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BlackBerry exec claims just 20 percent of BB10 apps are Android-based

BlackBerry exec claims just 20 percent of BB10 apps are Android-based

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BlackBerry 10 Thorsten stock 640
BlackBerry 10 Thorsten stock 640

Following the news that its app marketplace had surpassed more than 100,000 apps, BlackBerry has revealed that signed Android apps account for around 20 percent of its total BlackBerry 10 app count. In an interview with BlackBerry VP Martyn Mallick, AllThingsD reports that including access to emulated Android apps is beginning to pay dividends for the company, as developers shift their plans from simply porting their titles to fully committing to development of native BlackBerry 10 apps.

Last week, BlackBerry shared that 30,000 apps had been added to its BlackBerry World store in seven weeks, prompting suggestions that Android ports — which include Amazon's Kindle BB10 app — had inflated BlackBerry's app figures. Previous reports claimed Android apps accounted for as much as 40 percent of the 70,000 BlackBerry 10 apps available at launch, but Mallick's update casts doubt on the validity of the original figure, and may go some way towards reassuring device owners that developers are still committing to the platform.

Some big name apps are still missing, but BlackBerry is confident

To incentivize developers, BlackBerry took a bold step in guaranteeing that developers will make at least $10,000 in sales of "certified" BlackBerry 10 apps in their first year, but the ease of which Android apps can be signed to run on the platform cannot be discounted. While big name apps like Instagram and Netflix (both of which haven't announced plans to release an official app) are not present on BlackBerry 10, Mallick is confident that the company will lure more developers to the platform: "We have a high level of confidence we will continue to see more of the application partners come on board."