While BlackBerry may not be selling smartphones like they used to they are still doing well with their messaging platform, BlackBerry Messenger or BBM. Recently BlackBerry released BBM on Android and iOS, and the response was overwhelming. Despite some issues getting the app to market it appears as though it was worth the wait, and users weren’t too phased by having to wait a little bit for it. Within weeks BlackBerry had added millions of new active users, and BBM has remained at the top of free charts on both platforms.
In addition to going cross platform BlackBerry has been testing a new feature on BlackBerry smartphones called Channels. This was a space where a brand or person could post thoughts, ideas, etc and people could follow along. Betting that this would be huge for brands, BlackBerry has just taken Channels out of beta form on BlackBerry devices. In addition to making it available on devices they have added a web portal to keep up on the channel and make sure things are going smooth.
Lately it seems as though BlackBerry is almost building out BBM as a separate company, putting tons of effort and marketing behind it, and from the way it looks things are working out for the best. Folks who want the best in mobile communication on a variety of platforms are looking to BBM, and now brands can help market their ideas, gadgets, and seek community feedback as well. Sure there are other ways companies can do this, but with over 10 million BBM users out there overlooking all of them would be silly.
The update has hit all BlackBerry devices already, but unfortunately there is no word on when it will hit Android or iOS devices at this point. Have you downloaded BBM yet and would you be interested in following your favorite brands for updates right within your favorite chat client?
