Blackberry Announces BBM will be FREE for iOS and Android Users this Summer

SOURCE: CBC (www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/05/14/business-blackberry.html)

BlackBerry chief executive officer Thorsten Heins showed off a new keyboard phone targeted at the developing world on Tuesday and says the company will extend its signature BBM messaging service to iPhones and Android devices.

At a conference in Florida for BlackBerry developers, Heins showed off a prototype of the Q5, which will run on the company's new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

It is a slightly stripped-down version of other BlackBerry models, aimed at consumers in emerging markets who may not have as much disposable income as their counterparts in wealthier nations.

Heins said the device, the company's third new smartphone this year, will be available in select markets in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America, starting in July.

The device comes with many of the new features included in BlackBerry 10, including Time Shift, BlackBerry Hub and the company's iconic messaging service.

Heins also announced that BBM, the company's messaging service that allows BlackBerry users to send messages to each other, will soon be available on iPhones and Android-powered smartphones.

"It's a statement of confidence," he told the audience in Orlando, Fla.

The move is a gamble for the company, which has many loyal users who have stuck with their BlackBerry devices just to keep access to BBM.

Heins said the iPhone and Android versions of the application, which will be available for free, will start with messaging and then roll out other features, including the ability to share video, audio and other types of content.