BlackBerry recently announced its first Android-based smartphone. (Photo : Reuters)
The Android-based BlackBerry Priv was recently unveiled with a release date scheduled in December. As the rumored release date of the device looms closer, there are reports claiming that BlackBerry is planning to ditch its own BB10 operating system in favor of Android.
According to CNET, the Canadian company announced on Sept. 25 that its upcoming Priv smartphone will run on Google's Android operating system. BlackBerry also confirmed that the Priv will be released before the end of 2015 and will be available through carrier stores and online retailers. The release of Priv will leave a significant mark in BlackBerry's history, a company known to use its exclusively developed software.
Many analysts are still skeptical regarding the impact Priv will make into BlackBerry's current status in the smartphone market. Some analysts believe that the Android-based Priv will not appeal to BlackBerry users, especially the hard core ones.
The transfer to the Android market could mean that BlackBerry is finally discarding any future plans for its own BlackBerry 10 software, popularly known as BB10. BlackBerry CEO John Chen has openly expressed his plans to merge or completely transfer to the Android platform.
Chen told analysts, "If our plan of doing the BlackBerry Android implementation works well and the security is accepted, of course we could replace or merge."
According to BGR, the Priv smartphone, which is short for privacy, is expected to sport a 5.4-inch Quad HD display. The smartphone is also expected to sport an 18-megapixel camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset with a hexa-core 1.8GHz processor. The Priv will also sport 3GB of internal memory.
