Today at MWC 2011 RIM introduced the BBM Mobile Gifting platform to the world. The idea is to have a carrier supported platform that allows users to send gifts via BBM. You will be able to send things like airtime, apps, or other carrier-provided services through BBM Gifting. The charges for any gifts will be assessed to your monthly carrier bill or deducted from you prepaid allowance depending on the service plan you are on. BBM Gifting sure looks like a great service and i’m interested in seeing what all RIM has in store for it. You can vie the press release on BBM Gifting after the break.

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RIM hosted a session today at MWC 2011 focusing on the new BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 platform. The new 6.0 platform has all the features of the current BBM with a nearly identical UI. The changes come in the form of added functionality. BBM 6.0 is what we had seen as BBM Social back at Devcon 2010. These new features include the ability to chat in and about games, apps, and E-books. You will be able to chat within applications using the BBM 6.0 framework that developers will be building into their new apps. Developers should get access to the new BBM 6.0 sometime in march with a full release slated for sometime in May. Check out the video above for some more in-depth info on BBM 6.0 straight from MWC 2011.

Source: BBNews.pl

It has been a little while since we have seen an update to BBM. Today, we have a leaked update. This update came from the OS install files for the Bold 9650 OS 6.0.0.466. This is just a small update from the current version of BBM and we don’t know what has changed in this version. If you are running BlackBerry 6 and want to give the latest BBM a try, hit the link below.

• Download the BBM 5.0.1.46 Leak

**WARNING: This is not an official release for BlackBerry and therefore has not been fully tested and may contain bugs. TheBerryFix.com cannot be held responsible for any issues that may arise ether during or after installation. You are installing the leak by choice. To help the BlackBerry community please don’t forget to post your findings in the Comments.

Source: BerryReview

BBM Social was previewed back at DevCon 2010 and a release date was never mentioned. We have seen some leaked info today on what could be the new BBM platform 6.0 featuring the BBM Social aspects. These features are all just rumors at the moment, but with some of the things we have heard on BlackBerry OS 6.1 and BBM Social, it seems that these features may very well be included. The list of rumored features includes:

• The ability to play games and use your BBM user name as your gamer name
• Cross chats between users over BBM (and it looks like you and the other parties playing don’t have to be on each other friends list)
• Also, when we complete tasks on these new games our status will change to show what task we completed (sounds like its similar to the “show what i am listening to tab” and will probably have an option to share with your BBM contacts or hide it from your contacts)
• It also seems like on BBM6, BBM groups will be able to handle more members
• The new BBM6 will be supported on all devices running OS 5+ (at least for now)
• Looks like a mobile game developer company by the name of “Gamemachi” is working on game(s) for this new BBM6 platform. I wonder who else will be joining them?

These features will be really nice, especially on the next-gen BlackBerrys that we have seen previewed to release in 2011. The use of 3D hardware acceleration and Open GL support will bring some awesome games to BlackBerry and this BBM platform could be the perfect way to connect users, much like Game Center does for iOS. What do you think of the new rumored features? Are you excited about this and the future of the BlackBerry platform?

Source: PocketBerry

BlackBerry Messenger has been updated to version 5.0.1.48. RIM has not included a change log with this update so there is no official word on the changes. From what I can tell from a few minutes of brief use there have not been any major changes. This is most likely a release to fix bugs that have been present in the app. If you happen to find any changes in this new version of BBM be sure to let us know in the comments. You can download BBM for free from the App World link below.

It’s pretty obvious that BBM is one of RIM’s biggest growth area, and its evident in the onslaught of commercials that we have seen for the messaging application. If you’re thinking that this is all BBM has to offer then your going to be surprised. Today RIM has announced the release of BlackBerry Messenger API’s allowing developers to tap into the most addicting part of a BlackBerry device. Developers will be able to tap into the power of BBM and let their apps communicate through it, or even send files to others. In about a months time the developers will be able to use the Social API’s in their applications and even in games, just think about being able to invite a friend from your BBM list to battle you in DJ Hero, or even race a car in need for speed in Italy. Check out the full press release after the break.

