BlackBerry is making an android phone

Depends a lot on the keyboard quality and how they modify Android to work with their network.
 
Secure Android phone? If anybody could, BlackBerry could make Android secure. But that's still a long shot though.

Still as a work phone, they would be hard to beat.
 
Eh, just another face in the already massively packed crowd of Android phone makers. This definitely won't bring them much success since if you're not Samsung or <insert_random_Chinese_OEM_here> then you won't be making any serious money off of Android.
 
I thought they should've done this a long time ago. As great as the QNX OS is, I don't see there being too much, other than from security standpoint, they couldn't do on Android that they already do on BB10 OS. As much as I love their latest OS, they could easily integrate that into android, and all their phones are running the same hardware as well.

With their patents on hold, I think they could make a splash, albeit small, in the market, and maybe even bring out more keyboard phones.

Plus there's enough fanboys like myself that would probably buy it to keep them afloat I think....
 
Yakk said:
Secure Android phone? If anybody could, BlackBerry could make Android secure. But that's still a long shot though.

Still as a work phone, they would be hard to beat.
Click to expand...

Ever heard of the Black phone?

But you can make any phone completely secure if you want to; disable its network connection. :p

Basically, if it's on the internet, it's not 100% secure.
 
I do have to admit to wanting to go back to a flip phone... One, it's still a PHONE! Two, I won't have to answer work mails... Damn, can't do it: they got me there...
 
Yakk said:
Secure Android phone? If anybody could, BlackBerry could make Android secure. But that's still a long shot though.

Still as a work phone, they would be hard to beat.
Click to expand...

Secure as in how? Android base already has encryption and domain security features (you can wipe, encrypt/decrypt, locate, lock, etc.) the phone remotely. The newest Android version has per-app permissions (can deny an individual app access to the GPS for example) and multiuser support.

I said this years ago for Blackberry when they started losing a lot of the enterprise market to Apple. They should have pivoted earlier to being a premium Android handset maker. They could develop their BBM and other exclusive apps on a custom locked-down build of Android while getting the advantage of Android's vast app marketplace.
 
So here is the BlackBerry Venice. Picture from EVleak. It's a Android phone with a slide out keyboard. Locked down with a higher level of security.

CMwEvNzUsAAe8KH.jpg

http://gizmodo.com/our-first-good-look-at-the-blackberry-android-franken-p-1725068100
 
If priced right, I bet it will sell decently. Lots of people out there still wanting a nice keyboard to use on their phone. I kinda miss it myself actually.
 
Are those giant speaker grills on the bottom?

Found more old pictures:
BlackBerry-Venice.png


Really Old:
The-BlackBerry-Venice-could-be-available-this-November-with-Android-or-BB10-aboard.png
 
Funny thing is, I could see people using the Venice even if they don't touch the hardware keyboard. That's a nice design, and the talk of some high-end specs means that this would be pretty powerful. Just hope that the real deal lives up to the renders.
 
That is pretty slick. Any tech specs available? I would love to go back to a real keyboard. My all time favorite keyboard was on the BB 9700.
 
This looks like just a mock up to me... nothing for sure yet.

I can understand their reasoning for not choosing to go with android before. But it didnt pan out as hoped for. So now if this does become a reality, it will be nice, but will be different than what is shown and will be just not enough to get the company back in the running.

in my opinion of course
 
txsizzler said:
That is pretty slick. Any tech specs available? I would love to go back to a real keyboard. My all time favorite keyboard was on the BB 9700.
Click to expand...
Current rumored specs:

5.4-inch quad HD display
18-megapixel camera
Snapdragon 808
3GB of RAM

I think the biggest selling point of this point is security. Why buy a blackphone when you can just get a blackberry?
 
CHANG3D said:
Why buy a blackphone when you can just get a blackberry?
Click to expand...

Why buy a BlackBerry when I could buy a Blackphone? When it comes to Android, I'd trust Blackphone's experience over BlackBerry's for no other reason than that they already have a successful, secure device on the market running that OS. If I care about security, why would I go for the very first Android device ever produced by a company? BlackBerry's reputation for security comes almost exclusively from QNX. Where is the basis for that trust if they take that piece out of the picture completely?

