Research in Motion Ltd.’s popular “BlackBerry” devices are going to get a healthy dose of Google Inc. (www.google.com) thanks to a deal announced Thursday.
RIM announced that it will support “Google Talk” instant messaging and “Google Local” for mobile on BlackBerry devices.
Available later this spring, Google Talk will allow customers to send and receive IM messages with other Google Talk community members. It also allows users to know when their friends are online and available, to resume conversations started earlier, to copy conversation text into memory and to be notified when a message is being typed.
BlackBerry users will also gain access to Google Local, which is available now. The application provides local maps and satellite imagery and directions to local addresses beamed directly to the device.
"As mobile technology continues to converge, consumers are becoming increasingly more connected and require access to information at home, at work and on the road," Google director of product management Deep Nishar said. "By extending Google Talk and Google Local beyond the desktop, BlackBerry users will have greater access to the information they need regardless of where they are."
