Waterloo, Ontario – BlackBerry smartphones running on the BlackBerry 10.3 OS due in the fall will be able to access Amazon’s Appstore to download Android apps, the company announced.
The intent is to expand the selection of popular apps and games available to BlackBerry users while the company redeploys its app-development resources to place more emphasis on developing “vital enterprise and productivity applications,” BlackBerry said.
The Amazon Appstore worldwide offers more than 240,000 Android applications, including Groupon, Netflix, Pinterest, Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft.
“Making the Amazon Appstore available on BlackBerry 10 devices will help BlackBerry continue to meet two essential needs: greater app availability for our smartphone users and enhanced productivity solutions for enterprises,” said executive chairman/CEO John Chen.
BlackBerry plans to unveil a new enterprise application partner program for corporate developers, systems integrators and the like “to expand the number of enterprise applications that leverage BlackBerry 10 to deliver business-class functionality and enhance users’ productivity, communication and collaboration,” the company said.
