When smartphones began, BlackBerry ruled the land and everybody fell in love with their messaging app (fondly called BBM). It behaved like iMessage, long before such a thing existed, offering up multi-person chats, read notifications and other more dynamic features. These days, fewer (and fewer) people have BlackBerry devices, but the beloved BBM has been extended to work on other platforms –the most recent being the Windows Phone.
Features of the BBM app for Windows Phone include: BBID setup and log-in, BBM profiles, invite a contact and suggested contacts (based on people you know), 1-to-1 and multi-person chat, contact categories (handy for separating out work colleagues, family, and friends), and BBM groups. Each of these things combined with their cross-platform expansions have turned BBM into a serious contender as a universally adopted instant messaging app.
To give this app a test-drive on your Windows Phone, you must be a part of the BlackBerry Beta program. If you haven’t gotten on board, or you don’t have a Windows Phone, BBM Messender for Android is also available as a free download.
Jillian Koskie is an experienced software developer, content writer, project manager and usability design expert. With over 17 years in these roles, Jillian has enjoyed applying her skill-set to assist clients and users across a wide variety of sectors including: legal, health, and financial services. Combining these professional opportunities with a love of technology, Jillian is pleased to contribute articles, opinions, and advice to numerous news outlets, websites, and publications.
