The CEO of Blackberry has confirmed that they will no longer release smartphones using their Blackberry 10 operating system and will only focus on Android. They intend on releasing two new devices in 2016, which will undoubtedly feature full keyboards for people who like that sort of thing. Additionally, the company has not given up on BB10, they will continue to support it for the foreseeable future.
The Android smartphone market has become relatively stagnant for the last few years in Canada and the United States. Blackberry focusing on Android is a welcome addition, taking on the likes of Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei, and the rest.
Have you seen any other major players releasing any sliding phones any time recently? Have you seen any of the major Android phone manufacturers releasing devices with hardware keyboards?
The Blackberry Priv has confirmed that people love high-end phones with a keyboard. I think Blackberry should continue to release smartphones using the Android, but i think they would be better served also targeting Windows phones too. Windows Mobile only has touchscreen displays and not a single model with a keyboard.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
