Got a BlackBerry 10 device? If you do, you’ll soon see a notification that there’s an OS update waiting for you. And once it’s installed you’ll have access to a whole lot more apps than you did before BlackBerry 10.3.1.
That’s because the Amazon Appstore is part of the update. While owners of the two newest BlackBerry phones, the Passport and Classic, have had access all along, 10.3.1 will open the doors to all BlackBerry 10 devices. From the Z10 to the Q5, BlackBerry’s Android runtime will greatly improve the app situation on your phone.
This is great news for BlackBerry users, but it’s just too bad that the company decided to pull the plug on the Playbook. It ran plenty of Android apps without issue back when it could be jailbroken, and official support and access to the Appstore would have given it a new lease on life.There’s plenty more inside the 10.3.1 update. BlackBerry has also re-introduced keyboard shortcuts, and that’s a welcome addition for die-hards who purchased a QWERTY model and were surprised to find that functionality was missing. BlackBerry is also claiming that the improved power saving features in BlackBerry 10.3.1 can extend your phone’s battery life by as much as 15% (your mileage will no doubt vary based on how you use your device).You’ll get a push notification when your BlackBerry 10.3.1 download is ready, or if you’ve enabled automatic updates you’ll receive a ping in Hub when the download has begun.
Blackberry has officially given up on getting developers to write apps for their platform. Who is going to write an app for Blackberry if they can write an app for Android and cover both platforms? At this point is there any reason to buy Blackberry hardware? Some may say security but if the users are installing leaky Android apps that point is moot.
Why does it matter if you can now run android software? By that logic, is there any reason to buy HTC, Samsung, Sony etc? This sort of thing means individual companies lose a competitive distinctiveness, but it doesn’t mean ppl stop buying them – even if ppl are less loyal to one company, they still buy. (BB sales have dropped off a cliff, but it didn’t happen because of this.)
It would be fine if Android apps worked properly on a Blackberry device, they only work about 50% of the time and even then they are slow and often missing features. Furthermore, you have to do some serious side loading to get the Google Play Store on a Blackberry device, and no way are average users going to do that, thus they are left with the anemic Amazon AppStore which calls home EVERY SINGLE time you launch an app installed from it — great for battery life.
If Blackberry actually had a clue and made Android apps fully compatible and/or virtualized the entire Android OS on a BBRY device then we would have something to talk about, cause they could make it secure and much more private. . .
BUT that’s not what they’ve done. Therefore, there is NO point whatsoever to buy their outdated overpriced devices — much better off getting an Android device, rooting it, and installing security and privacy software.
50% is a bit of a exaggeration, the problem is mainly because the device is secure and thus the apps don’t have all the permissions they would get if running on a less locked down Android device. So certain apps can’t access everything they were designed to and that either cripples them or prevents them from running… If it wasn’t for those permission limits then a lot more apps would work…
While they are virtualizing, as they’re running Android Apps from within BB10… Just like Bluestack on a PC, they emulate Android to run the apps but that solution is never 100% effective and usually involves a significant performance hit…
They’re mainly doing this because they don’t have a robust App market for their BB10, and thus they need something for early adopters to crutch them over and not feel they’re giving up too much for trying out a BB device…
While only running Android natively would be 100% effective but even then it’s doubtful Google would allow access to the Play Store unless BB would fall lock-step with them and design a device around Google’s rules…
The reason companies like Samsung, Mozilla, etc. continue to work on alternatives like Tizen, Ubuntu Touch, etc. is because Google uses their proprietary apps and services to impose control over the Android market and that limits companies ability to distinguish themselves and do what they want with their device designs… So there are business reasons why they’re still pushing their own platform…
The only company that has so far managed to break away from Google and establish their own ecosystem is Amazon… but they had to create their own app Store and collection of apps to replace Google’s in order to do it…
As for over priced and outdated, not quite… The hardware is fairly current, just not high end/cutting edge and the pricing is about average for a Smart Phone that isn’t targeting the budget range… There are premium Android Phones you would pay even more for, in comparison… there’s just a lot of budget phones you could get instead…
And it’s just a hard sell because of how far BB has fallen in the market and it’s much harder to justify the investment now, versus other devices with much more market backing… Especially with the still lacking BB10 app market…
But there are still BB loyalist, especially those who still prefer the old BB thumb keyboard… which is why they released the “Classic” model and the company has been slowly turning things around ever since the new management took over… They still got a long way to go before they can truly say they’ve recovered, though they may never regain what they had before, but they’ve stopped their decline and AT&T and Verizon at least are starting to sell them again… So, we’ll see how it goes from here…