All Blackberry phones run on its proprietary operating system. But this software, that was used exclusively in Blackberry phones up till now, might go open source. Research in motion, the company that manufactures Blackberry phones, has decided to sell (licence rather) its operating system to other smartphone manufacturers also. The company claims that it has been getting offers to deploy its OS on handsets from many companies for quite some time now.
However, Blackberry might lay out some rules before it leases out its OS. RIM might give other companies the chance to use its operating system but it will not let then make significant changes to it. As a matter of fact, Blackberry will unbolt other products and services also. It is going to open up and network with other competitors in the market and is taking several steps in this direction.
Firstly, its Playbook tablet will work with Android apps also. It is also coming out with Blackberry Mobile Fusion. In this system, the company will allow its servers to manage and monitor security of other devices. So, it is quite evident that the company is altering its strategy and their next move will surely be giving other companies the authorization to use their operating system.
So, the range of products and offerings in the mobile phone market will increase enormously. Also, Blackberry fans will have a wider assortment of products to choose from. This will bring about another change in Blackberry branded merchandise. The company will be able to lower the prices of its products. The mobile phone market is becoming price competitive and very soon Blackberry will be able to hold out in the price sensitive scenario. This is definitely a move in the right direction as Blackberry has been losing share in the mobile phone segment, which is primarily dominated by Android and iPhone.
Apple and Blackberry are two brands that have always kept their operating systems exclusive. Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone, Nokia’s Symbian and Microsoft’s Windows Phone mobile operating system are quite popular in this space. As a result, they are installed in handsets churned out by different brands. HTC, Nokia and Samsung are some big players in the mobile phone market who use these operating systems. Samsung also has its own platform called Bada but the company sells many handsets that run on Android and Windows too.
In fact, many other brands will also join the bandwagon. HP has decided to lend out its operating system WebOS to other companies. Samsung might also release its Bada operating system to other players. Apart from the big players, many small companies are also making a foray into this market. For instance, Ubuntu and Tizen are also looking to grab their share of customers. Hence, this market is going to witness a clutter in the near future. With so much activity going on, the clannish Blackberry too will enter the market and might soon license its operating system to other manufacturers.
Via: The Mobile Indian