The most popular social messaging service, BlackBerry messenger will go multi-platform. During the keynote address at BlackBerry World, CEO Thorsten Heins said it plans to release a free BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application for iOS and Android devices. To start with, the app will offer messaging and group features on iOS hardware running iOS 6 and above and on Android devices running version 4.0 (IceCream Sandwich) and above. But Heins also mentioned that other BBM services such as voice, screen share, channels etc are also being planned for future updates. The BBM app will be launched this summer.
In a statement, BlackBerry said that the move to launch
BBM on other platforms is subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. At the moment, BBM has more than 60 million monthly active customers, with more than 51 million people using BBM an average of 90 minutes per day. BBM customers collectively send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps. Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received, indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are.
As expected,
BlackBerry also announced a low-cost BB10 smartphone, the BlackBerry
Q5 , for select markets. The company's third smartphone on BlackBerry 10 operating system has a 3.1-inch touch display along with a QWERTY keypad. Other features include BlackBerry Hub, BlackBerry Time Shift mode, Story Maker, etc. The Q5 will be available in four colours - Red, White, Black and Pink. In the beginning of July, the device will be available in selected markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia (including the Asia Pacific region), and Latin America.
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Thorsten Heins, president and CEO at BlackBerry holds up the new BlackBerry 10 mobile device at a conference on May 14, 2013, in Orlando, Florida (Photo: AP) 
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