[ScoobyDoo555]

Hello,

Newbie here: my name's Dan

Just bought Wifey a 9800 Torch (she needed a new phone and couldn't wait for Torch 2, although when my iphoney contract is up, we'll see )

Now, both of us are Blackberry virgins - know very little about them, however so far the set up and running of the 9800 has been brilliant.

Blackberry Messenger - what are the pros & cons of this service? Want to use it, but need to find out why!!

Had a quick search, but only usage threads seem to crop up.....

Dan

[Technerd.McLeod]

Only con I can think of is it's only for BB users right now.

Pros:
Free
No 140 Character limit
Delivery/Read notification things
There's more, I know it, It's just too early for me too think more.

[ScoobyDoo555]

thanks for this

What about using across different countries? Do any messages (unlike sms) just get handled through the Blackberry servers? No additional costs etc, nor going through multiple providers (eg Vodafone & Movistar in Spain)....

Dan

[euro2low]

pros: everything

cons: none

if you have friends with BBM anywhere in the world, you can "chat" with them for free. have a live conversation send pictures and video at NO cost. .75$ for an sms outside the country! who sms any more?!?!?!

By FAR the best thing, is being able to send voice notes across the globe at no charge to you. You can "almost" have a voice conversation with your friend without using any long distance minutes. Menu - Send Voice note - Play friends voice note - repeat.

[ScoobyDoo555]

Nice one

[T�nis]

Pro -- always on/doesn't sign out on you like many im clients do

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ScoobyDoo555]

Interesting post over on support forums @ Blackberry about "international use of BBM" - can't post link as I'm still a noob.

According to this, the international use of BBM will incur costs.....

True or not?

[tbrenn]

Interesting post over on support forums @ Blackberry about "international use of BBM" - can't post link as I'm still a noob.

According to this, the international use of BBM will incur costs.....

True or not?

if you are roaming on international data, then there will most likely be charges for data roaming... disabling mobile data services when roaming, and using wifi should not incurr any additional charges

[melh72]

Pros:

• More reliable than texting or other IM apps (I'm constantly looking for reliable IM apps to chat with my iPhone & droid friends)
• Uses compressed data (so you hardly notice any data usage)
• Has (S)ent, (D)elivered, (R)eceived notices in the checkmark when you send a message so you know the status of your message
• No character limits
• Picture sharing
• Free international messaging
• Safe & secure because it goes thru RIM servers (BIS)
• Status updates for yourself and contacts (if you care)
• Group Chats
• You can block/ignore contacts

So many more pros that I just can't come up with at this time!

Cons:

• It's on RIM servers so if they're having issues BBM will too
• Limited to only BlackBerry users
• People will know when you've read their messages and are just ignoring them

[tbrenn]

Pros:

• More reliable than texting or other IM apps (I'm constantly looking for reliable IM apps to chat with my iPhone & droid friends)
• Uses compressed data (so you hardly notice any data usage)
• Has (S)ent, (D)elivered, (R)eceived notices in the checkmark when you send a message so you know the status of your message
• No character limits
• Picture sharing
• Free international messaging
• Safe & secure because it goes thru RIM servers (BIS)
• Status updates for yourself and contacts (if you care)
• Group Chats
• You can block/ignore contacts

So many more pros that I just can't come up with at this time!

Cons:

• It's on RIM servers so if they're having issues BBM will too
• Limited to only BlackBerry users
• People will know when you've read their messages and are just ignoring them

+1 on the Pros

Cons:

• It's on RIM servers so if they're having issues BBM will too - Very Rarely Is there a server outage. I personally have never experienced this in about 4 years of being a bb abuser
• Limited to only BlackBerry users - True, for now, but it doesn't bother me
• People will know when you've read their messages and are just ignoring them - If you look at the message in the message list, and don't open it, it will not show as read. Also, if someone sends you a text, and didn't hear back in a couple of minutes, they would probablly assume the same...

[melh72]

• I have experienced a server outages but you're right it's so rare that it's hardly worth mentioning...my other IM apps are way more unreliable than BBM!!
  
• As most of my friends and family are on BB, I too am ok with BBM being limited to BB...
  
• Lol...so true about texting but with BBM they can be sure !!

The OP asked for Pros and Cons so I tried to be objective. Truthfully, I had a hard time coming up with Cons that's why 2/3 appear on the Pros list as well!!

+1 on the Pros

Cons:

• It's on RIM servers so if they're having issues BBM will too - Very Rarely Is there a server outage. I personally have never experienced this in about 4 years of being a bb abuser
• Limited to only BlackBerry users - True, for now, but it doesn't bother me
• People will know when you've read their messages and are just ignoring them - If you look at the message in the message list, and don't open it, it will not show as read. Also, if someone sends you a text, and didn't hear back in a couple of minutes, they would probablly assume the same...

[belfastdispatcher]

You can start a group within the messenger with your wife, you will have a shared calendar and shared pictures folder. If one updates something the other will get it too instantly.

Even if you use BBM only with your wife it will be worth it, you'll see.

Not long before you will say "ping me baby!" Lol

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[iN8ter]

The biggest CON is that it's limited to Blackberries.

