BBM 6: Apps Made Social

Douglas Soltys — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:02:56 +0000

Did you know that seventy percent of BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) users use BBM every day to communicate with friends, family and colleagues (if you’re anything like me, you use it every hour – Ed.). Today I am very excited to announce the launch of BBM 6, along with BBM connected apps from the BlackBerry® developer community to deliver a whole new social app experience to #TeamBlackBerry – one that’s only available on the BlackBerry platform. What are BBM connected apps? Quite simply, they are BlackBerry applications that leverage the power of BBM 6 to incorporate your favorite aspects of BBM – and a few new ones!

Please note that to take full advantage of these BBM connected apps, you must first download BBM 6. The BBM 6 update and BBM connected apps may take up to 24 hours to appear in the BlackBerry App World™ storefront for some users.

Check out some of the new social experiences BBM 6 enables:

(YouTube link for easy mobile viewing)

More BBM status updates via BBM connected apps

BBM 6 allows for more status updates on your BBM profile when you use BBM connected apps. BBM 6 features a custom area within your BBM profile where BBM connected apps can insert status updates (such as high scores, trophies, achievements, etc.). For example, you can choose to let your BBM friends see your recently earned foursquare badges or your highest level in Dark Galaxy.

I personally love this new twist on BBM status updates because it allows me to venture out and share even more of what I do on my BlackBerry smartphone with my friends on BBM.

Share BlackBerry app experiences with your friends via BBM 6

With BBM now integrated into many of your favorite apps, the apps you love just became socially-enabled. That’s right – news apps, games, sports apps, productivity apps and multimedia apps – are experiences you can now share with your BBM friends. Select BBM contacts right from the app to invite them to download the app or join in on the fun. For example, imagine inviting a BBM friend from across town or across the globe to play a game of Backgammon King by Magmic – all without ever leaving the app.

(YouTube link for easy mobile viewing)

Start a BBM chat from within a BBM connected app

Many BBM connected apps allow BlackBerry smartphone users to have a BBM chat within the app. The video above shows how easy it is to start a BBM chat from within ScoreMobile after checking the latest sports scores to lay down a little trash talk in support of your favorite team.

Discover BlackBerry apps through friends via BBM 6

I’ve already told you how you can let your friends know when you’ve discovered a great new app via BBM 6. But, do you know you can also discover apps via your BBM friends’ profiles, if they decide to share? With BBM 6, you can launch or install the app by clicking on its icon within your friend’s profile update. This means you can discover great apps simply by reading the profiles of your trusted friends.

Tip: Look for new BBM connected apps to be added to BlackBerry App World. You can easily spot them on BlackBerry App World by looking for the “BBM connected” app icon. To help get you started, we’ve compiled a list of the connected launch apps below. Post a comment and let us know which apps are your favorites!

News and Sports:

Location and Travel:

Music:

Nobex Radio

Games and Entertainment:

E-commerce and Finance:

Productivity and Collaboration:

Inside BlackBerry » ScoreMobile

BBM 6: Apps Made Social