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BlackBerry Messenger Beta Starts Rolling Out for iOS and Android Devices

I second the opinion of what's the big deal with BBM.. I truly don't get it.

I had a Blackberry for 10 months or so and yeah, BBM was superior to texting, but what does BBM have that iMessage or Whatsapp doesn't? It's a ********* instant messenger. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
robjulo said:
Hangouts, in its current version on ios, is garbage. Can't even do something as simple as saving a picture. You can on the Android version.
Click to expand...

In theory, yes you can. In my experience saving to the local device (on Android) is spotty at best - it does not always work, no matter how much you mash "save".

That being said, all photos are auto stored to your Google+ photos folder called "Hangouts", that you can then transfer down, if that helps.

----------
bbfc said:
Thanks for explaining about it. I feel like we've gone off topic now! :D
Click to expand...

LOL I'd rather talk about notifications than BBM anyway! :eek:
 
xero9 said:
I second the opinion of what's the big deal with BBM.. I truly don't get it.

I had a Blackberry for 10 months or so and yeah, BBM was superior to texting, but what does BBM have that iMessage or Whatsapp doesn't? It's a ********* instant messenger. Nothing more, nothing less.
Click to expand...

if you truly believe this, than i truly doubt your involvement with BB10 and BBM messenger.

I dont want to rehash the actual functionality of full BBM, since it's been mentioned a few times.

Supa_Fly said:
Sorry, there is a lot you're not aware of.

1. other messaging services have tried to duplicate to fill a void, not replace. I'm not just talking about semantics here either.

2. Non of the competition does the following:
Group Chat
- chat
- sharing of media (though limited to 6MB)
- media stays part of that chat or saved on your device/external memory
- Shared Calendar between all members - new or old/left the group (those left have no calendar access for current changes & new additions). This Calendar is separate by default from any others you have, yet CAN be shared to them.
- Alarms and reminders within.
- white boarding.

Proper Sent and Read messages, and no WhatsApp does NOT confirm sent to the other persons device ONLY sent to their servers from your device - check their FAQ for proof.

*NO ADS.

directly message the users device - such like an important hot email or via BBM chat.

Later this year:
BBM Channels
BBM Audio & Video: audio over 3G/WiFi/LTE and with higher voice channel quality than your iPhone. Also share your screen over BBM Video with someone else .. great for helping others or seeing it as they are there: this includes your home screen, emails, chats, applications, photos, etc etc - anything YOU see THEY can see; you are in control.

So tell me again what other messaging services/apps replaced what? ;)
Click to expand...
 
nefan65 said:
And more flippant replies. Oh, the "I use X and work"; really...that's a pretty tired response. You need new material. Those that go on about how they do work vs. others on a forum usually hold a mid level managers position at Best-Buy. My success? I do quite well thank you. I'm willing to bet I probably make more annually than you do...but that's another argument for another day.

No, most view your posts as I do; not as fun, but being an a$$. You're good at that, as well as being a hypocrite. You go on about red herring's, yet most of your posts are no different.
Click to expand...

Missed the sarcasm again; there is no need to be upset. You make more money than me? Isn't this an archetypal internet argument... Why don't I just accuse you of being a Nazi then we'll call it a day.

PS: Please see the above post for proper use of a semicolon.
 
Last edited:
BornAgainMac said:
I hope Apple doesn't wait until iOS is almost completely dead before providing iMessage on Android devices like Blackberry did with their message service.
Click to expand...

That would be nice, but I'd be more interested in an iMessage app for windows PC's
 
IllmasterMath said:
Missed the sarcasm again; there is no need to be upset. You make more money than me? Isn't this an archetypal internet argument... Why don't I just accuse you of being a Nazi then we'll call it a day.

PS: Please see the above post for proper use of a semicolon.
Click to expand...

Not upset. Just pointing out that you act like a child. I get sarcasm, but like I sad you act like an a$$. There's a difference...

I also ignore your comments about grammar and punctuation, since your own posts have them as well. Glass houses comes to mind.
 
Supa_Fly said:
Sorry, there is a lot you're not aware of.

1. other messaging services have tried to duplicate to fill a void, not replace. I'm not just talking about semantics here either.

2. Non of the competition does the following:
Group Chat
- chat
- sharing of media (though limited to 6MB)
- media stays part of that chat or saved on your device/external memory
- Shared Calendar between all members - new or old/left the group (those left have no calendar access for current changes & new additions). This Calendar is separate by default from any others you have, yet CAN be shared to them.
- Alarms and reminders within.
- white boarding.

