BGR is reporting that BlackBerry maker RIM is looking into offering their BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service on other platforms, including the iPhone’s iOS.
As far as what Android and iOS users can look forward to, we’ve been told RIM will offer stripped down versions of the BBM experience BlackBerry owners know and love. That way, Android and iOS users can communicate with practically anyone who has a smartphone using BBM, but they might not be able to share photos, location, or videos (when RIM crosses that bridge). Users who want the full BlackBerry Messenger experience will still need a BlackBerry smartphone to get it. At the same time, RIM could own the entire messaging app category on every major smartphone OS platform and could potentially draw new users in because it has given them a taste of what BlackBerry Messenger is all about.
This is perhaps in response to apps like Kik, Whatsapp, and Facebook’s newly acquired Beluga offering very BBM-like apps on multiple platforms already, threatening to take over the space created by BlackBerry.
