[S1LENTKILLER]

"BB-OS -10 community takeover " do you think this could ever happen? Because there is a majority of bb-os-10 users who aren't going to leave their blackberry ( me one of them) . I think blackberry should hand over its os to the community, or at least provide an android runtime upgrade.

What are your thoughts on this?

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

[conite]

"BB-OS -10 community takeover " do you think this could ever happen? Because there is a majority of bb-os-10 users who aren't going to leave their blackberry ( me one of them) . I think blackberry should hand over its os to the community, or at least provide an android runtime upgrade.

What are your thoughts on this?

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

BlackBerry will never give up its signing keys. They will also not make it open source as there is some QNX code they would want to keep secret.

[S1LENTKILLER]

At least they can provide us an android runtime upgrade to 4.4. Why they don't?

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

[Platinum_2]

At least they can provide us an android runtime upgrade to 4.4. Why they don't?

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

I'm sure this has been evaluated. Likely, they would have to sign an agreement with Google to gain official access to the Playstore. Although, I'm not sure if it was ever discussed why such agreement did not/has not/will not occur(ed).

[S1LENTKILLER]

So basically we haven't got anything to be called as 'hope'...

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

[conite]

At least they can provide us an android runtime upgrade to 4.4. Why they don't?

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

What's in it for BlackBerry? BB10 is already effectively EOL.

Also, as long as BlackBerry makes BlackBerry Android, they aren't permitted to work on a Runtime.

[app_Developer]

So basically we haven't got anything to be called as 'hope'...

Posted via The Last Original Blackberry.

It depends on what your hope is. If you hope to continue to use your phone as it is, there are people on this forum doing that with you.

If you hope that BB will update the android runtime, that seems extremely unlikely.

And if you expect developers to work on an open source BB10, that seems unlikely also. There are already fun phone OS projects out there which aren’t dependent on a closed source proprietary kernel (qnx) and which run currently available hardware (which BB10 does not)

[PantherBlitz]

At least they can provide us an android runtime upgrade to 4.4. Why they don't?

4.4 won't get one very far, either.
Why won't they? As others have pointed out, they can't. Even if they could, they no longer sell BB10 phones and have zero interest in spending their money on past projects.

[Troy Tiscareno]

"BB-OS -10 community takeover " do you think this could ever happen? Because there is a majority of bb-os-10 users who aren't going to leave their blackberry ( me one of them) . I think blackberry should hand over its os to the community, or at least provide an android runtime upgrade.

If you sold your house 5 years ago, and the new buyers came to you 5 years later and asked you to remodel their bathroom for them - at your expense - I'm sure you'd start calling contractors and interior designers immediately and putting them to work, right? LOL.

The BB10 project resulted in about $10 billion in net losses for BB. The last thing they want to do is spend another penny on it.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

I'm sure this has been evaluated. Likely, they would have to sign an agreement with Google to gain official access to the Playstore. Although, I'm not sure if it was ever discussed why such agreement did not/has not/will not occur(ed).

I don't think Google could prevent access to the playstore -monopoly wise. Google's proprietary pieces of services on the other hand would be a different story....Google maps vs. bb10 maps. Don't think it would be essential for BB to acquire those rights, just the updated vanilla android runtime would probably be sufficient....it would probably unload an avalanche of apps usuable from the Amazon Appstore whose minimum android version has risen from 4.3. Though it would be a breakthrough if they could figure out how to corral those android blob apps running on BB10 ..ie giving user more control to block when and what the app gets acccess to, and when it can, and when it can't.
Of course bb10 might have to be able to run in 64bit mode, not sure if they could manage to get 64bit apps running in the android runtime that might be running in 32 bit. But probably plenty of 32 bit apps still to choose from.

[joeldf]

I don't think Google could prevent access to the playstore -monopoly wise. Google's proprietary pieces of services on the other hand would be a different story....Google maps vs. bb10 maps. Don't think it would be essential for BB to acquire those rights, just the updated vanilla android runtime would probably be sufficient....it would probably unload an avalanche of apps usuable from the Amazon Appstore whose minimum android version has risen from 4.3. Though it would be a breakthrough if they could figure out how to corral those android blob apps running on BB10 ..ie giving user more control to block when and what the app gets acccess to, and when it can, and when it can't.
Of course bb10 might have to be able to run in 64bit mode, not sure if they could manage to get 64bit apps running in the android runtime that might be running in 32 bit. But probably plenty of 32 bit apps still to choose from.

BlackBerry can't update the runtime, because of their deal to get full android with Google services on the Priv.

Remember, it was around the same time of the official Priv announcement fully compliant with Google Play Services and related apps, that BlackBerry also announced to the developer community that the runtime will not be updated past the then-current version of 4.3.

And Google certainly can prevent access to Google Play if they wanted. The android OS itself is open source, but Play Services and the Play Store are very propriety. Google requires a certain level of compliance to be able to use the Play Store and be a certified device. BlackBerry is lucky Google let them keep the runtime at all.

The fact that BlackBerry is still using Android with the Play Store is one reason the runtime ain't never gettin' updated.

Another reason that there's nothing in it for BlackBerry to do anything more with BB10 in general.

[glwerry]

4.4 won't get one very far, either.
Why won't they? As others have pointed out, they can't. Even if they could, they no longer sell BB10 phones and have zero interest in spending their money on past projects.

