Bangkok--1 Aug--Hill & Knowlton
BBM? (BlackBerry? Messenger), one of the largest mobile social networks in the world is now enabling a new and revolutionary social experience. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of BBM version 6 (BBM 6), which provides support for "BBM connected" apps, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the BBM connected app.
BBM connected apps integrate the popular functionality of the BBM service and offer users the ability to interact with their friends from within the app itself. For example, with a BBM connected game app, users can invite their BBM friends to join them in a game and then chat with one another in real time while the game is being played — without ever leaving the game app.
BBM 6 launches today and a selection of BBM connected apps are already available on BlackBerry App World?.
“BBM 6 marks the beginning of an even greater social experience for BlackBerry smartphone users,” said Alistair Mitchell, VP, BBM Platform & Integrated Services at Research In Motion. “It also represents an incredible opportunity for developers to leverage the viral nature of the BBM service and we have already begun working with various developer partners who will be bringing their BBM connected apps to BlackBerry App World this week, offering users highly engaging app experiences.”
Some of the additional functionality users can expect to see with BBM connected applications include the ability to:
? Share app experiences with friends - When a user discovers a great new BBM connected app, they can instantly let their friends know about it. Users can simply select a BBM contact directly within the BBM connected app they are using.
? Have a BBM chat within apps - Users can simply pull up their BBM contact list directly from within the BBM connected app and start chatting. For example, the functionality can enable everything from enhanced social game play to collaboration through productivity apps.
? Discover apps through friends — Users can also discover new apps by viewing the list of apps that are posted to a BBM friend’s profile. They can also click on an app within the list, and instantly download it from BlackBerry App World.
The BBM 6 software will be available later today at www.blackberry.com/blackberrymessenger. A selection of BBM connected apps will also be posted on BlackBerry App World this week, with many more expected over the coming months.
Partner Highlight and Quotes from Asia-based developers who have integrated BBM 6 into their apps:
"RIM is a fantastic partner. We're thrilled to be working with them to provide a better experience to millions of foursquare users around the world by integrating foursquare with BBM," said Holger Luedorf, VP of Mobile and Partnerships for foursquare.
Koprol, a location based social networking app now integrates with BBM6 to enable users to chat with people nearby. "It's easy for our development team to integrate Koprol with BBM6 due to BBM6 API's robustness and flexibility" said Satya Witoelar, Product Manager at Yahoo!.
Elasitas, the creator of several gaming apps has integrated BBM6 chat functionality into its Menoo, Gamemachi and MiMoMachi apps. "Integrating our app with BBM6 social platform is pretty easy and straight forward, yet it adds social value and full benefit that enable our users to connect with BBM contacts socially and simply, which are core traits a social app should have" commented Calvin Kizana, CEO of PT Elasitas Multi Kreasi.
Location based gaming company Bouncity has integrated BBM6 into its app to enable users to simply share what they are doing with their social network. "It was very rewarding and easy to integrate the BBM6 into Bouncity as there are good documentation and clear examples from RIM. This will make our Bouncity apps become much more social and the power of sharing will become larger than ever" said Wenas Agusetiawan, CEO of PT Phase Solusindo.
Opportunities for BBM App Developers
BBM app developers can submit their applications to the BlackBerry Partners Fund Developer Challenge. The competition for social apps — "Most Addictive Social apps using BBM Social Platform" — is now open for submissions until September 23, 2011. For more information please visit: www.blackberrypartnersfund.com/challenge.
More BBM connected apps ideas will be showcased at the BBM Apps Hackathon in New York City, August 11-12, 2011, where developers that won the Hackathon qualifying contest will gather for a two day coding marathon. Additional information about the winners and the Hackathon are available at: http://www.bbmnyc.com/05_winning.html
Quick Links
- BBM 6 download on BlackBerry App
World https://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/3729
- BBM web site: www.blackberry.com/blackberrymessenger
- BBM connected apps videos:
- Wikitude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bmqN3DZC5c
- Score Mobile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtbOUMoTPHU
- FourSquare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqdJLCLvhoY
- BBM Social Platform SDK for developers: http://www.blackberry.com/developer/bbm
About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry? solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com .
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