Proper Sent and Read messages, and no WhatsApp does NOT confirm sent to the other persons device ONLY sent to their servers from your device - check their FAQ for proof.

*NO ADS.

directly message the users device - such like an important hot email or via BBM chat.

Later this year:
BBM Channels
BBM Audio & Video: audio over 3G/WiFi/LTE and with higher voice channel quality than your iPhone. Also share your screen over BBM Video with someone else .. great for helping others or seeing it as they are there: this includes your home screen, emails, chats, applications, photos, etc etc - anything YOU see THEY can see; you are in control.

So tell me again what other messaging services/apps replaced what? ;)

----------



HAHA .. you have no idea do you? ;) They're far ahead of the competition in so many ways you don't even know it. Do some research, you actually might like whats in store.

----------



PIN's are hardware and on BB devices only. Software pins back when BlackBerry Connect debuted years ago was limited to send only not receive; horrible pilot under restrictive management scope. Now its a simple ID ... you choose your email address and done.

For those that state "Too Little Too late" or "RIM & BB is dead" where do you think this up, or is it all verbatim from what you've heard?

I challenge you to do some research and makeup your own thoughts/minds about this service and give it a try for 24hrs when it gets released officially. Everyone has a right to their thoughts and beliefs, just make sure you're informed to make them and that they're really you're own.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

A lot of existing apps cover the vast majority of those features and are already well established. The 'too little, too late' is very apt, plus the features you say coming later this year, judging by BB's usual timescales, may not be until next year, with their habit of delaying/postponing. Additionally, it's very possible that BB will fragment non-native BBM features, whereas most existing cross platform established alternatives haven't gone that way.

The fact that RIM/BB went from being the top smartphone 7-8 years back, to battling winmo for 3rd shows that BB are dying off. At least Nokia had sense and went to MS.....
 
This will be HUGE in latin and south america, a lot of bb and most people dont pay for the full data plan only the BIS :) they cant use whatsapp or line but now they will be able to chat with android and ios users with no problem.

Hope to get a invite for the beta.
 
kayno said:
BBM is more fun than imessage.. Apple needs to expand iMessage features.. it still feels like basic text.. whatsapp is a bit more like bbm

----------



oh there was evidence alright.. I saw the death of blackberry the first time I touched an iPhone.. It was MAGICAL!
Click to expand...

55 million & BB's death have vastly exxaggerated for years now, vastly! Still hasnt happened. oh & 55 million global users, the 5 million drop may hae been due to chea0er device alternatives or delayed transitions.

----------
shandyman said:
A lot of existing apps cover the vast majority of those features and are already well established. The 'too little, too late' is very apt, plus the features you say coming later this year, judging by BB's usual timescales, may not be until next year, with their habit of delaying/postponing. Additionally, it's very possible that BB will fragment non-native BBM features, whereas most existing cross platform established alternatives haven't gone that way.

The fact that RIM/BB went from being the top smartphone 7-8 years back, to battling winmo for 3rd shows that BB are dying off. At least Nokia had sense and went to MS.....
Click to expand...

Name one specific app no sorry name the "lots" that you speak of. Until you do sorry there is no credibility - and remember this is a MOBILE application conversation, FaceBook doesn't carry chat conversations from the desktop to the smartphone with full history, not by default it has to be enabled.

BB's usual timescales - ouch ... I'll concede to that BUT when official BB10 devices launched it occured 60 days before schedule (January 30th; and in Canada & UK devices where available for sale at retail or subsidized by various carriers - the US is due to the obvious disdain for BB even by carriers in the USA, not just the fans. Also BES10 was launched 3 mths and available for download and full support 70 days before official launch (announced official launch was May 30th, it was available early February - and I mean BES10 not Fusion).

'too little too late' is a catch phrase that perpetuates the negative connotations by those that found BB's too complex in their heyday and just wanted an Apple phone for the sake of having one. Yes I've used the iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5 and I love them all - competition is great for all of us including business'. These features are INDEED coming before end of 2013 as promised as their already here on BB10 devices since launch and they work VERY well; already the beta for cross-platform is live and you're in doubt? Summer isn't over until K12 school starts or official day of fall ~ at least in my mind. So no the 'too little too late' is not valid because there is no fact to back that up?

