BBM for Android is coming, whether anyone cares or actually wants it, or not. We don’t know when but the date is close. So close that the app has been sent out to beta testers. It’s now in the final stages of testing and bug squashing leading up to release. One of those beta testers has taken a video that is almost four minutes long, detailing the new app for us. We’ve already seen it on video once before. That video has been pulled. Now we get another look at BBM for Android.
This video was originally posted at BlackBerryOS.com. It has already been pulled from that site, and will likely be pulled from YouTube shortly. The video gives us a peek at some of the features that we can expect from the BBM for Android app. The video goes in to quite a few of these features:
- BBM for Android sits in your Notification pull-down all the time. It’s there so you know that you are always connected to BBM. Some users will like this, some will hate it, but there it is.
- The design of the app is pretty much identical to the BBM app in BlackBerry 10. There really are no Android design elements to be found. Even the stock BlackBerry notifications ringtone is there.
- You are able to add contacts using NFC. This is a great feature that really speeds up the process of adding contacts. You can just touch two phones together to send over contact information instead of having to type everything out. Very nice.
- You can send messages using text, you can send pictures from your gallery, and you can send voice notes. You can even open the camera and take a new photo to send to a contact.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but it gives us a good idea of what BBM for Android is going to offer. So far, it looks like Hangouts or WhatsApp or any number of instant messaging apps that available for Android right now. The question remains, who is going to actually want to use BBM for Android with all of the other great messaging apps we already have?