[srzjumper]

With the new deal will SnapChat disappear now?

[Slash82]

WhatsApp didn't SPEND A PENNY ON ADVERTISING. All organic.

Yeah, but how this happen?
It was in that time "after Blackberry.

Most people refused to buy a Blackberry device - they went for iOS and Android.
But there was no thing like BBM and BBM was not available for iOS or Android.

So WhatsApp startes their service as an answer to BBM and all those people started to use it as an alternative messenger - so it became standard for everyone!

BlackBerry recently launched BBM multiplattform and has to convince those guys to come back!
But those guys don't wanna chance from something they have!

So there where 2 big chances the past few months for BlackBerry to score!

Posted via CB10

[Gnomesane]

No, this is not what it means. The data collection part may happen without any or very little disruption to WhatsApp's current mode of operation.

I think you're right, it hardly matters. In fact, I think the WhatsApp / Facebook marriage is a match made in heaven. Both are data aggregators that use personal information from their users for profit. Given that their userbase has consented to allow their personal information to be resold (under the Terms of Agreement), no one should complain either way. Anyone who uses it shouldn't care if it's Facebook owned or not.

I guess since they're keeping it separate, it'll still cost $0.99 / year. I can't imagine paying a buck a year to hand over my personal information but that's just me. Personally, I'm steering clear of the app, regardless of ownership.

But I'm a fan of choice so good for those who use it, more power to them.

[Gnomesane]

WhatsApp vs BBM. Let's review...

BBM

1. Go to GMail (or any other anonymous webmail provider) and make a new email account.
2. Go to BlackBerry and create a new BlackBerry ID based on your new email account.
3. Use your new BlackBerry ID for BBM and get assigned a unique PIM.
4. Anonymity guaranteed.

WhatsApp

1. Enter your personal Phone Number.

Stop right there. That's the first step...

[srzjumper]

WhatsApp vs BBM. Let's review...

BBM

1. Go to GMail (or any other anonymous webmail provider) and make a new email account.
2. Go to BlackBerry and create a new BlackBerry ID based on your new email account.
3. Use your new BlackBerry ID for BBM and get assigned a unique PIM.
4. Anonymity guaranteed.

WhatsApp

1. Enter your personal Phone Number.

Stop right there. That's the first step...

Yeah, that right there is the difference between 450 million users and 80 million active users. That right there, stop.. is why one is valued at 16 Billion and other, our beloved BlackBerry is some 4-5Billion. 1 app. That's the market right now.

[srzjumper]

BlackBerry is the small venue concert (hey those are the best we all know that), but it's not going to pull in the big money like the big venues. It's a give and take. I take BlackBerry device and OS with WhatsApp (over BBM).

[Gnomesane]

Yeah, that right there is the difference between 450 million users and 80 million active users. That right there, stop.. is why one is valued at 16 Billion and other, our beloved BlackBerry is some 4-5Billion. 1 app. That's the market right now.

Personally, I think WhatsApp is higher valued because they offered their app cross platform years ahead of BlackBerry. They had a head start.

But now that they are Facebook's property, their value will diminish, imo.

[anon(832122)]

Ok so I am confused. When Whatsapp launched their BB10 app many here were happy. One less app for people to say was missing from the platform, then when BBM launched cross platform, it was down with Whatsapp, get BBM. Now that facebook has bought them, everyone hates them because of that fact. Huh? Do people want Whatsapp pull their app from BB10, or is it something else? I am confused.

[bekkay]

WhatsApp vs BBM. Let's review...

BBM

1. Go to GMail (or any other anonymous webmail provider) and make a new email account.
2. Go to BlackBerry and create a new BlackBerry ID based on your new email account.
3. Use your new BlackBerry ID for BBM and get assigned a unique PIM.
4. Anonymity guaranteed.

WhatsApp

1. Enter your personal Phone Number.

Stop right there. That's the first step...

The biggest problem with your argument is that BBM is one of dozens of messaging solutions that do not require your phone number. Why BBM?