PS: PlayBook promise for BB10 agreed but common that thing is a 2yrs + old device, not even Apple grants all features in iOS5.4/6 to the original iPad and its getting less feature support every release. Why should the PlayBook deserve any better.

----------
CarlosQG said:
Meanwhile at WhatsApp HQ.
Click to expand...

For now ... sure ... oddly enough recall just last week they stopped charging for their services ... so there ARE worried about the competition clearly. The others like Tiger, etc have failed against WhatsApp simply because it debuted first. We'll see in a 12mth time period who will have the last laugh it'll be an interesting fight for features across platforms between the two.

----------
nrdc said:
BBM only has unique encryption when using its BES enterprise servers (not for consumers). Otherwise it uses a global cryptographic key which is about as secure as regular SMS. iMessage, like BBM over BES, uses unique encryption keys so only the sender and receiver can decrypt messages.
Click to expand...

Has anyone officially and proven to decrypt a BBM message not intended for them yet?

----------
xero9 said:
I second the opinion of what's the big deal with BBM.. I truly don't get it.

I had a Blackberry for 10 months or so and yeah, BBM was superior to texting, but what does BBM have that iMessage or Whatsapp doesn't? It's a ********* instant messenger. Nothing more, nothing less.
Click to expand...

Read my post above yours ... you'll have idea its a LOT more than a **** instant messenger.

----------
nrdc said:
Hopefully that is the case but they desperately want to monetize this to the point there is even discussion of a subscription model so ads are not out of the question.

Also, many features will be BB-only though that may be a good thing. I know it looks good on paper when you start listing a half-page of features but in use it can quickly become screen and user clutter.
Click to expand...

Monetization can take many forms over BBM; for now it's out of the question.
- BBM Channel has been shown as a possibility for monetization (by the Channel holders ~ business' ~ themselves).
- BBM Money currently in 1 country only where it really makes sense, cannot remember where, sorry.
- BBM for secure NFC transactions to your credit card, or bank (protected transations of course) - think mass transit point of entry/sales booths, retail clothing store purchase tellers, etc.

BBM Video/ScreenShare is BB10 exclusive until late this year. Then parity begins for all platforms feature for feature.

Also note a big medical company is using their new BES-like server/service for managing endpoints = M2M business; this less than 30 days after official announcement.

----------
crackbookpro said:
This may be the only thing Blackberry can do now. :eek:

They lost their business peeps years ago in my opinion.

With even WinMo being a market penetrator... Blackberry has a very long mountain to climb to get to where they want to be as a company.
Click to expand...

BlackBerry does a LOT more than just sell smartphones, just like Apple does a LOT more than just sell PC's and iOS electronic devices.

June 5th: BlackBerry Demonstrates New Mobile Computing Service for Automakers
http://press.blackberry.com/press/2...new-mobile-computing-service-for-automak.html
(think of why their in partnership for Formula 1 with Mercedes-AMG; its not only about marketing their brand.

& (sorry I was off by 2mths)
Aug 1, 2013: MAKO Surgical Corporation Deploys BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 to Manage Mobile Investments
http://press.blackberry.com/press/2...n-deploys-blackberry-enterprise-service-.html
 
Supa_Fly said:
Name one specific app no sorry name the "lots" that you speak of. Until you do sorry there is no credibility - and remember this is a MOBILE application conversation, FaceBook doesn't carry chat conversations from the desktop to the smartphone with full history, not by default it has to be enabled.

BB's usual timescales - ouch ... I'll concede to that BUT when official BB10 devices launched it occured 60 days before schedule (January 30th; and in Canada & UK devices where available for sale at retail or subsidized by various carriers - the US is due to the obvious disdain for BB even by carriers in the USA, not just the fans. Also BES10 was launched 3 mths and available for download and full support 70 days before official launch (announced official launch was May 30th, it was available early February - and I mean BES10 not Fusion).

'too little too late' is a catch phrase that perpetuates the negative connotations by those that found BB's too complex in their heyday and just wanted an Apple phone for the sake of having one. Yes I've used the iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5 and I love them all - competition is great for all of us including business'. These features are INDEED coming before end of 2013 as promised as their already here on BB10 devices since launch and they work VERY well; already the beta for cross-platform is live and you're in doubt? Summer isn't over until K12 school starts or official day of fall ~ at least in my mind. So no the 'too little too late' is not valid because there is no fact to back that up?

