BlackBerry won’t rule out another handset running its own operating system even as it pushes ahead with new Android-based smartphones. Last week, BlackBerry said it was discontinuing its keyboard-equipped Classic model, a move suggested that the company was abandoning the keyboard and its proprietary operating system, known as BB10. Chief Operating Officer Marty Beard said in an interview Monday that neither of those assertions are true.

"We are absolutely not backing away from BB10," Beard said. "The company’s never said that we would not build another BB10 device."

BlackBerry began making phones running Android’s operating system last year because developers had stopped building applications for BB10. Chief Executive Officer John Chen said at the time BlackBerry would keep making BB10 for its most security-conscious customers, but eventually BlackBerry’s version of Android software would be secure enough to replace the BB10 operating system if needed.

The announcement for BlackBerry’s next handset, which will be Android-based, is "very, very imminent," Beard said. The company has its annual Security Summit scheduled for July 19.