Blackberry 10’s Android runtime to be upgraded to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
If you were to tell me that a Blackberry device would be able to run Android 4.0+ apps sooner than some Android phones I would crawl into a hole and die from laughter, but that just might happen if today’s news is accurate. Engadget has confirmed with Blackberry that the Android runtime, a compatibility layer that allows Blackberry 10 devices to run Android apps, will be getting an upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
This means it will be able to run virtually any Android application you can think of as long as the developer is willing to change a few lines of code. As we explained before, Blackberry (who used to be RIM, but will undergo a name change) would prefer developers to create native applications, but it is willing to use apps originally created for Android as a bridge while developers catch on.
Android apps on Blackberry 10 don’t quite look like they belong, but they work and they’re enough for the time being. The 4.x batch of apps should look even better than the ones coded for Android 2.3, so if anyone happens to buy a Blackberry 10 device anytime soon there should be no shortage of great apps to sink their teeth into.