The apps just keep on coming today for BlackBerry 10 – even though Microsoft is trying to transition Windows Live Messenger users to Skype, BlackBerry has seen fit to release a WLM app for the platform today. This is bound to be a hit among those users who just don’t want to give up on this classic instant messenger.
Since the app is made by BlackBerry themselves, rather than Microsoft, the functionality is fairly limited – you just have your basic instant messaging among individual Live Messenger contacts, as well as the ability to change your personal message and your online status. It’s very much similar, if not identical, to the Yahoo Messenger and Google Talk apps made by BlackBerry. On the bright side, this means integration into the BlackBerry Hub. However, in my experience there seem to be some bugs communicating with users that have already moved to Skype. Speaking of the Skype transition, the app is destined to stop working in March 2014, when Microsoft puts the final nail in the messenger’s coffin by shutting off the messaging protocol used by the app.
If you’re willing to live with that, there’s one more catch – the app seems to be limited to OS 10.1 users at the moment. A leaked version of the OS will do for the Z10, while users of the Q10 should have no issues installing the app. But if you’re already on 10.1, head on over to BlackBerry World here to install it.