BlackBerry has signed a licensing agreement with Amazon to give BlackBerry users access to the 240,000 Android applications in the Amazon Appstore.
With the release of the BlackBerry 10.3 this fall BlackBerry users will be able buy apps, music, movies and more directly from Amazon. BlackBerry World will stay in place but as of July 21, BlackBerry’s native app storefront will close its video and music sections.
BlackBerry assured that previously downloaded content will still be available through MyWorld after the closure.
The once-dominant Canadian OEM could potentially spark more interest in its upcoming handsets through the Amazon partnership. It’s picked a good time to jump on the Amazon bandwagon. Amazon today will unveil a new device, rumored to be a 3D smartphone. The expected reveal of the commerce giant’s first phone is garnered large amounts of excitement.
Reports have suggested AT&T has landed a carrier exclusive for Amazon’s smartphone, putting the still under-wraps device in the same conversation as the iPhone, AT&T’s other big smartphone exclusive.
Ahead of the device launch, Amazon has been boasting of its Appstore growth and the rapid pace at which it’s attracting developers.
BlackBerry’s ecosystem has been an issue for the company. After last year launching BlackBerry 10, the company had to rely on porting over a large amount of Android apps in order to fill out its storefront.
News of the partnership comes one day before BlackBerry will announce results for the first quarter of its fiscal 2015.