PS: PlayBook promise for BB10 agreed but common that thing is a 2yrs + old device, not even Apple grants all features in iOS5.4/6 to the original iPad and its getting less feature support every release. Why should the PlayBook deserve any better.
Click to expand...

Actually Facebook does carry conversation histories over to mobile by default, you're wrong there. There are many apps out there that do a high majority of your list of features.

The BBM app should have happened 3-4 years ago. So yes, too little, too late.

Your basic implication that people that hated BBs because they are stupid was not missed. I am not stupid and BB was good, until Apple and Google entered the smartphone industry and made phones that were more user friendly. User friendly does not equal simple for stupid people, it just means more efficient to use.

I notice you chose to ignore the fact that BB have fallen from top dog to fighting for 3rd place with MS....
 
Last edited:
6 yrs too late!

This would have been really cool in 2007 or 2008. But at that time Blackberry wasnt about to open up their software for iOS or Android. Now they're releasing another messaging client. Whoopee do. Why? Apple has iMessage which is great. Google has Chat/Hangouts which is good. And there are several other universal messaging clients, namely Facebook messages. Who even cares about this BBM now?
 
I might give it a try.
I really can't understand people being against it.
I mean, if you don't like or want it just don't take the app.
End of.
 
hmmm... always heard that this app was a great selling point for the blackberry, gonna check this out to see what it really is.
 
Supa_Fly said:
55 million & BB's death have vastly exxaggerated for years now, vastly! Still hasnt happened. oh & 55 million global users, the 5 million drop may hae been due to chea0er device alternatives or delayed transitions.

----------



Name one specific app no sorry name the "lots" that you speak of. Until you do sorry there is no credibility - and remember this is a MOBILE application conversation, FaceBook doesn't carry chat conversations from the desktop to the smartphone with full history, not by default it has to be enabled.

BB's usual timescales - ouch ... I'll concede to that BUT when official BB10 devices launched it occured 60 days before schedule (January 30th; and in Canada & UK devices where available for sale at retail or subsidized by various carriers - the US is due to the obvious disdain for BB even by carriers in the USA, not just the fans. Also BES10 was launched 3 mths and available for download and full support 70 days before official launch (announced official launch was May 30th, it was available early February - and I mean BES10 not Fusion).

'too little too late' is a catch phrase that perpetuates the negative connotations by those that found BB's too complex in their heyday and just wanted an Apple phone for the sake of having one. Yes I've used the iPhone 3GS/4/4S/5 and I love them all - competition is great for all of us including business'. These features are INDEED coming before end of 2013 as promised as their already here on BB10 devices since launch and they work VERY well; already the beta for cross-platform is live and you're in doubt? Summer isn't over until K12 school starts or official day of fall ~ at least in my mind. So no the 'too little too late' is not valid because there is no fact to back that up?

PS: PlayBook promise for BB10 agreed but common that thing is a 2yrs + old device, not even Apple grants all features in iOS5.4/6 to the original iPad and its getting less feature support every release. Why should the PlayBook deserve any better.

----------



For now ... sure ... oddly enough recall just last week they stopped charging for their services ... so there ARE worried about the competition clearly. The others like Tiger, etc have failed against WhatsApp simply because it debuted first. We'll see in a 12mth time period who will have the last laugh it'll be an interesting fight for features across platforms between the two.

----------



Has anyone officially and proven to decrypt a BBM message not intended for them yet?

----------



Read my post above yours ... you'll have idea its a LOT more than a **** instant messenger.

----------



Monetization can take many forms over BBM; for now it's out of the question.
- BBM Channel has been shown as a possibility for monetization (by the Channel holders ~ business' ~ themselves).
- BBM Money currently in 1 country only where it really makes sense, cannot remember where, sorry.
- BBM for secure NFC transactions to your credit card, or bank (protected transations of course) - think mass transit point of entry/sales booths, retail clothing store purchase tellers, etc.

BBM Video/ScreenShare is BB10 exclusive until late this year. Then parity begins for all platforms feature for feature.

Also note a big medical company is using their new BES-like server/service for managing endpoints = M2M business; this less than 30 days after official announcement.

----------



BlackBerry does a LOT more than just sell smartphones, just like Apple does a LOT more than just sell PC's and iOS electronic devices.

June 5th: BlackBerry Demonstrates New Mobile Computing Service for Automakers
http://press.blackberry.com/press/2...new-mobile-computing-service-for-automak.html
(think of why their in partnership for Formula 1 with Mercedes-AMG; its not only about marketing their brand.

