BlackBerry confirms Android phone, posts more losses than expected

BlackBerry on Friday confirmed it would release a smartphone running Google's Android operating system. The device, named "the Priv," will be available later this year. "Priv combines the best of BlackBerry security and productivity with the expansive mobile application ecosystem available on the Android platform," BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen said in a statement.

The company reported a bigger-than-expected second-quarter loss, sending shares down nearly four per cent in premarket trading. Excluding one-time items like a non-cash credit tied to the value of debentures and restructuring charges, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company reported a quarterly loss of $66 million, or 13 cents a share. On that basis, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S had, on average, forecast a loss of 9 cents a share.