[i7guy]

thankfully for BB they still worry about such things in micronesia....but I wouldn't be my company on the continuation of "skimpy" bandwidth around the world. they want it just as badly as we do. and soon it won't matter if rimm NOC is "bandwidth efficient"....

You're right, with the end of unlimited comsumption, except if your grandfathered, bandwidth efficiency means nothing...

[gots2beme]

In other news, cheeseburgers are more relevant to people who eat them. Turn to android central for details.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Hilarious...

Now why is this thread turning into a discussion on the pros and cons of BBM? Let's stick to the topic people, which in many of your minds appears to be the demise of RIM...

[Rickroller]

exactly. the bbm "addicts" will try and convince doubters that without it they would be "lost" and would cease all communication with their dearest friends and closest family members. the reality is that there are scores of ways to connect and a new bbm clone seems to pop up daily that is cross platform. and thousands of US residents are abandoning BB and don't seem to have any trouble saying "buh bye" to bbm. And it appears they are still finding ways to communicate! imagine!

The only real issue is the memory on BB's as far as cross client messaging. My buddy says his S1 bogs right down and is even laggier with Whatsapp installed. My parents both have older model Curves..so i'm hesitant to even install it on their phones lol..

[dutchtender]

You're right, with the end of unlimited comsumption, except if your grandfathered, bandwidth efficiency means nothing...

peeple want to use lots of bandwidth. they have no intention of being constrained. they aren't looking for ways to economize and compress it. they believe using lots of BW is "worth" the cost. rim has prepared itself to succeed in some other world where people check email every so often and send bbm to everyone they know, but never use apps, never use the browser. rim is fighting the last war.

[Rickroller]

Hilarious...

Now why is this thread turning into a discussion on the pros and cons of BBM? Let's stick to the topic people, which in many of your minds appears to be the demise of RIM...

Well this thread (according to some people) should only be for traders and those interested in RIM stocks. Unless you fall into that category..I guess we should be elsewhere.

[dutchtender]

The only real issue is the memory on BB's as far as cross client messaging. My buddy says his S1 bogs right down and is even laggier with Whatsapp installed. My parents both have older model Curves..so i'm hesitant to even install it on their phones lol..

right which is why they are looking for phones now that can run "whatapp" without choking on it....

[the_sandman_454]

And the driving factor of BBM is that the user doesn't have to do anything to enable the messenger. If they have a phone they can use BBM, no signing up for email addresses or logging into accounts, no need to launch the application.

It's always on and not using data, as opposed to the other messengers that use data in order to check for messages when idle. That might not be of concern in markets where data plans are cheap for high amounts, but in the areas where data rates,voice calls and texting are expensive it's a big deal.

Other messengers aren't using that much data. BBM only works for BB's so it worthless regardless if it just sits there. It runs in the background, using valuable resources that some devices just don't have available to spare, especially if you need an additional client open for cross platform ability/utility.

There's also the crowd that used to run into the MMS charges, they can avoid all of that with BBM. To those groups it's easier to tell their friends to buy a new phone with a no step solution than it is to buy a phone, download an application and register.

Wait, so it is easier to talk someone else into buying and activating a $100+ phone (probably on its' own line since they're not giving up their android or iphone or whatever otherwise they'd have been on a BB already) and carrying 2 devices around than it is to sign up for an account for free on an existing/proven/free messenger that they probably already have an account anyway?

Can I have some of your drugs or your bank account so I can buy myself and all my friends and family a BB device on a second line so they can keep their chosen phones and we can BBM back and forth too?

Did you seriously think about how foolish that sounds/is before you said it?

You have to look beyond how you act when you consider why something might be appealing.

.

I can see the appeal of BBM, except to those who find it worthless due to lack of cross platform functionality.

The edge cuts both ways though, and you need to look beyond how you act when you consider how appealing BBM is in terms of people who don't have it as a reasonable option.

? The data efficiency of RIM's NOC is proven. The only areas that they might not see any benefit to their system would be in video where the compression doesn't exist yet.

The other options aren't that much less efficient than BBM, and work on all platforms, sometimes even including PC in the mix.

[WillieLee]

Other messengers aren't using that much data. BBM only works for BB's so it worthless regardless if it just sits there. It runs in the background, using valuable resources that some devices just don't have available to spare, especially if you need an additional client open for cross platform ability/utility.

You know they do have data for these things.

Wait, so it is easier to talk someone else into buying and activating a $100+ phone (probably on its' own line since they're not giving up their android or iphone or whatever otherwise they'd have been on a BB already) and carrying 2 devices around than it is to sign up for an account for free on an existing/proven/free messenger that they probably already have an account anyway?

Can I have some of your drugs or your bank account so I can buy myself and all my friends and family a BB device on a second line so they can keep their chosen phones and we can BBM back and forth too?

Why are they now carrying two devices? You've just declared that everyone has an iPhone or Android. That's a bizarre leap that doesn't reflect the market as only 30% of mobile users have smartphones.

The growth of smartphones is happening because they are taking over the sales of feature phones. Not taking sales from each other. The market is very far away from a period of saturation.

Did you seriously think about how foolish that sounds/is before you said it?