& (sorry I was off by 2mths)
Aug 1, 2013: MAKO Surgical Corporation Deploys BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 to Manage Mobile Investments
http://press.blackberry.com/press/2...n-deploys-blackberry-enterprise-service-.html
Click to expand...

With a post like this I would think Crackberry.com might be a better site for you. Not saying anything against Blackberry but man you are defending RIM like if you owe them something.
 
another reason for those people who used to buy the blackberry phones because of the BBM app to stop buying the blackberry phones, you can get it on iOS/android.
 
shandyman said:
Actually Facebook does carry conversation histories over to mobile by default, you're wrong there. There are many apps out there that do a high majority of your list of features.

The BBM app should have happened 3-4 years ago. So yes, too little, too late.

Your basic implication that people that hated BBs because they are stupid was not missed. I am not stupid and BB was good, until Apple and Google entered the smartphone industry and made phones that were more user friendly. User friendly does not equal simple for stupid people, it just means more efficient to use.

I notice you chose to ignore the fact that BB have fallen from top dog to fighting for 3rd place with MS....
Click to expand...

I didn't choose to ignore the fact that BB have fallen to 3rd place ... just remember they where top dog (US/N.America) or very close (globally) for quite a while so you know they did something right.

The fact is NONE of the competition offers ALL of what BBM does, and considering the years that have passed at least 1 or two of them should have by now.

I didn't implicate any lack of intelligence to anyone; you have issues reading into that. Being uninformed =/ the same is stupidity (keep those negative thought to yourself, I'm not putting it out there).

You're still arguing about the "chat" feature of BBM and ignore the many features I've stated ... you've not yet individually countered them all. I've yet to see FaceBook feature carry history if I sign out of one device and logon to another. FB likes to have you remain signed in - this shouldn't be acceptable but its common too many users do this; for ease of use I guess.

I've used and love iOS but there are too many baby steps in a lot of areas that are bothering me when Apple has huge resources to go much further. It's working VERY well for them because the higher percentage of users buying cellphones where very satisfied with the simplicity of their feature phones until seeing how much more than can do .. quite simply as well.

----------
Cactii said:
With a post like this I would think Crackberry.com might be a better site for you. Not saying anything against Blackberry but man you are defending RIM like if you owe them something.
Click to expand...

I post on CrackBerry as well as Esato, HowardForums and here. No offense intended nor taken. Nothing wrong defending a company if too much is said incorrectly or just helping you or others to understand more about the company than to have it blindly dismissed. Not TOOO long ago many on these forums thought the VERY same way about (dismissing) Apple just before any rumour of Jobs returning. Many people also defended Apple as well. Jobs actually informed not just the user base but mostly the media about how relevant Apple still was on his first speech back.

I don't own BlackBerry anything. (officially no longer RIM, yes some software, sites, etc have yet to be transfered over, lol) Some would think a failed interview for a job 'should' leave me bitter - and I'm very against a lot of their tactics, poor marketing and length of time to execute strategies.

For now BB10 works very well for me ... I do miss quite a few applications from iOS that are not tied to a basic internet site services. iOS maybe in my pocket yet again soon - my son uses my former IP4S as well as my dad and uncles overseas. It's the core system and a few things that still erk me - not a fan of the look of iOS7 but I'll hold my choice with $$ until a wider screen aspect debuts ... which I'm hoping is next month.
 
Supa_Fly said:
I didn't choose to ignore the fact that BB have fallen to 3rd place ... just remember they where top dog (US/N.America) or very close (globally) for quite a while so you know they did something right.
Click to expand...

Yea but the fact they dropped, showed they have done something wrong and dropped the ball. They are losing the battle. That's what you're choosing to ignore.

Supa_Fly said:
The fact is NONE of the competition offers ALL of what BBM does, and considering the years that have passed at least 1 or two of them should have by now.
Click to expand...

Bar a couple of random features you mentioned, which I doubt people use day in day out, a lot of existing apps cover 95% of what you listed.


Supa_Fly said:
I've yet to see FaceBook feature carry history if I sign out of one device and logon to another. FB likes to have you remain signed in - this shouldn't be acceptable but its common too many users do this; for ease of use I guess.
Click to expand...

On iOS and android at least, Facebook carries over chat history as a default, I can scroll back to messages sent years back. I just signed into the app on my new iPad and same history shoes up... Weirdly convenient that you haven't seen it.
 
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