Well, this is interesting. According to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal, BlackBerry is thinking about spinning its BlackBerry Messenger service off into a separate company that would be called "BBM, Inc." Details on the company's plans are light at this point, but BlackBerry recently announced the formation of a special committee to review all of its strategic options, and the WSJ points out that splitting BBM into its own company could highlight the importance of the service.
Interestingly, today's report also mentions that BlackBerry is considering a desktop version of BlackBerry Messenger. A desktop-friendly version of the service was reportedly kicking around inside BlackBerry several years ago, but the company decided not to release it at that time. It's not clear whether or not that'll change this time around, and BlackBerry itself isn't shedding much light on the matter, simply saying that it hasn't made any announcements regarding a desktop version of BBM.
BlackBerry Messenger is one of the things that the BlackBerry platform is best known for, giving users a quick and easy-to-use messaging service that's built into their devices. Getting hold of that service and all of the technology behind it could be a big motivator for a potential buyer, and spinning off BBM into its own subsidiary would help to spotlight the service and perhaps help a sale along. Of course, all of this is very much a rumor at this point, but with these latest rumors and the upcoming release of BBM for Android and iOS, it's clear that BlackBerry is aware of how important its messaging service is.
