Palringo has released its software client for BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion. Palringo’s Rich Messaging Service is available for the BlackBerry Pearl, BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry 8800 series smartphones.

BlackBerry smartphone users can now easily chat using voice and picture messages as well as traditional text. Further, they can do so with other users of many of the popular PC-based IM services such as AOL’s AIM, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk through one, easy-to-use Palringo interface. Equally important, they can do so whether sitting at a computer, tapping with a smartphone or Pocket PC stylus, or using a BlackBerry.

Palringo presents a user’s contacts from all services into one combined, presence-aware list, eliminating the need to continually switch between multiple IM tools. In addition, Palringo’s dynamic “vocal instant messaging” combines walkie-talkie style voice chat, the real-time text functionality of IM and the ability to share pictures, all within the context of one “threaded” discussion.

Palringo lets the user set up an unlimited number of groups and send a voice, text, or picture message to all group members at once, a feature with obvious value for corporate as well as social use. (Think fellow employees, alumni, team players and their parents.) Neither does it limit recipients to simply those on the same wireless network. Palringo does not charge at all, unlike other wireless-carrier-supplied text messaging services that charge for each recipient and in some cases per message. While a mobile data plan or Wi-Fi access is required to use Palringo, the service’s instant messages take up very small amounts of data, minimizing costs.

Palringo’s Rich Messaging Service for BlackBerry smartphones is available now for free download at www.palringo.com. The service is also compatible with Windows Mobile, Symbian and Java-based clients, including devices from Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson.