Posted by skblakee
The Blackberry messenger is hugely popular with some people buying a BB just for the messenger. This is probably the main thing keeping BB from going under.
Even with all its popularity phones like the iPhone and SGS2 are vastly outselling Blackberrys. What would make an ordinary fella opt instead for the iPhone or SGS2 which does not have BBM over a Blackberry? What about those other phones make one not want to keep his BBM?
Posted by jplacson
Well, in all honesty, I think the ONLY reason one should get a BB is for BBM. Other than that it falls short in almost every respect to even older UIQ devices.
Kik Messenger easily connects all iOS, Android and Win Phone users far better than BBM. And you're not tied down to archaic technology.
BB just gained popularity due to the "I'm busy, I've got a BB" image they have since most of their clients are corporate fleets.
I prefer Kik or actual email to BBM.
Posted by jcwhite_uk
As I dont know anyone with Kik then I wouldnt have anyone to talk to. As most people I know use Blackberrys I will be using BBM.
Posted by skblakee
But JC, the iPhone and Androids are outselling by far, BB's. Therefore it stands to reason that most will not be using (eventually) BBM.
Or did I misunderstand what you meant?
Posted by daviep
you can install liveprofile,it works on blackberry,ios and android.
Posted by jcwhite_uk
On 2011-07-30 13:58:58, skblakee wrote:
But JC, the iPhone and Androids are outselling by far, BB's. Therefore it stands to reason that most will not be using (eventually) BBM.
Or did I misunderstand what you meant?
Actually in the UK in 2010 Blackberrys outsold iPhones and Android phones souce so it stands that more UK users will be moving to BBM where I am.
Posted by Marly
^^ Same situation in the Netherlands: in 2010 the BB Bold 9700 was the best sold phone here.
Posted by skblakee
Wow! The iPhone and Android are not invincible after all then? It might be that only in the US does IOS and Android dominate the market.
BBM will probably help keep the Blackberry relevant.
Posted by tranced
Sometimes I wonder why people buy blackb's and the answers I get are:
- The "bbpin". This is how the majority of dominicans call the BBM.
- The "free" communication.
For God's sake! Those are vague answers. I tell them I can do that with Android. Whatsapp is a popular inter OS messenger which just needs a phone number. It's easier keeping a phone number than a bbpin.
Posted by skblakee
On 2011-07-31 00:37:00, tranced wrote:
Whatsapp is a popular inter OS messenger which just needs a phone number. It's easier keeping a phone number than a bbpin.
Quite true! You have just strengthened my arguments for the next time I am in such a discussion.
Posted by jplacson
On 2011-07-31 00:37:00, tranced wrote:
Sometimes I wonder why people buy blackb's and the answers I get are:
- The "bbpin". This is how the majority of dominicans call the BBM.
- The "free" communication.
For God's sake! Those are vague answers. I tell them I can do that with Android. Whatsapp is a popular inter OS messenger which just needs a phone number. It's easier keeping a phone number than a bbpin.
Same with Kik. I tried whatsapp and pingchat as well, I ended up preferring Kik. I didn't like pingchat cuz it tied itself to the device.
But there are so many BBM alternatives that work with all the mobils OS platforms. Rim was threatened the most by Kik (which is why they banned Kik from AppWorld a few days after it was released for BB)
Posted by Caspa
I hate the BB im using... hate it with a passion and cant wait until mid month when I can finally go back to Android (with a lovely SGS2)... only reason im using a BB at the moment is work, we decided to go BB last year... but mid month is upgrade/new contract time and we're moving all the phones onto O2 and everyone will be getting the new touchscreen Bolds aka Dakota's... Thankfully I'll be getting myself a SGS2!
Keeping the BB's for everyone as they are pretty locked down, so people wont be able to do what im gonna do and load on custom ROM's and hacks etc...
BBM is BB's saving grace, but with WhatsApp and the like im not sure how long it will be...
Posted by skblakee
Once Whatsapp takes off BB's and BBM is dead!
Posted by skblakee
Is BBM still popular in your area? I didnt want to start a new thread on this but would like to get thoughts and opinions.
Here in the Caribbean and Latin America RIM controls 45% of the cellphone market. It is their largest market by share. No doubt it is because of the BBM.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Posted by Tsepz_GP
Same situation here in South Africa, BlackBerrys outsell Androids and iPhones by a huge gap, and for the same reasons:
-Unlimited web
-BBM
For just R59 per month, thats around 7.40USD on top of the contract or prepaid you get BIS on your BB.
Although i said unlimited web, two of our largest networks are clamping down on it and throttling down download speeds if you download more than 100mb, as many kids used their BBs to download huge files and heavy streaming, some amounting to 300GB in a month, so they are now stricter on it.
Most of my friends own BBs ranging from the low end 8520 Curve to the high end 9810 Torch, you find even little 10yrld kids with these phones especialy the 8520 thanks to the cheap data, and BBM.
I cant stand BBs, they run on outdated HW, have a dull UI with an OS that inspires very little dev support and lately they have the worst batt life (OS7 BBs).
I use WhatsApp, thats how i chat to everyone whether they have BB, Android, iPhone or a Symbian, its just as functional as BBM.
Posted by skblakee
300GB
Most of my friends also use BB's for the chat with unlimited Web also. In fact the big craze right now is 9800's and 9900 Bold. Androids are catching on slowly but surely.
Posted by false_morel
It's not just the existance of Whatsapp and Kik and whatever universal messengers are there, that BBM becomes obsolete..
What I don't get is with current data plans and everyone having Internet access on smartphones, what's the need for even the likes of Whatsapp?
While you're logged on to Skype, Live Messenger, Facebook chat, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, etc.. really what's the need then for a mobile messenger?
If you have messengers that are universal to all computing devices and already used by everyone everywhere, why would I need Whatsapp, or BBM, or iMessage, etc..??
Did I miss something here?
I use Skype, Live Messenger, and Facebook chat. Both on PC and smartphone. (Well Skype is coming soon to my WP, but I used to use it on Symbian).. So again, what would BBM or Whatsapp bring me?
Posted by skblakee
False - good questions. I believe that most of those who swear by their BBM's think that it is more than a messenger. They believe that it is something new and revolutionary. Anyway it is the only thing that keeps BB's selling right now.
Posted by adsada
The best internet messenger imo is 'Messenger' by facebook, because it works really well and you don't have to faff about with adding peoples codes, but all your friends are already there as it used your facebook friends
Posted by false_morel
On a further thought, there is one little factor that could be indirectly the cause of adopting mobile messengers like Whatsapp and BBM over regular PC messengers..
And it's the keyboard!
When you chat from your smartphone with someone on his PC, lets say through Facebook Chat, you'll always be much slower in actual typing than him.. Specially when it's a rapid conversation with much typing..
Not only that we're all just accustomed to proper physical Qwerty keyboard, but also no matter how much one tries, it's simply infeasible to type using ten fingers while concentrating on the screen.
For even on a tablet, there is no room for all ten fingers in the first place, and then you don't have the feel of physical buttons so that you won't have look where to press!
Add to it that a virtual keyboard takes much space from the ongoing conversation and it makes it even harder to follow up!
But still, I see no need for either the cross-platform Whatsapp nor for the platform-specific BBM..