BlackBerry to offer Android apps

BlackBerry has reached a licensing deal with Amazon that will allow the company to offer some 240,000 Android applications from Amazon's app store on the BlackBerry 10.

The move allows Blackberry to add a vast array of consumer-focused apps to its devices, while directing its own efforts toward developing enterprise and productivity applications.

The move is the latest by the smartphone pioneer to gain lost market share against Apple and Samsung as it attempts to reinvent itself under new Chief Executive Officer John Chen.

BlackBerry, which works with large enterprise clients and government agencies, to manage and secure mobile devices on their internal networks, is looking to diversify its business model.

The company is seeking to be a dominant force in machine-to-machine communications. The company's QNX software already is a mainstay in the automotive industry, powering electronic and other systems in a wide range of cars.

Blackberry intends to build on those ties and its security credentials to let enterprise clients build and customize in-house corporate and productivity applications for their employees.

Following the announcement of the Amazon deal shares of BlackBerry, which reports quarterly results early on Thursday, jumped 3 percent to close at $8.29US ($8.82AUD) on the Nasdaq.