BlackBerry rumored to have plans for an Android powered Passport

Images of a BlackBerry Passport Silver Edition running Android 5.1 are rumored to be photographs of a prototype being developed by the company. According to the latest speculation, a version of the handset powered by Google's open source OS will be made available in the second quarter of 2016. The device would be known as the BlackBerry Passport 2.

There is a huge caveat however. The rumor states that BlackBerry will release the Android flavored Passport only if the BlackBerry Venice rings up some respectable numbers. This is the slider that has already leaked with Android on board. The Venice (which is just a code name for the model) is expected to be released in November, in time to reap the benefits from the holiday shopping season. All four major U.S. carriers will reportedly offer the model, which will also be available with BlackBerry 10 inside.

This past June, BlackBerry CEO John Chen said that BlackBerry would build an Android phone only if it can be secure. "We only build secure phones, and BlackBerry is the most secure phone," said the executive. "So, if I can find a way to secure the Android phone, I will also build that." It appears that Chen's team has found a way to make Android secure.


source: 4gnews.pt (translated) via TudoCellular (translated)