BlackBerry Reportedly Prepping Sliding Keyboard-Equipped Android Smartphone

BlackBerry is taking the phrase 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!' to heart as it reportedly considers building a smartphone around Google's super popular Android platform. If BlackBerry does indeed release an Android device, it would be the first time in the company's history that it's ventured away from its own software ecosystem.

It's been a tumultuous road for BlackBerry ever since Apple's iPhone came onto the scene. That began the company's descent into comparative irrelevancy, as it now sits behind not only Android and iOS, but also Windows Phone in smartphone market share. For a company that once sat on top, it can't be anywhere near content to now find itself staring at less 1 percent of the smartphone sector.

BlackBerry Slider

Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of BlackBerry, recently talked about the company's sharp decline. He placed much of the blame on the BlackBerry Storm, a touchscreen device that "tried to do too much." BlackBerry's top customer at the time, Verizon, had urged the company to build a touchscreen phone, but after seeing a 100 percent return rate at Verizon, the wireless outfit kicked BlackBerry to the curb.

BlackBerry isn't commenting on the rumor that might build an Android handset, though it would make sense. After all, the Canadian company has tried just about everything else at this point, including a name change from Research In Motion to a shakeup in management.

The rumor is that BlackBerry would put Android on a slider device that would combine a touchscreen with a physical keyboard. Android's been there and done that already, though BlackBerry is known for giving users a physical keyboard, and doing so again might help differentiate itself from all the other Android phones on the market.