RIM CEO: Not keen on sharing BBM, will get video chat in BB10

There has been lot of chatter around Research In Motion (RIM) launching Android and iOS versions of its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) in the past but it seems today all of them have been put to rest. Answering a question from a shareholder at the company’s annual general meeting with shareholders, CEO Thorsten Heins not only confirmed it is not sharing BBM but also mentioned it will get new features like video chat in BlackBerry 10 (BB10), RIM’s next generationoperating system that is expected to debut in the first quarter of 2013.
When a shareholder asked how RIM is tackling the challenge of online social networks Heins responded by saying that BBM still remains as a major social network in Asia Pacific region. “That’s why we want to build on that strength and do not want to share it. We believe this is something that is very unique to us. That is very strong in our portfolio, and we want to use this to build a BlackBerry-driven social networking platform,” he said.
Heins also mentioned that BBM will be upgraded in BB10 and will get video chat within BBM among “many other features.” Well, all this certainly sounds interesting but it we still do not know for sure what BB10 looks like and we certainly cannot be sure it will launch in the first quarter of 2013 as RIM has already announced two delays, which have put the platform a year behind schedule.