Should we go Android? A possible changing of the guard in the White House? No, the changing of the guard does not concern the President of the United States, Barack Obama. In the worst case scenario, however, he may eventually be forced to part with his beloved BlackBerry.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the White House is reportedly considering replacing the BlackBerry devices currently in use with new devices that will incorporate the Android operating system.
The devices being evaluated are from Samsung and LG Electronics. The evaluation was conducted by the White House's internal technology team in collaboration with the White House Communications Service, a military unit responsible for communications for the current US President.
The newspaper's source, who is said to be a person close to the evaluation team, claims that the process is at a very early stage and it will be several months before the final selection is made.
EPA
The above developments should be considered extremely negative for BlackBerry itself, which has recently been forced to lay off employees and cut costs in order to compensate for ongoing losses. It is also worth noting that the US armed forces and the US public sector in general have been a privileged area of activity for the Canadian company.
This was because BlackBerry's operating system was considered the most secure among mobile phone manufacturers. In fact, just a few years ago, BlackBerry held a market share of almost 50% in the North American market, compared to the meager 0.6% it holds today, according to research firm IDC.
In an effort to reverse the trend, the company's new CEO, John Chen, says that BlackBerry's dynamic return to the favor of the US public sector is now a top priority. This effort includes the initiative to create a communications security innovation center, which is set to be established in Washington later this year.
