BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 Available Starting Tomorrow

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion is set to deliver tomorrow a new software solution to users of its BlackBerry smartphones in the form of BlackBerry Messenger 5.0. The new BlackBerry messenger comes to the table with a wide range of new features and seems determined to bring an enhanced user experience to any owner of a BlackBerry handset out there.

Although one would have expected for the software solution to feature another version number, it seems that RIM decided to call it BBM 5.0, probably to bring it in line with the latest versions of the BlackBerry operating system. However, the new instant messaging application is the latest release in the series and provides BlackBerry users with the possibility to chat with other BlackBerry Smartphone users in the wild.

According to CrackBerry, the feature list of the new BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 would include:
- Enhanced SMS - Allows for a conversational chat-like user experience with a single contact list for the most personal mobile-to-mobile communications
Note: BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 and later is required for the SMS functionality.
- Avatars - Users can choose a picture from the BlackBerry Smartphone gallery and save it as their personal avatar, which will be seen by their contacts. They can also view other avatars in the contact list and zoom in on the avatars of contacts participating in a conversation by selecting "View participants."
- Large Media File Transfer - Users can send/receive large file transfers up to 6 megabytes for pictures, files and audio.
Note: BlackBerry Device Software 5.0 is required to receive large media files.

Other features and functionalities are also present with the upcoming release, including Enhanced Group Functionality (so that users can update, share and communicate with a subset community), Bar-code Identity (enabling users to add a contact by displaying a 2-dimensional bar code that is captured with the invitee’s camera), and Reliable Contact Backup and Restore (which eliminates the need of BlackBerry Desktop Manager by backing up contacts into the cloud).

The release date for the new BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 is reportedly October 7, so keep your fingers crossed.