The latest news that is doing rounds in the mobile phone circuits is that BlackBerry is likely to bring out its new set of mobiles next year powered by android. However, in the light of the fact that the recently released set of phones are doing very well due to the new features in BlackBerry OS 7, it has to be seen whether the company will bring in another option for its users. This might also be an attempt to rise the sale in BlackBerry products which have lost a substantial amount of its markets to Apple and Android. The phones that run on Android are expected in the markets in the beginning months of 2012. The phones that will be powered by Android will run on QNX software. As of now, the name of the device is not known although it has been codenamed Colt.
Adoption of Android will definitely increase the sale of the phones since they are among the most popular smart phone makers in the country and a combination can be very attractive. This move is also expected to revive the dip in sales figures for RIM. RIM only has a 24% share in the American market and is behind Apple and Android. The percentage has fallen from that of last year.
Last year, BlackBerry acquired QNX, the open source OS. However, the software is not being used to its full potential. The only RIM device that uses it is BlackBerry PlayBook, which is a tablet. The company is expected to bring out a lot phones based on QNX technology. According to RIM, the acquisition is a great decision for good future growth. While PlayBook was supposed to be compatible with Android apps, features have not yet been implemented. The Android upgrade is unlikely to happen until next year.
BlackBerry will introduce Android app player in mobile phones as well but will be altered to match the performance of a mobile phone. Currently, it has been made compatible to the tablet, PlayBook. The app will be implemented on the phones as soon they enter the market. the delay will be eliminated, unlike in the PlayBook. One of the reasons why PlayBook has failed to click as much as it should have is because of the delay in launch of Android. The makers hope to avoid this unwanted scenario in the phones. However, there is still a long time before the phones will be released.