Hasta La Gadget!

We’ll say this, BlackBerry looks to be considering everything when it comes to pulling in revenue from its messaging service. False alarms aside, the company already let slip that BlackBerry Messenger is on its way to iOS and Android some time this season, and now according to The Wall Street Journal‘s usual gang of anonymous sources “familiar with the matter,” the Canadian company is thinking of spinning off the service as a more independent subsidiary carrying the straight-forward name, BBM Inc. ahead of a potential sale. A desktop version of the app may be on the docket as well, according to the article — BlackBerry, naturally, only reconfirmed its Android and iOS plans, refusing to comment on anything else.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Software, Blackberry

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Via: BGR

Source: Wall Street Journal

Earlier this year BlackBerry announced that it is finally opening up BlackBerry Messenger to other platforms, iOS and Android to be precise. BBM used to be one of the biggest selling points for BlackBerry devices, but now the messaging service has been eclipsed by competitors such as Viber and WhatsApp. Up till now BBM has only been exclusive to the company’s own smartphones. Since its smartphones are not performing as well as they used to in the market, perhaps the company will be able to steal a few customers after they get a taste of BBM on the aforementioned platforms. Ahead of its impending launch, the user guides for BBM on iOS and Android have been leaked.

BlackBerry said that it would release the messenger on these platforms this summer. Rumor has it that the release will take place next month. It was recently reported that the company has already rolled out the apps to a select group of beta testers on both iOS and Android. The user guides won’t be of much use to you if you’ve carried a BlackBerry in the past and are well accustomed to BBM. They’ve aimed towards people who’ve never used BBM before. The guides contain information about BBM PINs, BlackBerry IDs and more. Do check them out if you plan on using BBM on your iOS or Android device once it releases.

BBM iOS And Android User Guides Leaked original content from Ubergizmo.

We’re sure that BlackBerry, iOS, and Android users are aware that BlackBerry’s BBM will be making its way onto iOS and Android before the end of summer, and while BlackBerry has yet to share a specific release date, we have seen leaked screenshots of the app in action on Android. However it seems that in the wake of the hype, fake BBM apps for Android were spotted and it looks like yet another one has made its way onto the Google Play store. Calling itself “BBM”, it was created by BBM Droid and it actually costs users money if they wanted to purchase and download the app.

Given that this is not an official app, we’re surprised there are some out there who have actually bought and downloaded the app. According to the app’s description, it tries to “educate” users on how to “properly” install the app which basically requires the user to download another app. We’re not sure what exactly the app does when it installs itself on your phone, but it definitely is not worth finding out, so stay clear! BlackBerry will announce when they officially launch the app, so anything you see before then is almost certainly a fake, so be sure to check back with us regularly as we will keep you updated on the app’s status.

Another Fake BBM Android App Spotted On Google Play original content from Ubergizmo.

A couple of months ago BlackBerry announced that its popular BlackBerry Messenger would be making its way over to iOS and Android this summer. As of now it is not known when the Canadian manufacturer is going to release BBM for these platforms. We’ve seen a few leaks, recently we saw the splash screen of the BBM app for Android being pictured in the wild. Samsung has made the first announcement related to BBM on other platforms. It says that the messenger will be available for all Galaxy devices through the Google Play Store as well as through Samsung App store in Africa.

Granted that this announcement is specifically related to Africa, but it is the first of its kind. Moreover, BlackBerry’s major market share currently exists in emerging markets such as Africa, so its no surprise to see a separate announcement for that particular region. As per Samsung’s press release, BBM on Galaxy devices will offer chat, group messaging and BBM Groups. No release date has been mentioned in this press release, though its likely that the release may take place this month.

BBM For Galaxy Devices To Be Available From Samsung App Store In Africa original content from Ubergizmo.

Blackberry promised us back at BBLive that we’d see BBM on Android and iOS devices before the end of the summer. Well, we’ve hit the dog days of August, and while most of those devices are still BBM-free, it appears a select few Androids are finally getting to beta test the app. Blackberry OS reports that email invites are rolling out now to folks registered with BlackBerry’s Beta Zone to test out BBM. Other than registration, users simply need a handset running Android 4.0 and up and they’ll be messaging across the great platform divide in no time. We’ve reached out to the good people at BlackBerry for comment on the matter, and will update this post when we hear back.

Update: We just got an official comment on the beta rollout, and it turns out the it had a limited number of slots, which have all been claimed:

BlackBerry has begun internal testing of BBM on Android and iOS devices. We invited our employees to nominate friends and family to participate in a limited Android beta. Those slots are now full. For more information, please visit www.blackberry.com/bbm.

Filed under: Mobile, Blackberry

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Source: Blackberry OS