BlackBerry Hub applications will be available on Android Mashmallow.
BlackBerry’s initial strategy to continue releasing their traditional keyboard phones with their own operating system, BlackBerry 10, hasn’t been successful. To compensate, they have recently decided to more readily embrace the current trend and use Android for their new phones. Now, it also plans to release the BlackBerry Hub apps for Google’s OS.
The Canadian smartphone producer has not only recently released its second Android Phone, DTEK50, but it also wants to release its core suite of apps included in the BlackBerry Hub, found in all of their phones, on Android.
Unfortunately, the apps will not be widely available. The company has stated that the BlackBerry Hub applications would run initially only on phones with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and are able to meet certain performance standards. As of yet, the Marshmallow version of Android is installed only on 15% of all the devices. The company has also announced plans to expand the Hub’s availability to Android 5.0 Lollipop as well.
BackbBerry Hub applications provide users a unified access to various social media and email accounts, a calendar, a password and contacts manager as well as features for device search and various tasks like taking notes. The move on Android will allow both previous BlackBerry users as well as users of other devices to experience the company’s productivity suite.
“BlackBerry Hub is the first pure software offering from the new Mobility Solutions Group. But it’s a natural move for us. Not only is it the latest example of BlackBerry’s fast-emerging software business but it fulfills our promise to make the fruits of decades of R&D and software development as widely available to users of other devices and other platforms as possible.”
In light of the steady decline of their market share, BlackBerry doesn’t have the luxury to keep the exclusivity of their software available only on their phones. Although the Hub uses a paid subscription model, $0.99 a month for full access to all the apps in its suite, it offers a 30-day free trial during the first few month of the Hub’s release on Android. After that period, the users who aren’t willing to pay can still use the suite but will have to endure occasional ads.
Will you try out the new BlackBerry Hub apps?
Image source: Wikimedia
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