BlackBerry to launch new phone running on Android operating system
Beleaguered BlackBerry has announced that its new smartphone will run on the Android operating system in its latest attempt to turn around its fortunes.
The new phone, dubbed Priv, will also feature an 18-megapixel camera to combat complaints over the quality of the company's phone cameras.
The move away from BlackBerry's own operating system represents a significant shift for a company that had seemed to be focusing energy into its software division after falling behind to the likes of Apple and Samsung in the hardware stakes.
BlackBerry reported a loss for the three months to 29 August of $84m (£55m), significantly worse than the $58m (£38m) loss that analysts had expected.
But Blackberry boss John Chen said: "We anticipate modest sequential revenue growth in each of the remaining quarters of fiscal 2016."
Chen said of the new device: "Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform."
The new phone is expected to launch this year.