We know the once popular smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry is struggling these days, and have heard multiple reports of possible buyouts from all different angles. A new report today however is taking a different approach where they could start to split things up. Most notably is BlackBerry Messenger, known as BBM, which for some reason is still extremely popular and even coming soon to Android.
BBM for Android has been in the news a lot as of late, and it should be arriving sometime in the next few months. Just yesterday we saw an official add for it on Samsung devices in Africa, which was quickly pulled, but we still know BBM for Android is coming soon.
Today a few reports out of the Wall Street Journal and their usual “people familiar with the matter” BlackBerry (aka RIM) could be looking to spin off BBM into its own completely independent company. Sort of. Their report and source claims that BlackBerry could make BBM and the entire service its own subsidiary company.
This could give BBM a boost right when it needs it most. With Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and many other chat alternatives readily available, not to mention BlackBerry devices being a rarity these days. Letting BBM operate on its own and push to support Android could really do it some good.
We’re still expecting the a free version of BBM for Android to arrive on the Play Store any day now, but this could be one more way the service could continue to grow and improve. It has 60 million users now, but that’s nothing compared to the nearly 200 million of popular options like WhatsApp.
VIA: The Register
I hate Whatsapp, so insecure. As an Android user, I can`t wait for BBM to hit my platform. Not even iPhone has a good and reliable chat app as the BB had.