Is BlackBerry Messenger a thing of the past?

The debate between Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry, will be a forever lasting one (at least in this office anyways!). The reasons for choosing one phone over another are numerous and can be anything from:

• The BlackBerry has a keyboard that's easier to type on, but the iPhone is easier for reading large emails
• The iPhone has a larger screen, but the BlackBerry has a replaceable battery that lasts way longer

And the reasons go on from here. However, one piece of functionality that really made the BlackBerry stand out over the iPhone (for some), was BlackBerry Messenger or BBM. BBM is a real-time, instant messaging tool that allows you to communicate for FREE with other BlackBerry users by sharing your PIN or code. Therefore, BBM is a huge benefit for users who text a lot OR want to keep in touch with relatives and friends around the world for a minimal cost.

But, with the release of Kik Messenger, a free instant messaging service for iPhone, Andrioid OR BlackBerry users, is BBM becoming a thing of the past?

Kik Messenger is all about sharing and connecting with your contacts through real-time messaging and shares many of the same features of BBM. A few of the similarities are:

• The ability to view if your message has been ‘S’ – sent, ‘D’ – delivered OR ‘R’ – read
• It’s free to send messages to any other user who has Kik Messenger
• And you add a contact through their "Kik Code"

I am personally a huge fan of BBM, but now that one of BlackBerry's distinguishing features is no longer relevant - this may sway my decision from a BlackBerry to an iPhone in the future. Would this sway your decision too?