BBM is coming to the iPhone and
Android. On Tuesday, BlackBerry revealed that its
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application
— the mobile instant messaging service
available only to users of the Waterloo,
Ont.-based company’s smartphones —
will be going cross platform this summer, and will be available on Apple
Inc.’s iPhone devices and on devices
running Google Inc.’s Android software. BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten
Heins made the announcement at
BlackBerry Live, the company’s annual gathering for partners and developers, in Orlando, Florida. The announcement came during the
opening keynote, where Mr. Heins also
unveiled a new low-cost BlackBerry
smartphone — dubbed the Q5 — which will be aimed at users in emerging and
international markets. For BlackBerry, the decision to let non-
BlackBerry users adopt BBM marks a
radical shift for the Waterloo
technology company. BBM is one of the
key selling points for BlackBerry devices
and one of the few services exclusive to the company’s smartphones. By enabling iPhone and Android users
to download and use BBM, BlackBerry is
hoping to introduce new users to the
service, and BlackBerry’s technology. BBM will compete with a number of
other cross platform instant messaging
applications which mimic many of the
features of BBM, including WhatsApp
and Kik. However, Mr. Heins said the decision to
open BBM up to other platforms was a
“statement of confidence” about the
health of the company’s new BlackBerry
10 operating system, which launched
earlier this year and powers the company’s new family of smartphones,
including the Z10 touchscreen device
and the Q10 QWERTY device. There are more than 60 million
BlackBerry owners who use BBM every
month, sending 10 billion messages a
month, Mr. Heins said. In a release, BlackBerry said that BBM
will be available to iPhone and Android
users later this summer. BBM users on
other platforms will have access to BBM
Chats, BBM Voice calling and the recently
announced BBM Channels feature. “For BlackBerry, messaging and
collaboration are inseparable from the
mobile experience, and the time is
definitely right for BBM to become a
multi-platform mobile service,”Andrew
Bocking, BlackBerry’s executive vice president of software product
management and ecosystem, said in a
release. “BBM has always been one of the most
engaging services for BlackBerry
customers, enabling them to easily
connect while maintaining a valued
level of personal privacy. We’re excited
to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community,”
said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice
President, Software Product
Management and Ecosystem, at
BlackBerry.[b]BBM is coming to the iPhone and
Android. On Tuesday, BlackBerry revealed that its
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application
— the mobile instant messaging service
available only to users of the Waterloo,
Ont.-based company’s smartphones —
will be going cross platform this summer, and will be available on Apple
Inc.’s iPhone devices and on devices
running Google Inc.’s Android software. BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten
Heins made the announcement at
BlackBerry Live, the company’s annual gathering for partners and developers, in Orlando, Florida. The announcement came during the
opening keynote, where Mr. Heins also
unveiled a new low-cost BlackBerry
smartphone — dubbed the Q5 — which will be aimed at users in emerging and
international markets. For BlackBerry, the decision to let non-
BlackBerry users adopt BBM marks a
radical shift for the Waterloo
technology company. BBM is one of the
key selling points for BlackBerry devices
and one of the few services exclusive to the company’s smartphones. By enabling iPhone and Android users
to download and use BBM, BlackBerry is
hoping to introduce new users to the
service, and BlackBerry’s technology. BBM will compete with a number of
other cross platform instant messaging
applications which mimic many of the
features of BBM, including WhatsApp
and Kik. However, Mr. Heins said the decision to
open BBM up to other platforms was a
“statement of confidence” about the
health of the company’s new BlackBerry
10 operating system, which launched
earlier this year and powers the company’s new family of smartphones,
including the Z10 touchscreen device
and the Q10 QWERTY device. There are more than 60 million
BlackBerry owners who use BBM every
month, sending 10 billion messages a
month, Mr. Heins said. In a release, BlackBerry said that BBM
will be available to iPhone and Android
users later this summer. BBM users on
other platforms will have access to BBM
Chats, BBM Voice calling and the recently
announced BBM Channels feature. “For BlackBerry, messaging and
collaboration are inseparable from the
mobile experience, and the time is
definitely right for BBM to become a
multi-platform mobile service,”Andrew
Bocking, BlackBerry’s executive vice president of software product
management and ecosystem, said in a
release. “BBM has always been one of the most
engaging services for BlackBerry
customers, enabling them to easily
connect while maintaining a valued
level of personal privacy. We’re excited
to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community,”
said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice
President, Software Product
Management and Ecosystem, at
BlackBerry.[/b]BBM is coming to the iPhone and
Android. On Tuesday, BlackBerry revealed that its
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application
— the mobile instant messaging service
available only to users of the Waterloo,
Ont.-based company’s smartphones —
will be going cross platform this summer, and will be available on Apple
Inc.’s iPhone devices and on devices
running Google Inc.’s Android software. BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten
Heins made the announcement at
BlackBerry Live, the company’s annual gathering for partners and developers, in Orlando, Florida. The announcement came during the
opening keynote, where Mr. Heins also
unveiled a new low-cost BlackBerry
smartphone — dubbed the Q5 — which will be aimed at users in emerging and
international markets. For BlackBerry, the decision to let non-
BlackBerry users adopt BBM marks a
radical shift for the Waterloo
technology company. BBM is one of the
key selling points for BlackBerry devices
and one of the few services exclusive to the company’s smartphones. By enabling iPhone and Android users
to download and use BBM, BlackBerry is
hoping to introduce new users to the
service, and BlackBerry’s technology. BBM will compete with a number of
other cross platform instant messaging
applications which mimic many of the
features of BBM, including WhatsApp
and Kik. However, Mr. Heins said the decision to
open BBM up to other platforms was a
“statement of confidence” about the
health of the company’s new BlackBerry
10 operating system, which launched
earlier this year and powers the company’s new family of smartphones,
including the Z10 touchscreen device
and the Q10 QWERTY device. There are more than 60 million
BlackBerry owners who use BBM every
month, sending 10 billion messages a
month, Mr. Heins said. In a release, BlackBerry said that BBM
will be available to iPhone and Android
users later this summer. BBM users on
other platforms will have access to BBM
Chats, BBM Voice calling and the recently
announced BBM Channels feature. “For BlackBerry, messaging and
collaboration are inseparable from the
mobile experience, and the time is
definitely right for BBM to become a
multi-platform mobile service,”Andrew
Bocking, BlackBerry’s executive vice president of software product
management and ecosystem, said in a
release. “BBM has always been one of the most
engaging services for BlackBerry
customers, enabling them to easily
connect while maintaining a valued
level of personal privacy. We’re excited
to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community,”
said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice
President, Software Product
Management and Ecosystem, at
BlackBerry.

trying to upload the picture very soon