[Gnomesane]

Ok so I am confused. When Whatsapp launched their BB10 app many here were happy. One less app for people to say was missing from the platform, then when BBM launched cross platform, it was down with Whatsapp, get BBM. Now that facebook has bought them, everyone hates them because of that fact. Huh? Do people want Whatsapp pull their app from BB10, or is it something else? I am confused.

Some people were happy, others weren't so happy. Just like any other public forum...

Not all BlackBerry users agree on everything, and that includes WhatsApp. Does that clear things up?

[Gnomesane]

The biggest problem with your argument is that BBM is one of dozens of messaging solutions that do not require your phone number. Why BBM?

Because I prefer it?

This thread was about WhatsApp so I pointed out the difference between it and BBM.

[bekkay]

Because I prefer it?

This thread was about WhatsApp so I pointed out the difference between it and BBM.

Oh, so you were talking about personal preferences. I thought it was meant as an argument as to why the general public needs to consider BBM over WhatsApp. Apologize for misunderstanding.

[Gnomesane]

Oh, so you were talking about personal preferences. I thought it was meant as an argument as to why the general public needs to consider BBM over WhatsApp. Apologize for misunderstanding.

No problem.

My argument for BBM over WhatsApp is about anonymity from advertisers: WhatsApp wants your personal phone number which can be used to send you SPAM on your phone. BBM is not dependent on your phone number: you can use a 'junk' webmail address to create a BBM id and not be subjected to spam...

[Gnomesane]

To put it another way:

Most people don't change their phone numbers, it's like their 'fingerprint' on the web.

However, email addresses are very easy to change. From Yahoo, Gmail, Mail.com, etc.... they're a dime a dozen. By linking a BBM ID to an email address vs a phone number, BlackBerry makes it easier to avoid Spam.

By linking to a phone number, WhatsApp makes it harder to avoid spam. How many people change their phone number on a regular basis?

S'all I'm sayin' =)

Cheers Bekkay, good to see you again my friend!

[bekkay]

No problem.

My argument for BBM over WhatsApp is about anonymity from advertisers: WhatsApp wants your personal phone number which can be used to send you SPAM on your phone. BBM is not dependent on your phone number: you can use a 'junk' webmail address to create a BBM id and not be subjected to spam...

That's exactly my argument. BBM is not the only solution that you can use to avoid potential text/call spam. So why should consumers choose BBM and not Kik, Skype, or one of many other messaging apps?

But again, you answered the question - personal preferences. However, personal preferences do not seem to be working in BBM's favor right now.

Also, is there any source for your claim that "WhatsApp wants your personal phone number which can be used to send you SPAM on your phone". I personally have used WhatsApp for a few years now. Never had any problem with spam on my phone.

[Gnomesane]

That's exactly my argument. BBM is not the only solution that you can use to avoid potential text/call spam. So why should consumers choose BBM and not Kik, Skype, or one of many other messaging apps?

But again, you answered the question - personal preferences. However, personal preferences do not seem to be working in BBM's favor right now.

Also, is there any source for your claim that "WhatsApp wants your personal phone number which can be used to send you SPAM on your phone". I personally have used WhatsApp for a few years now. Never had any problem with spam on my phone.

No source personally.

I downloaded WhatsApp on my phone and when I opened the App it asked for my phone number and I cancelled the install.

I've never used the app to be honest with you.

But once they asked for my phone number I was finished with using it. I've been asked for my phone number from Facebook, Google, and a lot of other online services but NONE of them made it mandatory like WhatsApp.

As far as I'm concerned, that's a non starter. I'll never use WhatsApp as long as they require my personal phone number.

[Gnomesane]

And I would recommend that you never use it as well my friend!

Regardless of what phone you use, find something more private and secure!

Especially now that WhatsApp is basically Facebook's bee-atch. =)

[anon(153966)]

I can't stand Facebook and simply refuse to use it. I deleted WhatsApp a while ago, and now even more so no reason to use said app again, period...

[Gnomesane]

I can't stand Facebook and simply refuse to use it. I deleted WhatsApp a while ago, and now even more so no reason to use said app again, period...

Hear hear, WhatsApp is an excuse to data mine personal info. And Facebook is no better.

