BBM coming to Windows and NOKIA X Phones this Summer

 BlackBerry Ltd (TSX:BB) says it will make its BBM text messaging system available to two more types of smartphones, those running the Windows operating system and the Nokia X platform.

The company said Monday at a trade conference that BBM will be a free download from the Windows Phone Store this summer and the version for Nokia X will be available when the platform launches.

BBM has been considered one of the reasons for BlackBerry's success in wooing customers to earlier versions of its smartphones.

Meanwhile, the Globe and Mail reports that BlackBerry intends to bring back a popular set of command keys it had abandoned with the launch of a new family of smartphones this past year.

The newspaper quotes sources familiar with the company as saying chief executive John Chen will announce Tuesday at the mobile industry conference in Barcelona that the company will restore its trademark "belt" of five function keys that sat between the screen and keyboard.

This includes a trackpad and other keys that allowed users to easily navigate between different applications. The belt will appear later this year on phones powered by the BlackBerry 10 operating system. - The Province Post