BlackBerry enlists Android to launch new smartphone, Priv

NEW YORK, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- BlackBerry has traded its own operating system for one more widely used to power its latest professional-grade smartphone.

The Priv, released Friday, boasts a full Android experience within the confines of a BlackBerry device as well as an exclusive feature: heightened mobile security.

The $699 phone features an exclusive application that monitors and reports potential security risks and usage details called DTEK. In addition to reporting gaps in an individual device's security, the application instructs users on how to improve it.

"I have said many times that BlackBerry would not release an Android smartphone unless we could make it private and secure," said CEO John Chen in a statement. "I am pleased to say that day has arrived."

BlackBerry turned to Android over its BlackBerry 10 operating system in order not to be "disqualified" in the modern handset industry. "We think that the market is quite tired -- it's all a single slab of glass," the company's director of device portfolio planning, Gareth Hurn, told Financial Times. "When you move into the ultra competitive Android market it needs to exceed what's already out there."

In addition to its updated Android operating system and security features, the Priv retains BlackBerry's high-quality keyboard -- hidden by a slide function -- and exclusive applications such as BlackBerry Messenger.

Selling in North America for $699, the Priv is not particularly geared toward the average smartphone user. It also does not include a fingerprint scanner, an addition enjoyed by Apple and Samsung users, and does not work with carriers Verizon or Sprint.

Despite its quality, the Priv is not predicted to attract the attention BlackBerry once had from smartphone customers. "The device comes too late to change their fortunes in the handset business," IDC research director Francisco Jeronimo told Financial Times. "The Priv is not going to do much for BlackBerry. If their sales continue to decline at the current rates, their handset business is definitely over soon."