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BlackBerry 10 devices may get to install Android apps directly from Google Play

BlackBerry 10 devices may get to install Android apps directly from Google Play

By Anupam Saxena | Updated: 11 November 2013 10:53 IST

It's always been easy to port Android apps for BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry PlayBook OS, and users can even side-load certain Android apps on devices powered by these operating systems.

However, a new rumour now suggests that Google's Play Store app marketplace could soon land on BlackBerry 10, opening the door to the world of Android apps for BlackBerry users.

With BlackBerry 10.2, BlackBerry updated the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps and Plug-in to be able to run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean apps, enabling almost all modern Android apps to work on BlackBerry 10. Now, n4bb.com reports that BlackBerry is in talks with Google to bring the Play Store to BlackBerry 10 devices. It also posted a few screenshots of the Play Store running on a BlackBerry Z10, but later informed that the images were fake.

If the rumour turns out to be true and talks between the two giants do materialise into a done deal, BlackBerry would be able to solve the scarcity problem for the BlackBerry 10 app ecosystem, something faced by all late-entrants, including Microsoft's Windows Phone 8. The ailing smartphone maker's new devices based on the OS have not been embraced by users at the level that it expected, resulting in the company suffering financial losses and taking an inventory write down due to unsold devices. However, access to the Play Store may infuse a new lease of life into the platform.

BlackBerry has said that it's moving its focus from devices to services and software targeted at the government and enterprise segments. However, it will continue to operate its handset business. So, bringing the Play Store would the best option for the company wherein it could keep its BlackBerry 10 OS, on which it spent a large amount of resources, and still embrace Android in a big way, keeping consumers happy.

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