RIM announced on April 11th, that Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones, Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry Travel, BlackBerry App World and BBM Music will include BBM connectivity within the next 10 days or so.
Since BBM connected applications, notes RIM, integrates BBM functionality right into the app, users can now stay in touch with their contacts, share experiences and content, and discover new things from their BBM community.
"Since we provided developers the means to build BBM connectivity into their apps, we have seen more than 800 new BBM-connected apps come to market, which has been followed by a huge uptake by users - about one of every five apps being downloaded on BlackBerry App World is a BBM-connected app," said Alec Saunders, VP of Developer Relations at RIM.
In a separate announcement, RIM said it plans to set up retail outlets in the Middle East starting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and then expanding to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. The company said in February that it would build about 4,000 stores in Indonesia.
RIM recently reported that it had more than 55 million users worldwide on BlackBerry Messenger and over 77 million subscribers.
You can add to the BlackBerry app discussion in our Smartphone and Tablet forum.