If security is the main selling point for this device, it needs to keep running QNX on the backend with sandboxed compatibility for Android apps on the frontend. BlackBerry is clearly going for something else here, but I'm not sure what it is. Security is pretty much their last bastion, hopefully they're not shedding it simply for the "mass appeal" of Android.
 
Man, will BlackBerry just die already? I'm Canadian and it's a Canadian company and all but I'm so tired if them.

We still have hundreds of 9900 Blackberries and a few hundred bb10 devices (z10, Q10, z30, passport etc). We have two different BES systems to support BlackBerry devices.

Then another MDM solution for Android and iOS. Then recently BlackBerry has been touting it's ability to manage iOS and Android... with a new version of BES.

Licensing is a nightmare from what I'm hearing from our mail/bes admin.

Oh and did I mention how much I hate the useless interface on my Z10? Wow, I can't wait to get off the BlackBerry train for my work phone.
 
Canon said:
Man, will BlackBerry just die already? I'm Canadian and it's a Canadian company and all but I'm so tired if them.

We still have hundreds of 9900 Blackberries and a few hundred bb10 devices (z10, Q10, z30, passport etc). We have two different BES systems to support BlackBerry devices.

Then another MDM solution for Android and iOS. Then recently BlackBerry has been touting it's ability to manage iOS and Android... with a new version of BES.

Licensing is a nightmare from what I'm hearing from our mail/bes admin.

Oh and did I mention how much I hate the useless interface on my Z10? Wow, I can't wait to get off the BlackBerry train for my work phone.
Click to expand...

I don't want it to die (as a fellow Canadian) -- I just want it to adapt to modern reality. Venice looks like it'd be a big step in that direction between running Android and carrying up-to-date hardware.

The rumor that this phone could be available on all the major US carriers on launch is a big deal. That'd put it on the same level as top-tier vendors, a position it hasn't enjoyed... well, for a long time. Wouldn't it be interesting if the Venice was a genuinely popular device and helped BlackBerry bounce back (though unlikely anywhere near its glory days) in a way that BB10 never did?
 
Trash. I think people only think they want a real keyboard and its because of nostalgia. They're awful and cant compare to the quality touch screens we have today.
 
Aurelius said:
I don't want it to die (as a fellow Canadian) -- I just want it to adapt to modern reality. Venice looks like it'd be a big step in that direction between running Android and carrying up-to-date hardware.

The rumor that this phone could be available on all the major US carriers on launch is a big deal. That'd put it on the same level as top-tier vendors, a position it hasn't enjoyed... well, for a long time. Wouldn't it be interesting if the Venice was a genuinely popular device and helped BlackBerry bounce back (though unlikely anywhere near its glory days) in a way that BB10 never did?
Click to expand...

It would be interesting and competition is good but man am I tired of seeing the constant fumbling. It really says something when we are taking action to move away from BlackBerry at work though. We've been an exclusively blackberry shop for more than a decade...
 
They build phones for a very limited market, then wonder why they don't make money like companies who make phones for the general market. I'm not educated in business but this model doesn't seem like a good idea for a company who's best known for being bad at making money.
 
...and they named it the Priv.

Did they not run that by anyone who speaks English?
 
lloose said:
They build phones for a very limited market, then wonder why they don't make money like companies who make phones for the general market. I'm not educated in business but this model doesn't seem like a good idea for a company who's best known for being bad at making money.
Click to expand...

Companies are making money selling for the general market?
 
I'm still not sure if it's supposed to be pronounced like "privy" (long "i") or "private" (short "i") - I mean I get the gist of the name but I still think it's a bit ridiculous to have decided on that. Venice was a better name, in my opinion, or something else but, Priv? Seriously?

Can BlackBerry please stop shooting itself in the foot?
 
Like alot of guys have already posted, I'm a former BB geek so I'd give it a shot. My personal phone is up for an upgrade so why the heck not. I like the idea of a physical keyboard, only use the touchscreen because I have to.
 
All the details I've seen about the name is that it's pronounced Priv as in privacy, and not prev as in "previous years were good to us."

I might get this phone instead of one of the new Nexuses if the reviews are any good. But I doubt it, cause first generation products are rarely ever good, this being BB's first android based phone.

Hey, if BB throws in a full sized BB-8, it'll make it that much more likely for me to back this phone!
 
A bit late to the party wouldnt you say? They were convinced that their OS would win out poor choice, and the stockholders felt it and are still feeling it
 
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