Android Central reports that BBM for Android will not be a Samsung exclusive like previously reported. An official Samsung Twitter account recently tweeted that this was the case and that Samsung had secured a 3 month exclusivity deal with BBM but BlackBerry have dispelled such claims, stating that:
“The tweet, though very exciting, is incorrect … I want to clarify that no one will have an exclusive on offering BBM. We’ll be bringing the app to Android and iPhone users across the globe soon.”
Interestingly this means that when BBM does come out for Android and iOS it will be open to any handsets and for any network carriers to use – there will be no restrictions on it. Of course its interesting that BBM are even taking the route of letting other operating systems use its proprietary chat software. With the declining popularity of BlackBerry handsets BlackBerry feel this is a necessary move to stay competitive and personally I agree with them. Who knows in a few years time BlackBerry might just scrap the BlackBerry OS, use Android phones and specialise in their existing software portfolio of BBM and their email platform.
Image courtesy of Android Central
If BBM leaves Blackberry phones, then there will be no other reason except for a niche of businesses still using BB phones to buy them.
although BB could make android handsets and port their portfolio of software to android and sell that for small fees like whatsapp do
Wasn’t Whatsapp free for Android? Every single Android person I know had it, but it costed $1 on App Store. What you say could be done, but a flagship app for BB’s were those Office Tools that could cost quite a lot if sold on Play store. Those were THE reason for businesses to buy BB phones for employees, BBM was another but nowhere as big as those Office Tools. Maybe until RIM will be in deep shite, that’s when they will consider dropping BB OS and switch to Android.