"I'm not sure I completely understand how this helps RIM much, though. BBM is about the only I miss from my BlackBerry, and I would sign up in a minute if it wa

"I'm not sure I completely understand how this helps RIM much, though. BBM is about the only I miss from my BlackBerry, and I would sign up in a minute if it was available on my phone. Still, that doesn't make me more inclined to buy a RIM device again." I think that's the key. Making BBM platform independent, while charging for usage, would be a great way to shift their business model in the face of declining hardware sales. They are getting their lunch eaten by iOS and Android, IMO, and offering BBM is a great way of expanding their market across the board. Will it negatively affect their hardware sales? Yes. Will it give them a good business model moving forward? I think so. I think it would be a very smart move, but the results will speak for themselves.