Yes, it's true. Blackberry Messenger (or BBM to those Blackberry lifers) will be coming to Android and iOS (Apple) mobile devices. This is a win-win for Blackberry and non-Blackberry customers alike, but a real double-edged sword for Blackberry (once RIM). My wife, a long time Blackberry user, is ecstatic. She can finally move from her ailing Blackberry Bold to an iPhone or Android device, while not losing her extensive BBM family.
For Blackberry, it a dicey bet. On one hand, non-Blackberry users will have an incentive to care about Blackberry. However, BBM was the single reason a lot of Blackberry users I know stuck with their Blackberry devices. This puts a lot more pressure on the Blackberry Z10 and Q10 to really meet or beat the value proposition of the iPhone (possibly) and Galaxy Samsung S4 (I'm not optimistic). In all fairness, I have had neither Z10 nor Q10 in hand to determine if they have the right stuff to be and remain competitive.
Still, if Blackberry can find a really easy way to really get the Z10 and Q10 into people hands (like they did at their recent developer's conference in Florida), they may get back in the game in a significant way.
Personally, I've always loved the old school Blackberry Curves with the scroll wheel, track ball, and WAP browser. Heck, I still use one (OS 4.x) as my mobile when I travel internationally. It's as durable as a tank, batteries last forever, and if you're not picky about condition, you can get them on eBay for less than $20 USD.
My falling out with Blackberry was the move to the sleeker, all-black looking, but less durable Curve and Bold models. User experience was lost along the way. Still, I'm excited about the direction Blackberry is moving in, and look forward to road testing the Z10 and Q10.
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