BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 Now Available for Download

We knew it was coming as we saw this email drop to some partners earlier in the week, so it was just a waiting game. A lot of you have been playing around with leaked versions of BBM5 and never wanted to see a standard BBM version again - well now you don't have to! BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 is now officially available in BlackBerry App World for devices running OS 4.5 and higher. Check out the link below to download. As for what's new in BlackBerry Messenger 5.0, here's the quick summary:

  • Avatars can be easily set up and then populated from BlackBerry Contacts
  • Group Functionality - allows groups of friends, family and personal contacts to stay connected & share experiences instantly on their BlackBerry smartphones:
    • ongoing group chat
    • sharing pictures
    • organizing tasks and events with shared lists and calendars
  • Bar-code identity - easily add/invite contacts to BlackBerry Messenger by displaying a 2-dimensional bar code that the invitees can capture with their BlackBerry camera
  • Large Media File Transfer - up to 6MB

* Note: While BBM 5.0 will definitely work on official releases of OS 5.0, we're not sure yet as I post this if it will work on previously leaked versions of OS 5.0. Be sure to report back in the comments if you're having success or not, and back up your BBM contacts before upgrading. *