The days of Blackberry Ltd. flogging phones running its own operating system may be nearing an end with a report Thursday suggesting that the company is preparing to sell a phone running Android.

The report from Reuters quotes “four sources familiar with the matter” saying that a phone that Blackberry showed at the Mobile World Congress in March would be the first Blackberry device running Android on the market.

The phone is said to have curved screens similar to the Samsung S6 Edge, and as can be seen in the picture above, has a slide out keyboard.

Blackberry’s move to Android is said to be part of the firm’s strategy to pivot to focus on software and device management, and away from operating systems, particularly given how the market share of the once mighty company now sits below 1 percent.

In recent times Blackberry’s move towards a software focus have included the release of versions of its Blackberry Messenger software for both iOS and Android devices, but more of note is its device management system, BES12, that is said to allow corporate and government clients to manage BlackBerry devices on their internal networks, along with devices powered by Android, iOS, and even Windows Phone.

An Android powered Blackberry handset would in theory allow Blackberry to demonstrate that both their software works outside of its on ecosystem, while at the same time potentially increasing hardware sales with an appeal to those who are looking for something different, but still want Android due to the availability of apps, something Blackberry has never been able to match.

Death of Blackberry 10 OS

While Blackberry has not commented on the story that it may be embracing Android, a spokesman did say “we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched.”

The question becomes though for how long?

Putting aside the disastrous rushed to market Blackberry Storm, the company has otherwise had a reputation of providing quality, secure phones. The Blackberry name may not mean much in terms of market presence is 2015, but it’s a company that can sell phones running a product that people want, and that’s Android.

Blackberry’s running Android would have the potential of carving out a strong niche in the market; no, it will never be a Samsung (Nokia could have been if it hadn’t gone with Windows Phone,) but presuming it’s bundled with security software it’s going to be popular with corporations who need secure handsets, and yet want to cater to their employees needs…which love it or hate it in 2015 includes apps.

There’s no word on when the Android handset announcement will be officially made.

Image credit: Blackberry