RIM chief: we looked 'seriously' at Android, didn't want to join the herd

[![Thorsten Heins of RIM in formal photo][1] ][2]

RIM's current CEO [Thorsten Heins][3] has been [very candid][4] about his company's plans and past, but he has usually given the impression that the company wouldn't even consider deviating from its [one true vision][5] of a BlackBerry OS future. Although [BlackBerry 10][6] is very much the center of RIM's universe today, Heins has revealed to _The Telegraph_ that his firm's eyes did stray briefly -- at one point, it "seriously" investigated Android as a platform. The company ended up backing away after deciding a "me-too" strategy didn't fit the productivity-obsessed BlackBerry crowd, the executive says. RIM decided, like Nokia, that it [couldn't differentiate enough][7] in Google's ecosystem. There's still some time to go before we learn whether or not the gamble on the in-house OS pays off. If Heins' comments still leave you dreaming of what might have been, though, don't worry: at least a few companies are [providing their own visions][7] in a slightly more tangible form.

Filed under: [Cellphones][8]

[RIM chief: we looked 'seriously' at Android, didn't want to join the herd][2] originally appeared on [Engadget][9] on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds][10].

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