BlackBerry is hinting strongly at working on an Android device. On July 7, both AndroidSecured.com and AndroidSecured.net were registered to BlackBerry, says a report from Android Police.
BlackBerry making Android secure?
BlackBerry buying up Android-related domains goes in line with CEO John Chen’s comments during the company’s earnings results. On being asked if the company is developing an Android phone, Chen said he will go for an Android smartphone only if it is secure enough.
BlackBerry, which was once the leader in the smartphone segment, is now reportedly trusting Android OS to regain its position. Its not that BlackBerry has not made efforts to improve its platform. The Canadian company did try to make its own platform more attractive by offering Android app compatibility and Amazon App Store on its latest version.
However, the future plans of the company are still not known as they have still been offering support to existing devices, and have released new models on a regular basis despite sluggish sales. However, the question now arises; why BlackBerry is interested in Androidsecure.com?
Android phone in work?
It is widely rumored that the Waterloo Ontario-based firm is going to launch an Android smartphone dubbed as Venice. Except for information that it will have a sliding keyboard, no other details have surfaced on the device. Apart from Venice, there have been reports of a phone codenamed “Dallas,” which is expected to have the same design and specifications as the Passport. A few days back, there were reports that BlackBerry’s Dallas has been certified in three countries – Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The company has highlighted security as a key selling feature for many years. However, compromising on its USP certainly indicates that BlackBerry has larger plans for its hardware segment. Moreover, an Android phone should not come as a surprise as the company has been developing a range of apps for managing the security of the Android enterprise. It seems that BlackBerry is making calculated moves, rather than making decisions on the fly.
Just like Microsoft, BlackBerry is making efforts to enhance their software expertise outside their own platform. This means that the Canadian smartphone maker might be looking to improve Android with extra security features.
BlackBerry purchasing these domains could also mean very little. It could just mean they are buying up domain names for future plans, and to prevent others from buying them.
