[blackberry] Blackberry Messenger (BBM) now available for Android and iPhone

[Arthur]

I'm sure this will make a lot of teenage girls very happy.

 

Download (Google Play, iTunes Store) / Previous Thread

 

This is the news you've been waiting for! I am thrilled to tell you that we are about to officially resume our rollout of BBM for Android and iPhone customers around the globe!* In the next few hours, people will start seeing BBM in Google Play, the App Store and in select Samsung App Stores – where it will be free to download.

 

The demand for BBM on Android and BBM on iPhone continues to be amazing. About six million people signed up for information about BBM at BBM.com. As you know, in just seven hours, about one million Android users were using the unreleased version of BBM for Android. What you don’t know is that more than one million people have found creative ways to “side load” BBM on their iPhone. This is incredible.

 

To help manage this unprecedented pent up demand for BBM, we are implementing a simple line-up system to ensure a smooth roll out. Here’s how it is going to work…

 

BBM Roll Out Details:

1. Download BBM – the easiest way is to visit BBM.com from your Android or iPhone browser*
   
2. Once you install the app, open it, and enter your email address to hold your spot in line
   
3. We will email you as soon as you reach the front of the line and can start using BBM
   

If you are among the millions that took the time to sign up at BBM.com, you can start using BBM immediately without waiting in line.* If you didn't sign up in advance, don’t worry – we are focused on moving millions of customers through the line as fast as possible.

 

http://i.imgur.com/MV1sAUJ.jpg http://i.imgur.com/yDAkZFj.jpg

Edited October 21, 2013 by Arthur

[LosOjos]

Call me a cynic, but a lot of those reviews (Google Play Store) are extremely similar; I do hope RIM haven't gotten desperate enough to fake reviews now

[AngryTechnician]

The Blacberry store is already stuffed full of cookie-cutter apps, so cookie-cutter reviews just seem like par for the course for RIM: ONE App Developer Responsible for 47,000+ Apps in BlackBerry World? - BerryReview

[sparkeh]

Maybe I'm missing something, but what's so great about BBM?

[LosOjos]

Maybe I'm missing something, but what's so great about BBM?

 

Free multimedia messaging, very popular with teens who get good data plans on PAYG so save a lot of credit by not texting. I've always argued that you might as well email but hey what do I know

[sparkeh]

Free multimedia messaging, very popular with teens who get good data plans on PAYG so save a lot of credit by not texting. I've always argued that you might as well email but hey what do I know

Oh that makes sense I suppose. I agree with the email thing though, guess that makes me an old fogey or something...

[LosOjos]

Oh that makes sense I suppose. I agree with the email thing though, guess that makes me an old fogey or something...

 

Haha I'm with you. All smart phones are capabale of sending and receiving email, most providers support IMAP now for [almost] instant notifications, and I can read and reply on the PC too if I want to - so much better! But BBM is, like, cool innit?

[MordyT]

Took one look at the permissions it wants and said skip it...

[jonnykewell1]

Just use whatsapp, works across all the platforms and does the same thing. 69p a year or something on android.

[AngryTechnician]

Took one look at the permissions it wants and said skip it...

 

On Android it actually requires fewer permissions than WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Facebook, and Skype. Unless you also have problems with all of those, this doesn't seem like a legitimate reason to boycott BBM. There are plenty of other reasons not to use it, but the permissions are fairly typical of similar IM apps.

Edited October 22, 2013 by AngryTechnician

[MordyT]

On Android it actually requires fewer permissions than WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Facebook, and Skype. Unless you also have problems with all of those, this doesn't seem like a legitimate reason to boycott BBM. There are plenty of other reasons not to use it, but the permissions are fairly typical of similar IM apps.

 

I gave up protecting myself from Google, they already know everything about me. I never used whatsapp or Facebook, so the boycotting isn't just BBM. I guess I should start getting used to hangouts.

[AngryTechnician]

Call me a cynic, but a lot of those reviews (Google Play Store) are extremely similar; I do hope RIM haven't gotten desperate enough to fake reviews now

 

Looks like they are that desperate: Blackberry's Android BBM app drawing lots of suspicious 5-star ratings

 

Tech blogger Terence Eden combed through the reviews a little deeper and found at least one reviewer that looked to have been a little too eager with copying and pasting review text. It reads, in part, "Please post the following comment on the new BlackBerry Messenger Android APP. 'Thank you so much black berry team...'" and concludes with the same mangled review text.

[Arthur]

No more waiting list! I can't wait to install BBM as it looks so user-friendly and smooth on Android.

 

BlackBerry Kills BBM Waiting List On Android & iOS, Promises Voice & Video Calling « Cult of Android

 

BlackBerry used the BBM waiting list so that it could control the number of new users accessing its servers following the app’s launch on Android and iOS. The company knew the app would be popular — it was downloaded over 10 million times during its first 24 hours of availability — and it wanted to prevent server problems that may have disrupted its launch (again!).

 

But now that waiting list is no longer necessary, so new users who sign up for BBM on Android or iOS will gain access to the service straightaway. What’s more, BlackBerry has promised that “within months,” a number of new BBM features will be brought to the new apps.

[Poults]

As has already been said, i cant see the point of it unless you don't use whatsapp already or genuinely know enough people that still use bbm.