BlackBerry has always been at an advantage over other cell phone platforms – thanks to the BlackBerry Messenger, popularly called BBM.  This free application helps BlackBerry users to connect with other BlackBerry users anywhere in the world using a secured connection. This helps to avoid any charges related to MMS and SMS.

Considering that majority of business users were using BlackBerry earlier, there was never an issue with it not being a cross-platform application.  Though BBM has managed to keep its users firmly within the BlackBerry camp, companies are now facing a problem of providing some means of low-cost and secured communication with more and more employees now switching to Android based devices and iPhones.

How is Apple addressing their customers on this front?  They have come up with their version of messenger, called iMessage.  Similar to the BBM, iMessage is a single platform application and will be a part of the new iOS 5.  Using this, iPhone users can communicate with no one else but only other iPhone users.

Though some apps exist which can connect users across different platforms, the level of functionality remains an issue.  None of these third party apps deliver what BBM does.

A rumour is doing rounds that RIM is planning to offer its BlackBerry Messenger to iOS as well as Android, though the probability of Apple doing so with iMessage is least likely.

We just hope that we do not lose such an excellent tool of communication in this war of big guns.