After 14 years in the mobile phone business, embattled maker Blackberry has announced that it is no longer going to design its own smartphones.

The company, which is famed for its "Qwerty" keyboard mobile phones that were the choice handset for professionals, has been struggling to keep up with market leaders Apple and Samsung as the world has moved to touchscreens.

As a result, the loss-making business said it is going to focus on creating software for mobile phones, rather than the devices themselves. Instead, it will outsource the brand to other manufacturers.