BlackBerry's plans to reclaim some of its former glory could include entering the Android smartphone market.

The Canadian phone maker is planning to launch an Android handset with its signature physical keyboard built in, Digital Spy said citing Reuters.

Four sources connected to the company have apparently told the news organisation that the device will feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

BlackBerry briefly showed off a smartphone with the slider keyboard at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but is yet to reveal any further details about it.

The firm has already dabbled in cross-platform products with the launch of its BES12 enterprise mobility management software, which is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows and BlackBerry devices.

BlackBerry was once a major player in the customer smartphone world, but now has a global market share of less than 1%.