Let the nay sayers on this thread say otherwise.

Have at it. Let's have an honest fight based on linkable facts.

[tchocky77]

WhatsApp wants your personal phone number which can be used to send you SPAM on your phone.

Are you suggesting Whatsapp is going to send people spam directly to their phone? Like its just another message? Because that has never happened. I think they know it would be the end of their service.

And besides,...BlackBerry could just as easily decide they're going to start spamming your BBM with ads. Neither is very likely. That's not how this works.

[techvisor]

Not So Fast: Why The WhatsApp Deal Doesn't Mean BlackBerry Messenger Is Worth Billions - Forbes

Not So Fast: Why The WhatsApp Deal Doesn't Mean BlackBerry Messenger Is Worth Billions

Facebook stunned the tech and investing worlds Wednesday when it announced plans to buy rapidly expanding mobile messaging startup WhatsApp for up to $19 billion. Countless keystrokes have already debated the merits of 11 digit deal with many praising it as a positive long term investment for the social network. Facebook nonetheless started Thursday trading down and was up around 1% by the afternoon. At least one other tech stock was, however, gaining following the news � BlackBerry.

Shares of the often down but never quite out mobile phone company were up around 5% throughout the day Thursday, hitting as high as $9.57. The bump � which piled on to an almost 18% surge since the beginning of the year � is seemingly due to high hopes for the company�s BlackBerry Messenger.

�If messaging platforms have a value that is higher than what we thought yesterday,� says Scott Wallace, Chief Investment Officer at Shorepath Capital Management, �people are trying to extrapolate.�

WhatsApp currently has 450 million users, meaning Facebook could ultimately pay $42 per user. If you apply that figure to BlackBerry�s 80 million users you get an implied valuation of $3.4 billion for BBM. That is nearly 70% of BlackBerry�s current market capitalization. Wallace is skeptical about that valuation method. Pointing out that BBM is �really small� he notes that �the value of these messaging platforms is directly related to the number of users. The more users the more valuable it is.�

According to Rajeev Chand, head of research at mobile centric investment bank Rutberg & Company, BBM is not even among the five largest mobile messaging apps. Chand calls WhatsApp the �premier property� in the space and says products like Tencent Holdings' WeChat, Line, Kakao Talk and Viber all rank above BBM in number of users. Last Friday Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten bought Viber Media for $900 million, or $3 per each of Viber�s nearly 300 million registered users.

Wallace, believes BlackBerry and its messaging service are worth �something,� but nothing close to what Facebook paid for WhatsApp on a per user basis. �You could also argue that Facebook itself paid too much. So you are using a perhaps an inflated number to apply to a second or third rate asset.�

Chand also argues that the implied multi-billion dollar valuation for BBM is unfounded.�I�ve seen analyst estimates for BBM vary between $200 million on the low end and $2 billion on the high,� says Chand. �I would venture to say it is on the lower to mid end of that range.�

Top players in a category � like WhatsApp � �always get a significant valuation relative to every other property,� notes Chand, so BBM would not command nearly as high a premium. Plus WhatsApp is making money � $20 million in revenue last year � but Chand is not aware of any revenue generating business model currently attached to BBM.

Last week FORBES writer Parmy Olson reported on BlackBerry�s use of BBM in its turnaround effort. New CEO John Chen told her the messenger �is going to be a major differentiator for us in going into the enterprise, so then money will come.� Parmy wrote, "Four months ago BlackBerry made BBM go cross platform for the first time, making it available on iPhones and Android phones and swelling its user base to more than 80 million people. Now it�s adding voice calling, conversation �channels� for brands and communities, an integration with DropBox and a partnership with the location-sharing app Glympse.�

So, what�s the smartest move BlackBerry could make now? �To a certain extent they�ve already made it,� says Wallace. �In the old days, and I�m not going back very far, BBM use to just operate on BlackBerry for BlackBerry. So the obvious move to make was to go cross platform. Have it work on Windows phone, Android, IOS and all the mobile platforms. They�ve already played the best card they had and low and behold it was met with stunning silence. No one cared.