The popular instant messaging service that has kept BlackBerry firmly on the smartphone map in SA and worldwide - BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) - is going to be made available for Android and iOS devices within the next three months.
"We are giving the power of BBM to Android and iOS users," proclaimed BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins at the close of his keynote at BlackBerry Live in the US city of Orlando this morning.
According to Heins, BBM will become a free messaging app for its smartphone rivals' users "during the summer".
An unexpected move, Heins says it is ultimately a statement of confidence. "The time is right for BBM to become an independent messaging platform."
Heins says the company is making BBM "more powerful than ever before" by leveraging its popularity and giving it to users of other operating systems. He says there are currently over 60 million active BBM users worldwide.
Heins says BlackBerry is more confident than ever before, thanks to its re-engineered BlackBerry 10 platform - a stance evident in his latest announcement.
"We have a solid foundation and a vision that spans next 10, 20 years. We believe in power of BlackBerry 10."