BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has hitherto been an exclusive flagship feature of the BlackBerry platform, but with the company having recently announced its decision to allow the instant messaging service to fly the nest as it were by crossing platforms to both iOS and Android, it now looks as though BBM for iOS and Android may just be a few weeks away now. According to a tweet sent out by T-Mobile UK, which was later pulled, it's going to be hitting the App Store and Google Play Store on June 27th, and with the once-dominant BlackBerry brand struggling even after its big overhaul, this move will certainly help get the name back into circulation.
BlackBerry is on the cusp of turning its proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) into a multi-platform experience. Keeping BBM specific to the company's own devices worked wonders when the company was flying high atop the market, but in looking to reestablish its presence in the iOS / Android-dominated market, BlackBerry is now looking to spread its popular messaging tool to users of those two pivotal platforms.
Several years back, the BlackBerry was the dominant smartphone platform among consumers and business users, until the iPhone revolutionized the space 6 years ago. One of the main aspects that made the iPhone so relevant was a then-revolutionary and user-friendly touch-based user interface, which has been left largely unchanged till today. According to BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins, the current iPhone user interface is in dire need for a revamp.
Research In Motion, a company known for its once market-leading BlackBerry range, has rebranded itself by the name of its main outlet, and its first move under its new BlackBerry moniker has been to announce the Z10 smartphone. Research In Motion, often referred to under the acronym RIM, has been working hard over the past couple of years to rebuild its BlackBerry brand, which has been left behind by the likes of Apple's iPhone and the plethora of Android handsets which now dominate the market. The Z10 certainly looks a promising device, having fared favorably against the iPhone 5 in a brief test, and it will be interesting to see whether a new company name, and a new device, will trigger a comeback for BlackBerry.
The once-mighty BlackBerry brand of smartphone from Research In Motion may have lost its way somewhat over the past couple of years, but a couple of browser tests carried out by The Gadget Masters suggests there's still plenty of life left in the old dog yet. Testing the BlackBerry 10's browser against Internet Explorer and Safari on Windows Phone 8 and iOS respectively, the BlackBerry come out on top. More details, and a demonstration video, after the break.
Research In Motion's once-mighty BlackBerry brand is fast losing all relevance in the market. Stifled out by the likes of iOS and Android, it seems to have plummeted down to a level from which even BlackBerry Messenger cannot dredge it from. But just when you might have thought that was it, one particular developer has created a mod which allows iOS apps to run on the almost-forgotten PlayBook tablet.
Since the launch of the original iPhone nearly 5 years ago, Apple has prided itself on keeping customers coming back for more with every new release.
So here we are, the last day of my look into the future. A look at what the big boys of the smartphone world will be doing, as well as what I think they should be doing, throughout 2012.
The chances are that you can relate with this situation. You've got your expensive smartphone, 3G modem or whatnot, and it's somehow ended up submerged in the nearest puddle/bath/wash basin or worse. So, what do you do next? Get on the phone to your insurer?
For almost as long as we've used mobile phones, we've been able to send and receive text messages, and later audio and video, through the cell network. Yet, as data packages become increasingly more common for mobile devices, sending those messages over the Internet sounds more conceivable than ever before. Samsung is the new player in this space with its ChatON messaging service.
