out - and MS has the cash to do it.

    By contrast, trying out BB10 at this stage... what would it gain you. Even if you loved BB10, how could you have confidence that it has a future?
    Last edited by JeepBB; 03-19-15 at 04:04 AM.
    Jas00555 and mornhavon like this.
    03-19-15 03:51 AM

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