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BBM Channels and Voice come to Android and iPhone
BBM is about to become considerably more useful to Android and iPhone users -- even if they don't have many people on their contact lists. BlackBerry now says that its promised Channels and Voice support should reach the BBM apps for both platforms later today. As on BlackBerry 10, Channels lets you chat about hot topics with fellow users, whether or not they're already friends. Voice, meanwhile, does exactly what it says on the tin: you can make internet-based calls to your BBM buddies. Whether or not you find much use from these two biggest features, you may still appreciate other significant additions like Dropbox file-sharing integration, Glympse location sharing and expanded BBM Groups. We'll let you know when we see the Android and iOS upgrades reach their respective app stores.
BBM beta for Android gets Channels and voice chat
Android users who've enjoyed their first taste of BBM will want to visit the BlackBerry Beta Zone today. BlackBerry has just released a private beta of the messaging client that introduces promised Channels and Voice support, giving Android users the same social feeds and free WiFi calling as their BB10 bretheren. There's no mention of when the feature will reach either the public BBM build or its iOS equivalent, but it's clear that wider availability is close at hand.
BlackBerry bringing Channels and Voice Chat to BBM for Android and iOS next year
Remember how excited you were for BBM to hit Android and iOS and then BlackBerry continued to fake us all out with imminent releases? Thankfully, that's now all in the past and BBM is a reality for those of us not on BB10 devices, but still its feature set leaves something to be desired. The good news is that BlackBerry intends to flesh out BBM in 2014, though not just for the app. So what's up ahead? Arguably, the most significant changes are coming to Android and iOS users in the form of BBM Voice and BBM Channels. Think of BBM Voice as you would Skype or Google Hangouts -- it's essentially a way for you to chat with your contacts without touching your allotment of minutes. And Channels, if you'll remember from our preview this past summer, is basically BlackBerry's spin on the social network. Both are already available for current BBM users running BB10, so this addition really just brings the rest of BBM's outsider base up to speed. BlackBerry's also looking to make sharing with BBM a less cumbersome process in the new year. Though the company hasn't elaborated fully on just how it intends to make photo and voice note sharing that much speedier, it seems as if the process will soon require less fussy UI interactions. Users will even be able to divulge their whereabouts with BBM, albeit on a temporary basis and make use of over 100 new emoticons. All of this is coming "in the next couple of months," so if you need something to sate your curiosity now, check out the video after the break.
BBM Channels launches today for BlackBerry smartphones
BlackBerry's tentative step into the world of feed-based social networking, BBM Channels, is at last leaving beta. As of 3PM Eastern, those with BlackBerry 10 and classic BlackBerry OS devices can use the Tumblr-like service for themselves, subscribing to content feeds from both major providers and their friends. Android and iOS users, meanwhile, will have to sit tight -- BlackBerry says that Channels support for their platforms is arriving in the "coming months."
Mobile Miscellany: week of June 10th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, the Lumia 925 touched down in Germany, a popular RSS client for Android broke free of its Google Reader shackles and BBM Channels received some sorely needed features. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of June 10th, 2013.
Hands-on with BBM Channels: BlackBerry's trojan horse social platform
"It's more like Tumblr." That's how one BlackBerry rep described BBM Channels to us, the company's new social networking service announced this past week at BlackBerry Live in Orlando. While Channels, alone, may initially seem like nothing new -- it's an iteration of a social communication model we've seem countless times before -- the service actually speaks more to BlackBerry's forward-facing strategy for BBM as a device-agnostic mobile solution. And, certainly, with the BBM messaging service heading to Android and iOS later this summer, BlackBerry only stands to gain from making its platform more robust, more engaging and more attractive to the big name brands, personalities and publications that draw followers. %Gallery-188638%
BlackBerry announces BBM channels, gives dedicated messaging streams to brands and users
BlackBerry Live 2013 isn't just about new phones and OS versions. CEO Thorsten Heins just announced BBM channels, a way for people, companies and brands to provide streams of content in BBM. The new service allows users to search for and subscribe to preferred channels, comment and share posts with friends and also have one-to-one chats with channel administrators. Users can create and curate their own channels as well, with metrics to track the amount of traffic they're receiving. So, it's essentially Twitter, only with a decidedly BlackBerry flavor. Following the initial announcement, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton appeared onstage to chat a bit more about the new platform and explained that the service will provide his F1 team the ability to communicate more directly and easily with fans. Excited to join Mr. Hamilton on the BBM channel bandwagon? Well, the beta's available for download now for BlackBerry devices running BB 5 and up, and the full release is slated to arrive later this summer.%Gallery-188281%
