BlackBerry is expected to launch its first smartphones running Android software this year, including the upcoming BlackBerry “Venice” phone with a slide-out keyboard, and a version of the BlackBerry Passport phone with a 4.5 inch square display and a physical keyboard which also acts as a touch surface below the screen.
The phones are expected to use Google’s operating system and feature support for the Google Play Store. But they’ll also come with a number of BlackBerry apps and services.
Not sure how that will work? This video might help you get your head around a BlackBerry phone with Android software. The good stuff starts about 5 minutes into the video.
Dudu Rocha Tec has posted a video (in Portuguese but Google can provide a very rough translation if you turn on captions) showing a BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition phone with Google Android Lollipop software.
You can tell it’s Lollipop, because not only does it feature a Lollipop-style home screen and app launcher, but he also shows the Lollipop logo that pops up when you tap on the version number in the phone’s settings menu.
The phone features an Android-style notification tray and Quick Settings, on-screen home, back, and recents buttons, and support for Android apps including Chrome, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
The video also provides a brief glimpse at some of the BlackBerry-specific apps that will be included, such as BlackBerry apps including BlackBerry Messenger, BBM Meetings, and BlackBerry Safeguard.
via 9to5Google