RIM's (RIMM) Popular BBM Service Faces New Rival in Key Asian Markets
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One of Research In Motion's (Nasdaq: RIMM) most popular features might have just met its doppelganger. Making it worse, the pressure comes from one of the markets where its devices are still popular.
According to a news release Friday, NHN Japan's popular mobile messaging service Line is now available on RIM's BlackBerry platform. The release states: "This version targets areas such as Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, where BlackBerry remains a popular choice of handset. NHN Japan believes that it is important to allow their LINE app to be used for various devices and network environments in order to make the app accessible to as many users as possible, thereby raising user numbers."
One of RIM's biggest wild cards has been its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service. Line is big in Asia, adding about 50 million users in under a year, according to some reports.
In an ironic twist, however, the Line version for BlackBerry will be contain less features than the iPhone and Android counterparts due to some of the operating systems limitations.
Line will be available for BlackBerry OS 5 or better.
RIM is indicated for a higher open Friday.
According to a news release Friday, NHN Japan's popular mobile messaging service Line is now available on RIM's BlackBerry platform. The release states: "This version targets areas such as Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, where BlackBerry remains a popular choice of handset. NHN Japan believes that it is important to allow their LINE app to be used for various devices and network environments in order to make the app accessible to as many users as possible, thereby raising user numbers."
One of RIM's biggest wild cards has been its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service. Line is big in Asia, adding about 50 million users in under a year, according to some reports.
In an ironic twist, however, the Line version for BlackBerry will be contain less features than the iPhone and Android counterparts due to some of the operating systems limitations.
Line will be available for BlackBerry OS 5 or better.
RIM is indicated for a higher open Friday.
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