Yes,
it sounds too good to be true, but pinging is no longer exclusive to
BlackBerry smartphones alone. This is not because of some technological
breakthrough, nor is it due to any government regulation; the makers,
formerly called Research in Motion, now BlackBerry, have decided to make
the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) a multi-platform application.BBM app is to be offered as a download to run on rival platforms.
BlackBerry said it would initially offer texts, photo messages and group sharing functions on devices running Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS operating systems from “the summer”, adding that it planned to roll out screen sharing, voice and video calls - all without charge - later in the year.
The move could prove disruptive to Skype, Whatsapp and other rivals.
The company added that for the app to work iPhone users would need at least iOS 6 and Android users the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google’s software. There was no mention of Windows Phone, the software which runs the Nokia Lumia series and some HTC phones.
According to a BBC report, the BlackBerry chief executive, Thorsten Heins, revealed the surprise news at the end of his presentation at the firm’s annual developers conference in Orlando, Florida, early last week.
BBM then and now
BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) began as a simple instant messaging tool offering Blackberry owners a free alternative to text messaging.
Over time, the company has added functions including sending pictures, audio messages and other files, as well as making voice and video calls, all over the internet.
The latest addition is Channels - a feature allowing brands and celebrities to send news and status updates to users who want to follow them through the app.
BlackBerry has a chance to leapfrog existing cross-platform rivals by bringing all these facilities to Android and iOS users.
However, with reports that Whatsapp could shortly add voice calls and that Google has been working on its own unified messaging service, Blackberry may find competition in the market is about to intensify.
Implications on BlackBerry fortunes
But Mr Heins played down the idea that offering the feature to rival devices would harm sales of the Canadian company’s own handsets.
“You might ask the question why is BlackBerry doing this now,” said Mr Heins.
“It’s a statement of confidence. The BlackBerry 10 platform is so strong and the response has been so good that we are confident the time is right for BlackBerry Messenger to become an independent multiplatform messaging solution.”
One analyst said it was too soon to know if the move would force competitors to change their own strategies.
“BBM has been a significant traffic driver for BlackBerry - particularly the consumer audience,” said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe.
“Expanding it to be multiplatforms not only widens the consumer appeal but also may help woo back corporate customers it lost due to earlier technical problems.”
A sales manager, who would not want his name in print and works with one the largest phone dealer companies in Nigeria, said only time would tell whether this move was the best for BlackBerry. He said, “What has made BlackBerry unique from other phones is BBM. They may have shot themselves in the foot by this move. Only time will tell.”
Ben Wood from telecoms consultancy CCS Insight added that BlackBerry might have felt forced into the move because of the growing popularity of cross-platform alternatives which also includes Facebook messenger.
“It will increase feature competition among mobile messaging platforms,” he said.
“It dramatically increases BBM’s long-term relevance - but it is unclear how BlackBerry will ensure the move benefits its own hardware sales.”
Certainly, time will tell what holds for the company. For now, it’s the consumers’ time to have the best of it all.
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