BBM6 released with in-app chat capabilities

BBM - new-ish, shiny-ish, social but not as exciting as a new phone
BBM - new-ish, shiny-ish, social but not as exciting as a new phone

RIM has released BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) 6, an update to its much-loved messaging software that now allows users to chat from within connected apps and games.

Available today, users with BlackBerry OS 4.5 or higher will be able to push messages to friends from within a select number of apps, including FourSquare and Wikitude.

You can also expect to see BBM chat in some games, with achievements and trophies added to your BBM profile so your friends can see what games you're playing (and how terrible you are at them).

Gamify

Along with proof of your gaming prowess, you'll be able to add a status update to your profile.

Conversation style text messaging support for BBM-less contacts has also been added, so you can do all your messaging from within the BBM app.

We expect to see a host of newly BBM integrated apps pop up over the coming months as developers implement the system more widely, particularly in advance of iOS 5's autumn release, which brings iMessage with it - Apple's competing product for iPhone and iPad.

This update to the popular messaging service could be the shiny new social thing that RIM was teasing earlier this week; sure, it's a nice update and all but… well… we were really hoping for some new hardware.

Still, with a BlackBerry media event scheduled for next week, the wait for that might not be too much longer.

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.

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