BlackBerry wants to bring its secret sauce to iPhone, Android

Elements of the BlackBerry Classic will find their way to the iPhone and Android.

 BlackBerry, best known for its trademark keyboard-equipped smartphones, wants to break out of its own shell.

The niche device manufacturer on Sunday unveiled its plans to create a "BlackBerry Experience Suite," taking BlackBerry features like its Hub messaging portal, virtual keyboard and security capabilities -- among others -- and turning them into a collection of apps and features that will be made available to iPhones, iPads and devices running on the Android and Windows operating systems. The apps will come later this year.

The move is part of a larger shift by BlackBerry toward the more lucrative software and services business. It also signals a willingness to embrace operating systems it previously would have considered a competitive threat. That philosophy is likely encouraged by its struggle to maintain relevancy in the smartphone business -- the BlackBerry operating system ceded even more market share in 2014, falling to 0.4 percent of the market, according to IDC.

"I look at all the assets we have, from the user interface to security -- there was really a hidden gem to build a good book of business," CEO John Chen said on a media conference call.

Samsung and BlackBerry

The latest example of its new cross-platform attitude: an updated announcement on its partnership with Samsung and the Knox security platform. BlackBerry said on Sunday that it would bring two new business-class services to Knox: WorkLife, a feature that allows businesses to split their employees' Samsung phones into separate work and personal identities through a "virtual SIM," making it easier to bill for work use; and the SecuSUITE encryption software that Blackberry gained from its acquisition of Secusmart last year.

BlackBerry CEO John Chen at a press roundtable session at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2014.Roger Cheng/CNET

As part of the deal, BlackBerry will sell the Knox services to Samsung customers. Likewise, Samsung will sell BlackBerry products and services through Samsung Business Services, a portal that the world's largest cell phone maker has set up for its business clients.

"With the introduction of these new services from BlackBerry, the needs of both enterprises and their employees will be met with Samsung Knox devices," said Injong Rhee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile and IT enterprise business, in a statement.

Source: cnet.com