RIM Press Release:

September 27, 2010

Developers Will Be Able to Leverage the Power of Social Interactions within their Apps

San Francisco, CA – BlackBerry DEVCON 2010 – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) Social Platform, giving developers the tools to build applications that take advantage of the  social aspects of the popular BBM service.

“The BlackBerry developer community has been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to integrate BlackBerry Messenger with their apps. BBM is a very popular service with over 28 million users and opening its real-time social connectivity to third party applications presents incredible opportunities,” said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Platform at Research In Motion. “Access to BBM services from within apps will revolutionize gaming, enhance multimedia experiences, and add a new dimension to location based applications.”

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RIM released a big update to BlackBerry Messenger today.  Version 5.0.1.38 was released today.  BBM 5.0.1.38 has been available in the BlackBerry Beta Zone for a while now and RIM has decided it is ready for public consumption. The update brings some simplification to the app and also many visual feature changes. The new version of BBM is available in App World and on the BlackBerry website.

• Download BBM 5.0.1.38 Here

To view this video on your BlackBerry or other mobile device, Click Here.

BlackBerry Messenger is one of the core applications in the minds of all BlackBerry users.  The simple and easy to use interface makes BBM one of the easiest and most efficient ways to communicate.  BBM connects people, thats the purpose and thats exactly what the app does.  The ease of connecting directly to another BlackBerry is astounding.  While using BBM one can see when their message has been delivered and read and also when their contact is writing a message back.  BBM is a huge part of the BlackBerry experience.  With BBM, Push Email, high-quality voice calling, and efficient SMS, BlackBerry is the ultimate mobile communications device.  Other devices, such as the iPhone and Android handsets, may have great voice calls and web browsers but they lack in the area of mobile communication.  BBM allows Berry users to connect on a much quicker and efficient even than simple SMS.  Here are a few facts on BBM from the World Cup  provided by RIM :

During a thrilling World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain on Sunday at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, Spanish International and FC Barcelona Midfielder Andrés Iniesta scored the winning goal only three minutes before the end of extra-time, which as the lone goal of the match crowned Spain Champions of the tournament.  At the time of this exciting goal, that was viewed around the world, BlackBerry Messenger traffic increased immediately by 280% as virtual communities of fans shared their reactions through BBM.

Throughout the World Cup, there were several other notable moments that correlated with BBM traffic. Some of the most significant included:

• USA v England, June 12th (Match Day 2):  traffic spiked 35% globally at the time of the first goal, scored by England.
• Netherlands v Brazil, July 2nd (Match Day 20):  traffic jumped by 122% globally at the time of the second goal, scored by the Netherlands.
• Argentina v Germany, July 3rd (Match Day 21): traffic rose by 178% globally at the time of the 3rd German goal.

These are just a few of the facts that have been gathered recently regarding the usage of BBM on an international level.  There are over 25 million people using BBM today and that number is growing as more and more people discover the power of BlackBerry and BBM each day around the world.  BBM and BlackBerry connects people in all areas of the world in a unique way.  If you own a BlackBerry or have ever enen used one, I think you can answer this question: BlackBerry, is it just a phone or a way of life?

Source: RIM Media Relations

RIM is hosting a contest called “Tell Us How You BBM And Win.”  The rules are simple; post a video or captioned photo telling RIM how you use BBM for a chance to win one of the many prizes offered.  The contest runs from now until July 13th.  Check it out and be creative with your entries.  We would love to hear that one of our readers won!

• The Contest is now Closed, thank you.
  
  

RIM has released Blackberry Messenger version 5.0.1.5 to a select group of testers in the Blackberry Beta Zone program.  While we can not release any data about the app, we will say there are no visible changes at first glance.  We figured we would inform our readers, since every other site already has, that this test has begun and that they should keep checking the Blackberry Beta Zone to see if they have been added to the Beta list for this app.  You can click the link below to sign up for the Blackberry Beta Zone.

• Sign Up For The Blackberry Beta Zone