BBM for Windows Phone, Nokia X handsets by July-Sept

BlackBerry will release its popular messenger service BBM for Windows Phone smartphones in July-September this year.
"BBM will be available as a free download from the Windows Phone Store this summer. BBM for Nokia X will be available from the Nokia Store when the Nokia X platform launches," BlackBerry said in a statement today.
When asked about the specific timing of the launch, the Canadian smartphone maker said it will be introduced in July-September (the US summer).
BlackBerry in October last year launched BBM for rival Android- and iOS-based handsets and the app since then has been downloaded on over 40 million such smartphones. In total, BBM base stood at 100 million as of November 30, 2013.

Nokia and BlackBerry today announced a partnership under which BBM will be available for upcoming Nokia X range phones, built on Android platform, from the day the handsets hit the market.
Faced with stiff competition from iOS and Andriod-based phones, BlackBerry is placing big bets on apps, including taking its popular messaging service BBM to other operating systems, to rake in additional revenue.

"BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community," BlackBerry President, Global Enterprise Solutions John Sims said.

The Canadian company has seen a significant decline in sales over the last few quarters amid competition from Apple, Samsung and Nokia. It launched a new operating system BB10 last year but it has failed to gain share in the global smartphone market.
"Today marks an exciting moment for Nokia. By bringing BBM to the Windows Phone and Nokia X communities, our customers will be able to experience this popular global messaging app," Nokia Vice President and GM Developer Relations Bryan Biniak said.
Nokia users will have access to messaging and collaboration features like BBM Chats, BBM Groups, BBM Voice and BBM Channels.

Last week, BlackBerry had started rolling out a new version of BBM, allowing Android and iPhone users to make free voice calls to other BBM contacts over Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. The free voice call feature (BBM Voice) was already available for Blackberry handset users.
BBM Channels allows users to chat with other BBM users on topics of interest them. These range from products, hobbies and sports to entertainment, fashion and cars.
Currently, BBM comes pre-loaded on Android devices from brands like LG, Micromax, Celkon, Spice and Zen.