BlackBerry and Samsung already have some strong ties. BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has been available on other platforms for some time now but BlackBerry has support for the service in the form of an advertising deal with Samsung, which sees BBM promoted on Samsung Galaxy Android phones.
There were also rumours earlier this year that Samsung may even have considered purchasing BlackBerry in a deal alleged to be worth $7.5 billion. BlackBerry denied that the proposals ever existed but did indicate it would consider extending its partnership with Samsung.
Today, technology blogger and analyst Eldar Murtazin tweeted that the pair may be working together to build a new Android phone featuring BlackBerry’s trademark services. SamMobile notes that credence is added to the claim by the reports last week of BlackBerry working on an Android-powered phone.
It would be ready for launch later this year and feature a large touchscreen on top of the distinctive BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard in a slider design. The phone would retain access to BlackBerry’s core features, probably through a custom BlackBerry-designed Android skin as other manufacturers have done.
It remains to be seen whether these reports will ever come to fruition but the two claims do work together very well. If BlackBerry were to launch an Android phone then who better to turn to help for than the world’s most successful manufacturer of Android devices which it already has a strong working partnership with?
Although there is no way to verify these claims, it does appear as though BlackBerry may be trying to resurrect itself with an all-new Android-powered 2016 line-up.
