RIM BBM Social Platform heads to open beta

It has been no secret that RIM has been planning to expand the importance of the BlackBerry Messaging platform from its traditional confines to those that are more inclusive of other apps. Well thanks to the boys working behind the scenes to make this happen over there in Waterloo, the very first open beta of the BlackBerry Social Platform is now available.

Basically, the idea behind RIM’s BBM Social Platform is to provide a way for interested third-party developers to integrate the platform into their apps. More importantly it would bring a wider appeal to the application as RIM is trying to play on the same level as the iPhone and Android product lines.

With the beta, developers will be able to integrate BBM into their apps and can do such things as have embedded chats inside the app, transfer files with the user’s permission and the list goes on. Currently the beta version only works for Java based apps, but RIM is working on a version that will support WebWorks sometime in April

While the news is great, it comes as no surprise as RIM has been falling behind in the quest for mobile smartphone dominance. Currently the company is working on different strategies such as the BBM Social Platform as well as the possibility of integrating BBM with other devices and having a stripped down standalone version for Android and iPhone. Although the company has not confirmed the last rumors, people who are familiar with the workings of RIM have claimed that the company is looking into the possibility and that there should be an Android version of BBM before years end. As for the iPhone version, that might take a bit longer thanks to Apple’s stringent codes.

How RIM is Keeping Up with the Times

The smart phone industry is changing. The focus is shifting from business users to the general market and each year, more and more people come to rely on the smart phone more than having a desktop computer or other similar devices. With the smart phone becoming a crucial part of our society, it is only natural that the BlackBerry gets to keep up with the times.

The initial demonstrations and leaks regarding the Blackberry OS 6 points out that the OS is running properly and is not bogged down by anything at all. In fact, one could even say that the new OS is a sign that RIM is leaning more towards the more common designs and styles for a mobile platform.

In many ways that is actually a great thing. The new UI looks plenty inspired by the Windows Phone 7 with the addition of more dynamic elements, the smooth transitions and the overall look. With functions however, this is still very much a BlackBerry smart phone.

The BlackBerry Messenger is now more hip looking with the new look and it has also been enhanced with additional media content attachments. Users can now send media such as videos, music and images to contacts through the messenger. Universal search is also now part of the OS. This makes finding specific contacts, content and even conversations easy. The feature will be present throughout the entire handset too.

RSS feeds for both news and social networks have been improved, making it easier to see the latest updates without having to jump across several pages. Updating a social network profile on different sites can also be done instantly.

Lastly, the new OS will be giving the users enhanced browsing. The layout now more stylish with the thumbnail pre-loaded views of the sites that is currently open.