[Laura Knotek]

I actually find it annoying to see Twitter, Facebook, and other updates in BBM contacts' statuses. I've never connected any of the other apps to BBM, since I prefer to keep BBM and social networks separate.

I wish there were a way to avoid those annoying popups asking if every app wants to connect with BBM. What is the point of connecting ScoreMobile to BBM? My friends do not follow the same teams I do anyway.

These popups asking to integrate everything into BBM are as annoying as those broadcast messages.

RIM needs to allow users to disable both once and for all.

[nyc_rock]

BBM is no longer as relevant as it once was, now that there's cross platforms IMs like Whatsapp, Kik, and LiveProfile around. Over the last year my BBM icon has been lighting up less, and the Whatsapp icon's been coming up more and more.

That said, there's still some value to BBM...if RIM moves to make it cross platform. I think if it became available, Android and iPhone users will download and use it, based on its past reputation. It has the potential to dominate the mobile IM market, which at this point is still quite fragmented.

I totally agree with you. This thought process that RIM cant give out BBM to non Blackberry users is antiquated. BBM isnt stopping the mass defections to other platforms. They should do this well ahead of BB10 as well. Make BBM a cross platform unifying experience that people will want to use. Keep the best OS intagration for BB10 and then you will give people a real reason to want to try RIM's new OS.

[_StephenBB81]

The thing is, a lot people might only use BBM to send messages to their buddies because it's "free". Personally, that's all I do with it, I see it as a free substitute to text messaging.

So the whole social experience piece of it is probably lost on people like me.

I suspect it is,

Just as facebook is lost on me why anyone really would love that site blows my mind,

each social network of sorts appeals to different users. the reason BBM is a social network for me is because I make use of groups

I have a family group for chatting, I've been in BlackBerry fan groups, Ford Truck Groups, I've formed groups for business events, there is picture sharing, voice note sharing, sending files around, status updates, simple sending of ones location when trying to set up meetings with people, the smilies are subdued but comical, the look and feel has a little bit of customizing, but nothing too much, and 9 out of 10 contacts I get to have a face to their conversation, something I truly hate about SMS is that I don't have that face to the convo, I don't get to feel the mood via the status message, and picture, and the limited space reduces the ability to express oneself fully.

I didn't get BBM in 2008, I had 4 work associates, and 2 personal contacts for probably 3 months, once I started feeling out adding people who I had only met once at a conference and chatting about stupid non work stuff, like BrickBreaker scores, and cars, and just mish mash, as the platform evolved I used more features and realized it really helps you connect with people beyond what you do in person and via email, I am much closer to customers with BBM than I am with most who have only email/SMS/phone calls, with a few exceptions of course.

[tchocky77]

Those who are BBM fans should pay particular attention to what Apple has done to iMessage this summer.

[tchocky77]

Well iPhone has iMessage and while it's nothing amazing yet - it is also the first iteration of that messaging application. Id be willing to bet apple is going to have some very cool upgrades for it in ios6 - why do I think that? Because apple makes smart decisions and brings to the masses what they want/need, to that end I can't say the same thing about rim and their choices.

my man right here nailed it.

[Chrisy]

I do like iMessage alot. BBM has more features right now, but probably Apple will improve their messenger. Hopefully BlackBerry will innovate in that area. Here's my thread about it: http://forums.crackberry.com/apple-i...wesome-663520/

I like Live Profile because it's cross platform but it doesn't have a lot of the features that iMessage and BBM have. PLUS, it isn't as reliable.

[Frosty_Power]

One good feature about BBM over iMessage is that you don't have to give out your phone number(which does come in handy in a lot of situations).

[BlackBerry Guy]

One good feature about BBM over iMessage is that you don't have to give out your phone number(which does come in handy in a lot of situations).

You can however give out an email address instead of a phone number with iMessage.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

[h4mza]

But Blackberrys and iPhones have whatsapp

[Laura Knotek]

But Blackberrys and iPhones have whatsapp

WhatsApp is available for all major platforms: BlackBerry, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Nokia Symbian. WhatsApp Messenger

[Chrisy]

So is Live Profile. But they have their cons. And you have to get your people to download them.

[TheStoof]

BBM is an excellent feature, but is only as good as the number of friends you have that also use it. With more and more people leaving the Blackberry platform, I don't think BBM is as relevant a feature any more and I don't think it was ever a selling point those that switched to Android or iPhone ever really considered...

BBM is very relevant. Why get a BB for anything BUT BBM? All the apps lack features, not to mention the appeal that the iOS equiv offer.

The only reason I want to switch from iOS is to get BBM, so I can talk to my gf's family, but I won't switch until BB10 phones come out...even then, I may not. It all depends on the apps.

[tmelon]

BBM is an excellent feature, but is only as good as the number of friends you have that also use it. With more and more people leaving the Blackberry platform, I don't think BBM is as relevant a feature any more and I don't think it was ever a selling point those that switched to Android or iPhone ever really considered...

Well said. When I used a BlackBerry I only used BBM with two or three people and I wasn't a fan of how it was separate from the SMS application. Eventually those people switched to Android and iOS so I never used BBM again.

[[email protected]]

You can however give out an email address instead of a phone number with iMessage.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

Thanks for this! Some never accept that they don't have as much information as they 'thought' they had.

[belfastdispatcher]

It seems the only folks who care about BBM are Blackberry users and their population is shrinking. I even have the PB and have never thought about BBM.

Do many people Tweet BBMs?

I'm not sure iPhone folks are concerned with BBM.

It's officially 55 million BBM users now as announced at the BBM Party, so not shrinking at all.

[tchocky77]

It's officially 55 million BBM users now as announced at the BBM Party, so not shrinking at all.

How many of those users bother with BBM though? This forum is replete with threads full of people bemoaning the fact that they don't have anyone to talk to anymore because all their friends are on Android or iOS now.

[_StephenBB81]

How many of those users bother with BBM though? This forum is replete with threads full of people bemoaning the fact that they don't have anyone to talk to anymore because all their friends are on Android or iOS now.

That 55 Million is of active BBM users according to RIM

Their User base is 77 Million Active BIS/BES devices

[tchocky77]

Ah. Thank you for the clarification.

[crackamon]

Well I don't know about The Us but here in canada my bbm contact list isn't shrinking at all but growing. But that's just here in canada eh .

Sent from my BlackBerry 9360 using Tapatalk

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

You never had a BlackBerry with BBM I guess.

<snip>

BBM is still a draw factor and it still is a great product, yes to those who never used it, and seeing as the smartphone market grows so fast more and more people have never used it, so it isn't as big of draw, but when you really made use of it, nothing replaces it.

I'm kind of mixed feelings about it. First of all, I'm glad to have got rid of all the spam I received on BBM from my friends (broadcasts every which bloody way saying forward it or else something bad will happen, etc), but at the same time, talking to friends on BBM was absolutely EPIC! It just felt so natural. I'm glad to have rid of all the spam but at the same time I do miss BBM, especially since some of the squad use it themselves. But, I will just make do with my TITAN.

[kittencounter]

iPhone's messaging system maybe not as good as the Blackberry but it's more than enough for many ppl. Apple still have the chance to make it better in the near future. It's somewhat easier to update the software but it's much harder to update the user base, the hardware and the image of the company...which RIM has to do