It's not foolish at all. You are stuck in a way of thinking that you can't get see past. Because you use Yahoo messenger you think that everyone feels the same way that it's just easier to sign up to Yahoo and transfer files. But there are a large amount of people that do things differently. And the growth of the BBM platform, which RIM can monitor by user numbers and traffic, and follow up research tells them that people are telling their friends to buy a BlackBerry device for BBM.

People would rather buy a new product than deal with simple issues such as installing apps. It's a trend that has always existed in consumer goods. It doesn't cover everyone but it covers enough people to make a business out of. Just like the people that prefer to not send something in for warranty work when it breaks and just go buy a new product.

Apple built their iPod line-up on this way of thinking. People bought new iPods simply because they were a different colour. Why would they do that when they already had a device with the same features?

I can see the appeal of BBM, except to those who find it worthless due to lack of cross platform functionality.

The edge cuts both ways though, and you need to look beyond how you act when you consider how appealing BBM is in terms of people who don't have it as a reasonable option.

I am putting forth the reasons why BBM is appealing to some users.

And RIM ships with cross-platform applications, so why this need to act as if they don't use them? Some people don't care if there are alternatives, they like using BBM and it's driving the growth in markets because of its simplicity. It's not everyone but it doesn't have to be. It's enough to keep building a client base.

The other options aren't that much less efficient than BBM, and work on all platforms, sometimes even including PC in the mix.

Then it shouldn't be a problem to produce a report on data usage between platforms showing that the messenger applications have no difference.

[WillieLee]

peeple want to use lots of bandwidth. they have no intention of being constrained. they aren't looking for ways to economize and compress it. they believe using lots of BW is "worth" the cost. rim has prepared itself to succeed in some other world where people check email every so often and send bbm to everyone they know, but never use apps, never use the browser. rim is fighting the last war.

People need someone to provide them access, and tiered pricing has already started. The carriers are also waiting on what the FCC is going to decide about usage-based pricing which could have a major effect on manufacturers. In Europe as well the carriers and cable companies are starting to build the case for charging the high bandwidth content providers(not just consumers) a higher rate because they consume the most traffic.

Your hyperbole doesn't reflect the reality of RIM's NOC, the usage of their devices or what could happen in the marketplace.

[the_sandman_454]

You know they do have data for these things.



Why are they now carrying two devices? You've just declared that everyone has an iPhone or Android. That's a bizarre leap that doesn't reflect the market as only 30% of mobile users have smartphones.

Well someone above me just said it is easier to talk someone else into buying a BB than it is to sign up for a free messenger service that has cross platform capability.

I was saying that if someone already has a smartphone that is not a BB, you aren't going to talk them into giving up their device of choice to get a BB. Re-read the post I quoted.

The growth of smartphones is happening because they are taking over the sales of feature phones. Not taking sales from each other. The market is very far away from a period of saturation.

Agree and disagree. I had 2 BB's before I switched to Android. Quite a lot of people have been leaving BB for other devices. Feature phones are definitely losing sales to smartphones, but people are leaving certain smartphones for other ones as well.

It's not foolish at all. You are stuck in a way of thinking that you can't get see past. Because you use Yahoo messenger you think that everyone feels the same way that it's just easier to sign up to Yahoo and transfer files. But there are a large amount of people that do things differently. And the growth of the BBM platform, which RIM can monitor by user numbers and traffic, and follow up research tells them that people are telling their friends to buy a BlackBerry device for BBM.

Maybe some people are buying BB devices for BBM. Some people are also leaving the BB platform and won't be talked into coming back. My friends and family won't be talked into going to BB for example.

Someone suggested it was easier to talk people into buying a device they don't want (or else they'd already have one, obviously) than it is to sign up for a feee client. I simply disagree.

People would rather buy a new product than deal with simple issues such as installing apps. It's a trend that has always existed in consumer goods. It doesn't cover everyone but it covers enough people to make a business out of. Just like the people that prefer to not send something in for warranty work when it breaks and just go buy a new product.

Not any of the people I know. Maybe other people are different but between me helping as their tech support to some of my family, friends and acquaintences and their abilities as technical people with electronics, we get by just fine.

I can't even wrap my mind around someone switching platforms and thereby costing themselves $100+ rather than installing a free program that lets them talk to everyone regardless of their chosen device?

Apple built their iPod line-up on this way of thinking. People bought new iPods simply because they were a different colour. Why would they do that when they already had a device with the same features?

Same features but sometimes different form factor, sometimes different amounts of memory, or new hardware.

I am putting forth the reasons why BBM is appealing to some users.

And RIM ships with cross-platform applications, so why this need to act as if they don't use them?

I used a BB for two years. I am well aware of some of the draws of the BBM.

I am trying to explain to some of you folks who truly believe that BBM is the be all-end all solution and many people will really switch devices to get it vs their current smartphone.

Some people don't care if there are alternatives, they like using BBM and it's driving the growth in markets because of its simplicity. It's not everyone but it doesn't have to be. It's enough to keep building a client base.

Then they won't be chatting with a growing number of people on iPhones and Androids.

Then it shouldn't be a problem to produce a report on data usage between platforms showing that the messenger applications have no difference.

Why bother? Some of you are convinced RIM's excrement is comprised of gold bricks...