MySpace for BlackBerry Released

Research In Motion has taken the plunge into the social smartphone market, once and for all. As of midnight last night, RIM customers were treated to the availability of MySpace for BlackBerry.

RIM and MySpace announced the application way back in September at CTIA, along with a BlackBerry community page on MySpace for users to access the latest BlackBerry smartphone news, content, videos, games, ringtones and skins. However, the release date was always a little vague. Well, wait no more.

"MySpace and RIM are at the forefront of the mobile social networking evolution," said Chris DeWolfe, chief executive officer of MySpace. "Our partnership enables millions of BlackBerry smartphone users to leverage MySpace on the go and access content, friend networks, and status and mood updates anywhere at any time." While we wouldn’t go so far as to say RIM is at the forefront of the mobile social networking evolution, the company is certainly trying.

The last few months have seen RIM take a step away from business and announce more social smartphones. Many thought that despite the fact that we were seeing shiny pictures of chic new BlackBerry handsets, it would be difficult for the company to shake it’s all business façade even with a device catered toward a more rounded lifestyle in its product lineup. But with mobile social networking is on the rise, and analysts forecasting over 800 million people worldwide accessing social networks through their mobile phones by 2012, up from 82 million in 2007, social networking is something RIM can’t afford to leave out.

However, the addition of a MySpace application could be just what the company needs in order to catch the attention of the younger consumer. With a social networking site as big as MySpace on board, we’re sure the BlackBerry will be under a lot of trees this holiday season.