BlackBerry 10 Smartphones Receive Lifeline With Amazon Appstore Support
As BlackBerry clings to a less 1 percent share of the smartphone market in the U.S., the Canadian handset maker announced today that all BlackBerry users living stateside will soon have access to Android apps from the Amazon Appstore. While access to Google Play would have been preferred, the Amazon Appstore is a nice consolation prize for anyone wanting to run Android apps on their BlackBerry phone.
Access to Amazon Appstore comes courtesy of the BlackBerry 10.3.2 software update. It's already begun rolling out to BlackBerry Classic users on Verizon and T-Mobile, along with AT&T BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 customers. For everyone else, the update will arrive in the "coming weeks" to cover every BlackBerry 10 device in the U.S. and other carriers around the globe.
"With this update, all U.S. BlackBerry users will get to enjoy a fresh look, improved features, even stronger security and anti-theft protection (BlackBerry Protect!), and access to the Amazon Appstore, with hundreds of thousands of Android apps. More power, more privacy, and even more productivity," BlackBerry said.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition runs $6.99 at the Amazon Appstore
The company can talk all it wants about improved features and security -- the real draw here is gaining access to the Amazon Appstore, as previously promised. This will give BlackBerry users access to apps that haven't been developed for the BlackBerry platform, like Minecraft: Pocket Edition. The other bonus is that Amazon offers a different paid app for free every day
Access to Amazon Appstore comes courtesy of the BlackBerry 10.3.2 software update. It's already begun rolling out to BlackBerry Classic users on Verizon and T-Mobile, along with AT&T BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 customers. For everyone else, the update will arrive in the "coming weeks" to cover every BlackBerry 10 device in the U.S. and other carriers around the globe.
"With this update, all U.S. BlackBerry users will get to enjoy a fresh look, improved features, even stronger security and anti-theft protection (BlackBerry Protect!), and access to the Amazon Appstore, with hundreds of thousands of Android apps. More power, more privacy, and even more productivity," BlackBerry said.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition runs $6.99 at the Amazon Appstore
The company can talk all it wants about improved features and security -- the real draw here is gaining access to the Amazon Appstore, as previously promised. This will give BlackBerry users access to apps that haven't been developed for the BlackBerry platform, like Minecraft: Pocket Edition. The other bonus is that Amazon offers a different paid app for free every day
