Research In Motion has updated its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) instant messaging service to allow free voice calls to other BBM users via WiFi. BBM version 7 enables customers to switch between texting and talking with their contacts.
T A McCann, Vice President of BBM and Social Communities at RIM, said “BBM is the quick, easy way to stay connected to the people that matter to you, and with today’s announcement we’re expanding the capabilities of the service for deeper social engagement and even greater collaboration, beginning with voice functionality. The new BBM Voice feature is for when you’re travelling and you want to call home without worrying about phone charges. It’s for when you have news you can’t wait to share, for quickly explaining complicated details, and collaborating with colleagues. Whenever your ideas are too big for text, there’s BBM Voice.”
The new BBM Voice feature on BBM v7 is currently available in beta for BlackBerry smartphones running the BlackBerry 6 OS or higher. Support for the BlackBerry 5 OS is expected to be added in the future.