Amazon Appstore opens to BlackBerry users

OTTAWA - Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry announced Wednesday a deal with Amazon giving its users access to more than 240,000 software applications from the online retailer's Appstore.

The deal triples the number of apps available on BlackBerry smartphones, including popular apps such as Groupon, Netflix, Pinterest, Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft.

It "will help BlackBerry continue to meet two essential needs: greater app availability for our smartphone users and enhanced productivity solutions for enterprises," said BlackBerry chief executive John Chen.

The partnership comes on the same day Amazon was expected to announce its entry into the smartphone market with its own device - competing with BlackBerry, Apple and Samsung.

BlackBerry helped create a culture of mobile users glued to smartphones, but lost its lustre as many moved to iPhones or devices using Google's Android software.

After posting record losses last year, the company brought in new management and outsourced its handset production to Taiwan-based Foxconn.