We’re here at the BBM Hackathon in NYC and the event is a decent first for RIM (we can’t remember them ever doing a hackathon). There are about 30 developers that came out and all of them are working on either completely new applications around BBM or adding BBM integration into existing applications. At the end of Day 2 we’ll have demos to show so stay tuned.
So far, we’ve heard from foursquare and RIM and it looks like the BBM Social APIs have been a big success for RIM and developers alike. Foursquare talked about the fact that signups on BlackBerry, post-implementing the BBM integration, have exceeded iPhone and Android. From an anecdotal standpoint, this makes a lot of sense as I’ve seen many of my BBM contacts now sharing their 4SQ location. RIM’s Tyler Lessard talked about how the BBM Social APIs are a natural progression for RIM and this event is just one of many that RIM will be hosting. Lessard mentioned that these events will likely happen globally and could potentially include more than just Java BlackBerry Developers.
So far, we’re seeing developers that are creating some of the following:
Social nightlife app for NYC – find and share events in NYC through BBM. Eventually, this app could be expanded to take advantage of group-based deals.
Shopping list app- If you’re shopping you can share and communicate the shopping list in real-time over BBM. This app could be expanded to discuss any real-time shopping or outing.
In-game chat module – Chat with players in game and deploy in any multiplayer game.
We’ll have much more to say soon. Stay tuned.
