BlackBerry wildly rumored to partner with Samsung on Android-based slider

Even if a trip to frosty “Oslo” doesn’t sound particularly tempting, and you find “Passports” terribly outdated, you’re likely to let things slide and save up a bit of extra money for a quick visit to whimsical Venice. All metaphors and touristic device codenames aside, BlackBerry reportedly seeks a last-second Hail Mary pass to stay afloat.

The craziest, quirkiest, most unexpected saving grace attempt since Nokia’s uber-hyped but ultimately disappointing X Android debut. This time, the Google outsider seems to acknowledge it can’t pull off the 180-degree turn by itself, signing the ecosystem’s very smartphone ruler as a partner.

Told you it sounded crazy. Nearly nonsensical, though BB and Samsung have joined hands of late for a coordinated enterprise push. In a way, uniting forces for a mainstream commercial product feels like a natural next step, albeit combining Android software and a slide-out keyboard design is sure a great gamble.

Now, a handheld with the nickname Venice was rumored and rendered a while back running BlackBerry OS, so it’s not out of the question the Canadian OEM has two separate sliders in the pipeline. It is a stretch however, given tipsters claim a dual-curved screen will complement the physical QWERTY.

No prizes therefore for guessing where Samsung’s expertise might be needed first and foremost. Secondly, an Exynos processor, perhaps Galaxy S6’s octa-core 7420, could run the hardware show, helping the next-gen flagship easily eclipse Passport and Oslo’s speed potential.