14 DAY TRIAL // Owners of Windows Phone devices interested in some BBM action on their devices can now download the beta flavor of the application, provided that they signed up for the testing program last week.
The BlackBerry Messenger application was made available for free for Windows Phone users, the same as it is on Android, BlackBerry, and iOS, and allows users to connect with their friends regardless of the mobile operating system they are on.
However, only a limited number of Windows Phone users can grab the application at the moment, as the beta testing program filled up quite fast, yet BlackBerry also provided users with the option to join a waiting list for beta testing the application.
The Windows Phone client arrives on devices with a series of features that are specific to this mobile platform, including the option to pin a Live Tile to the Start Screen.
Additionally, as WPCentral notes, the software features BBID Setup and Log-in (for Whitelisted BBIDs) features, the possibility to create a BBM profile, and the option to invite a contact and suggested contacts to chat.
Other capabilities included in the app are 1-to-1 & Multi-person Chat, Contact Categories, Manage Settings, and BBM Groups.
BlackBerry also released the software with notifications and in-app "splats" for new content, allowing users to access them in Feeds or in Contacts when a message has been received.
As mentioned above, the application is available only in a beta flavor for the time being, which means that it still includes a series of issues that will affect users’ experience with it.
In fact, the Canadian mobile phone maker has already acknowledged some of these, such as the fact that invites and acceptances don't get sent when Windows Phone goes out of WiFi coverage.
Some new emoticons won’t render properly in this application release, and an error popup will appear when using "Find Friends" and the "OK" button is selected.
Apparently, Windows Phone users might see the BBM Voice feature listed as available for them, though calls are not supported on the operating system for the time being.
One other issue in this beta app iteration is the fact that the Suggested Contacts tab will show only users who are already using BBM, while listing them as potential contacts when BBM is initially launched.
Those of you who have signed up for the beta testing program but haven’t had the chance to grab the application as of now should head over to the BlackBerry Beta Zone to download the mobile client now. The application can be seen listed on this page in the Windows Phone Store.