14 DAY TRIAL // BlackBerry is a very successful company. Well, maybe not, but its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application is one of the most popular instant messenger available on mobile platforms.
It's so popular that even BlackBerry is scared of its success. Luckily, it appears that the Canadian company manages the situation a bit better after the infamous botched launch of BBM for Android.
After promising it will bring lots of new feature to BBM users on both Android and iOS platforms, such as BBM Voice and BBM Video, BlackBerry is now looking for ways to expand to other markets as well.
For those who do not know yet, BlackBerry Messenger does not supports older Android smartphones powered by Gingerbread operating system.
According to Google's latest distribution figures, no less than 21% of Android devices that visited Google Play Store are powered by Gingerbread platform.
This is a huge market for BlackBerry and it looks like the Canadian company is taking into consideration this not so negligible chunk of Android users.
N4BB reports BlackBerry is now recruiting “testers running Gingerbread OS on their Android device who would be interested in testing BBM.”
This means that the next update for BBM for Android may not only include access to new BBM Video and BBM Voice, but it will also bring supports for Gingerbread devices.
Obviously, it remains to be seen if BlackBerry manages to bring its BBM application to low-end devices powered by Gingerbread platform.
Those interested in being part of the testing team for BBM for Android and own a Gingerbread-powered smartphone can apply to the beta program.
In order to apply you will need to register an account on BlackBerry Beta Zone and provide some info on your Android device. As expected, spots are limited, so Android users who want to be part of the beta testing might want to hurry with their applications.