BlackBerry may be lumbering along with its ailing smartphones, but it has another trick up its sleeve: BBM for Android Wear.
The Canadian mobile maker has announced plans to bring its wildly successful messaging app to Google’s wearable-optimised operating system.
Engadget reports
According to BlackBerry’s Jeff Gadway, the messaging app will hit Android Wear in “early 2015”. We’re taking that to mean before March.
Read more: BlackBerry Passport vs iPhone 6
BBM was hugely popular in the days before Whatsapp, because it let users send messages for free. It wasn’t without its faults, however – the app suffered an outage back in 2011 that dragged on for days.
It didn’t dent its popularity though. In fact it was so popular that BlackBerry released versions for iOS and Android. Though the multi-platform launch was a bit of a mess, with the initial rollout stopped after unauthorised versions leaked.
BlackBerry has had a tough few years. It was once the king of mobile email, but since the iPhone and Android hit the scene, it’s been relegated to a niche device for business. Though some still swear by its email capabilities.
For its latest handset, it went back to its QWERTY roots. The Classic boasts the full keyboard and trackpad that BlackBerry loyalists love. For its previous device, the Passport, it opted for a more unusual, squat design that made it resemble its namesake.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