The pros is the delivery speed. Apart from that, there isn't much you can get form BBM that you can't get from i.e. WhatsApp.

There are also file size limitations for file transfer in BBM (6MB or so?).

And of course it's tied to RIM's network (but that's what makes the delivery speed so fast, so it's a tradeoff that's ultimately worth it, IMO).

IM Services like Facebook Chat and Windows Live Messenger have no reliability issues.

But BBM is practically built into Blackberries and that convenience is very important. No need for an extra internet account, as well...

[_StephenBB81]

Pros:

• More reliable than texting or other IM apps (I'm constantly looking for reliable IM apps to chat with my iPhone & droid friends)
• Uses compressed data (so you hardly notice any data usage)
• Has (S)ent, (D)elivered, (R)eceived notices in the checkmark when you send a message so you know the status of your message
• No character limits
• Picture sharing
• Free international messaging
• Safe & secure because it goes thru RIM servers (BIS)
• Status updates for yourself and contacts (if you care)
• Group Chats
• You can block/ignore contacts

So many more pros that I just can't come up with at this time!

Cons:

• It's on RIM servers so if they're having issues BBM will too
• Limited to only BlackBerry users
• People will know when you've read their messages and are just ignoring them

++1

This is excellent!

One of the other Pro's OFTEN forgotten is Voicenotes,
as a hubby you can send your wife a little 3 second "I love you" and it will be but a few kb, the compression of voicenotes is bloody amazing! she'll love getting the little voice note, and you'll get brownie points.


Data compression and reliability of sending the notifications are huge pluses, when in Areas like Port Dover Ontario on Friday the 13th, the ONLY communication that consistently gets through is BBM, no gtalk, no SMS, no voice, barely even emails, but BBM consistently gets through, 250,000 mobile phone users trying to connect to 3 cell towers for 24 or so hours, the tiny footprint of BBM and the way it transmits is UNMATCHED so if you are a big concert goer BBM is the best way,


NOW something else you want to think about outside of BBM, both of you being BB users you'll be inviting eachother to Calendar events easier, and it makes linking Calendars easy, that is something I have found much better with Blackberry friends vs others, is that sending invites injects things into the calendar the best with BB's

[T�nis]

... in Areas like Port Dover Ontario on Friday the 13th, the ONLY communication that consistently gets through is BBM, no gtalk, no SMS, no voice, barely even emails ...

Just curious ... What event takes place in Port Dover then?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Duvi]

Pros:

• More reliable than texting or other IM apps (I'm constantly looking for reliable IM apps to chat with my iPhone & droid friends)
• Uses compressed data (so you hardly notice any data usage)
• Has (S)ent, (D)elivered, (R)eceived notices in the checkmark when you send a message so you know the status of your message
• No character limits
• Picture sharing
• Free international messaging
• Safe & secure because it goes thru RIM servers (BIS)
• Status updates for yourself and contacts (if you care)
• Group Chats
• You can block/ignore contacts

So many more pros that I just can't come up with at this time!

Cons:

• It's on RIM servers so if they're having issues BBM will too
• Limited to only BlackBerry users
• People will know when you've read their messages and are just ignoring them

awesome list. only thing i disagree on is being more reliable than sms.

[iN8ter]

Yea SMS will go through basically anywhere your cell phone actually has reception. It's slower, but it's quire reliable outside of New Years Even Night/New Years Day :P where it fails massively!

[Denise in Los Angeles]

I love having all the personalized status which saves me from typing stuff to multiple contacts.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Duvi]

I love having all the personalized status which saves me from typing stuff to multiple contacts.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

which brings up a another point... broadcasting. send a broadcast to one, multiple or all your contacts.

[moiselles]

which brings up a another point... broadcasting. send a broadcast to one, multiple or all your contacts.

I hate when people broadcast messages. Especially with stupid stories or "chain" letters or whatever. Get a life.

Aside from that, I adore BBM.

[Duvi]

I hate when people broadcast messages. Especially with stupid stories or "chain" letters or whatever. Get a life.

Aside from that, I adore BBM.

i've deleted peeps for chain messages. lol.

[_StephenBB81]

Just curious ... What event takes place in Port Dover then?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Friday the 13th is a Motorcycle Mecca in Port Dover Motorcycle enthusiast come from 100's of miles into the small town of port Dover every Friday the 13th

and if it is a Summer month stand back it will be CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!

[_StephenBB81]

Yea SMS will go through basically anywhere your cell phone actually has reception. It's slower, but it's quire reliable outside of New Years Even Night/New Years Day :P where it fails massively!

SMS has a very high failure rate in rural environments since your SMS will try and transmit only 6 times before assuming a dead connection. so in Markets that have yet to even see 3G coverage SMS is still very unreliable

[rick0415]

How do you invite a BBM contact to a Calendar event? When I click on Invite Attendee in Calendar it brings up my Contacts list not my BBM contacts.

[belfastdispatcher]

How do you invite a BBM contact to a Calendar event? When I click on Invite Attendee in Calendar it brings up my Contacts list not my BBM contacts.

You either create a group or you can link the bbm contact to a blackberry contact

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com