This has been discussed in the past at great length. There are legal reasons for this.
Plus which this may not be an easy thing to do, likely very costly.

And, as always, there is the argument of WHAT FINANCIAL GAIN COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE FOR BB TO DO THIS? None.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

If BB had wanted to update the runtime... they could have done so in 2014 or 2015. . Bottom line Chen had already decided that BB10 wasn't worth putting more development into it. They weren't going to be able to turn around the launch crash and burn. He moved forward with the minimum needed to sell already committed to component purchases... but BB10 died at the end of 2013. The team managed to get out 10.3 as they were being whittled down.... it took the group remaining almost two years to do that one patch.

Sorry but today's BB10 is as good as it's going to be...

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

This is all purely hypothetical of course....but BlackBerry is not in the Google handset business anymore....they license their name and security features to a 3rd party that benefits from BlackBerry's software and hardware IP toolsets. Not saying they would ever do it (return bb10 to the marketplace), -however they are under no obligations to Google regarding bb10 or any bbos, in terms of if it was licensed out or they took a second look. So in theory yes they could AOSP an android update from 4.3 , and even license out that upgraded bb10 to produce phones or do it themselves.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Wow and if what I conjectured is untrue, and they have legal restrictions imposed by Google.....wow there's a case (i would suggest) of a monopoly weilding its power to prevent competition (however small). Wonder what the awards would be, if that was the case?

[bb10adopter111]

Wow and if what I conjectured is untrue, and they have legal restrictions imposed by Google.....wow there's a case (i would suggest) of a monopoly weilding its power to prevent competition (however small). Wonder what the awards would be, if that was the case?

The way anti-trust laws work, the public is then presumed victim, so enforcement actions are aimed to deprive offending companies of their trust-making power, by restricting what they are allowed to do.

No damages are awarded.

[Troy Tiscareno]

This is all purely hypothetical of course....but BlackBerry is not in the Google handset business anymore....they license their name and security features to a 3rd party that benefits from BlackBerry's software and hardware IP toolsets. Not saying they would ever do it (return bb10 to the marketplace), -however they are under no obligations to Google regarding bb10 or any bbos, in terms of if it was licensed out or they took a second look. So in theory yes they could AOSP an android update from 4.3 , and even license out that upgraded bb10 to produce phones or do it themselves.

Actually, that license is still very much in force, and will continue to be as long as BB is in any way involved in making Android devices with the Google Play Store. The license also impacts subcontractors and manufacturers, and in this case, BB is a subcontractor to TCL/BBMo.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Sure it is. Can you also show me the one that shows Microsoft office couldn't be hosted on Google Play while Windows phone was on the market.

[app_Developer]

Sure it is. Can you also show me the one that shows Microsoft office couldn't be hosted on Google Play while Windows phone was on the market.

Huh? Microsoft chose to make Office for Android. Why would Google oppose that??!

Google doesnt allow companies to distribute a certified Android build with Google services and Google apps while *also* distributing a fork of the AOSP. Companies have to choose one or the other.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Sure it is. Can you also show me the one that shows Microsoft office couldn't be hosted on Google Play while Windows phone was on the market.

No because that was never the intention.... Apple has a number of apps in Google Play today, and they are still making competing phones not running Android.

There is a difference in limiting access to Google Play from uncertified forked versions of Android and blocking an App Developer.

[app_Developer]

No because that was never the intention.... Apple has a number of apps in Google Play today, and they are still making competing phones not running Android.

There is a difference in limiting access to Google Play from uncertified forked versions of Android and blocking an App Developer.

And Google has apps in the Apple App Store. And Apple has made apps for Windows (desktop). And Microsoft makes apps for MacOS, iPad OS, Android.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

No because that was never the intention.... Apple has a number of apps in Google Play today, and they are still making competing phones not running Android.

There is a difference in limiting access to Google Play from uncertified forked versions of Android and blocking an App Developer.

Never said an updated bb10 device with AOSP upgraded to android 5, 6, 7,8 (9 or 10) had to have access to Google play. Amazon appstore is fine. 4.3 is what the android fans would like to see upgraded inside bb10, plus some more granular control of the android blob inside of bb10 is what i see.

[conite]

Never said an updated bb10 device with AOSP upgraded to android 5, 6, 7,8 (9 or 10) had to have access to Google play. Amazon appstore is fine. 4.3 is what the android fans would like to see upgraded inside bb10, plus some more granular control of the android blob inside of bb10 is what i see.

You aren't allowed to develop a forked Android PERIOD, if you also have a certified Android build.

Nor would they certify an Android VM anyway.

[Bbnivende]

BlackBerry still does business directly or indirectly with Google in the management of Android devices used by Enterprise and in cars. They can not go rogue.

[i_plod_an_dr_void]

Funny what's rogue for BlackBerry , isn't for Samsung...they're running phones with Tizen OS (yes I know its linux, it doesn't matter) and Google Android phones as well. Ironically the Samsung Tizen lineup is called the z-series (lol), and its not even like a license arrangement like BlackBerry's is. What is this rogue nonsense? In the business world your competitor can also be your supplier or partner in certain areas, this is nothing new....Google-Apple for example Google is both a supplier and competitor to Apple.