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This rumor comes up every year. There would be no advantage to them releasing an Android device. They wouldn't get any cut of app sales, they can't control Android security (which is an absolute joke), and people still won't buy it because it's a BB.

I'm a die hard BB fan. I've had 6 or 7 BB devices since 2004 (currently a Z10 running 10.3.1) and I'm a 10+ year BES admin. The BlackBerry 10 OS is solid, secure and fast. Give it time. A lot of time. It already runs most Android apps.

Android is a mess. It varies wildly between phone manufacturers and it is dominated by 2 or 3 companies. Don't go down that path.

I agree it's very unlikely they'd switch completely to Android. Obviously you're not aware they've been making a secure Android for certain customers for some time now (in partnership with Boeing).

You're wrong about Android being unsecurable - there are several high-end phone manufacturers that build their own secure Androids, you just won't see them on Best Buy (the cheapest is probably the Black Phone).

Sections of HQ Jock and Lockheed Martin have a strict policy on electronic devices that can be brought into secure areas - they have to be compared to detailed xray and infared images, and know weights before they are allowed in. The same data shows software and there are a number of "approved" secure Android (and iOS) builds - no Lumia though. There's some very interesting devices on those lists (and some sports car price range crap) - turns out there are many more phone manufacturers out there than what's available through your local carrier on a contract deal.

I would agree with that to some extent.

But remember, these pet-projects, such as Firefox OS has potential as it becomes bigger to serve the needs of corporates... just like we recently heard Panasonic using FirefoxOS in the smart-TV's.

And other projects like Thunderbird, which they wanted to downscale or end, serves many millions of users.

And sadly, there is no other privacy-orientated alternatives to Firefox, keeping in mind the massive add-ons eco-system - which work on all 3 major platforms.

Also, it's been like 8 years since iPhone came out, and yet we still don't really have a viable privacy-based alternatives to the likes of android spyware, etc. ... except perhaps, maybe the BlackPhone.

On the web page they claim to support open source etc, but their product is apparently closed source as much as possible.

They have opened the kernel and two apps, the rest is closed down.
https://support.blackphone.ch/...

So you got to trust them to not be a NSA honey-pot or something else.

I think not.

I guess we have to accept that we can't trust The Powers That Be to respect our right to privacy. Fortunately there are options.

I reckon more folks should be installing Open Whisper Systems RedPhone for encrypting their own calls. https://whispersystems.org/

Then there's always the Blackphone handset for more serious business too. https://www.blackphone.ch/phone/

I supposed if you were really paranoid you could run RedPhone on your Blackphone...

...Blackphone?

but Google will have to know, so the NSA can't do it secretly anymore

Sure, but that doesn't matter. Google (will roll | have rolled | are rolling) over for the NSA, so you don't gain anything by this.

The moment the NSA have to ask you personally, that's when you're onto something. End-to-end crypto gives you that, of course.

Related: Tox secure IM, the Blackphone. Do keep an eye on those two projects. Promising stuff.