Tag: BBM

Still Use BBM? You Can Now Book An Uber From BBM

BBM was all the rage back in the day when iOS and Android were just starting out. Although the BlackBerry OS appealed to the professionals more because of the security features but, BBM gained popularity thanks to its iMessaging-like exclusivity. This was also before WhatsApp and other IM services gained popularity.

However, over the past few years, BBM and BalckBerry OS are virtually dead in most of the western market. However, there are some parts of the world where people have clung on to BBM. Now run by Indonesian telco Emtek, BBM still maintains a decent following in Indonesia, other parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

In association with BBM, Uber will now users to book a ride from inside the chat app within the ‘discover’ menu. The feature will go live in selected countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

BBM will do a one-up over WhatsApp since it doesn’t have a feature like this to compete with BBM. However, with its ever-growing popularity, WhatsApp doesn’t appear to be competing with the dwindling by-gone messaging service BBM. This move is more to do with Uber targeting Indonesia than BBM coming up with a feature to resurrect itself in the world of instant messaging.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country and Uber will try to gain impetus in the Southeast Asian country. The ride-hailing business in Indonesia has grown to US $1.5 billion in 2017 and a higher growth is projected in the coming years.

The BBM partnership makes use of Uber’s web-based app, ‘m.uber’ which offers features you’d find in a regular app but comes suited to poor quality connections and lower-end devices.

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December 18, 2017
BlackBerry Leap Set to Arrive in India on May 7

BlackBerry bounced back into the touch segment with the launch of Leap at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015. The Canadian firm didn’t go for a flagship, instead revealed another conventional piece to join other devices in the mid-range segment. The same smartphone is now arriving in India on May 7. The Leap is a refreshed version of the BlackBerry Z3, which launched last year and was priced internationally at $275 (approx. Rs. 17,500).

Coming to the specifications of the device, BlackBerry Leap sports a 5-inch HD screen with 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM 8960 powering the phone. It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory onboard. It comes with a MicroSD card to extend the storage space up to 128GB. The 9.5mm thick device runs on the company’s own BB OS 10.3.5, which has Siri-like Assistant to help users.

On the camera front, an 8MP rear shooter is fitted at its back along with a 5MP front camera. A 2800mAh battery fuels up the phone for well over a day, claims the company. The price and availability details will be announced at the launch.

May 1, 2015
BBM Brings Snapchat-Like Multiple Features With its New Update

BlackBerry’s propriety messaging system BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) has been one of the most successful messaging apps. The company has even introduced versions for other operating systems. At this time, when the company is struggling to hold back its position in the market, it’s natural that they are bringing new features to their most visible product.

BlackBerry has added several features to the new version of BBM. This includes Snapchat-like time-limited messaging attribute. It allows you to send an image or message, and set the amount of time you want it to be visible to the other person. The application will even send you notifications if the other person takes a snapshot of that picture or the message.

Other upgrades include message retraction, timed messages, HD image transfer, and many more. The message retraction will come really handy for folks who compulsively and erroneously hit the send key, and also for drunk texters who can swiftly act when they gain some senses and get rid of that embarrassing message or pic they have previously sent.

It seems like BlackBerry went into a full ‘get-inspired’ mode, and it borrowed features from several major apps and made one unified app. It also has a Skype-like feature where you can see what your contacts are listening to or watching.

The app will be available for download for BlackBerry, iPhone and Android users. But all these awesomeness come at a price. The features like timed messages and message retraction will be free only for the first three months, after which you’d have to pay for them. This will be a major challenge for the company as users already have free access to all these features through other apps. BlackBerry wants to eventually provide a BBM subscription service that comes bundled with all the multiple features it has introduced with this update.

So, this seems like a great app to have which gives almost all the features of all the messaging apps combined. You can either keep using all the free apps that crowd your phone or you can just pay a premium for one unified app. That is for you to decide.

November 1, 2014
BlackBerry Messenger Now Available For Android 2.3 Gingerbread

BlackBerry shared its plans to bring the BlackBerry Messenger on Android 2.3 Gingerbread on 28th of January 2014. Previously, the application was only available for the Android version Ice Cream Sandwich and above and now starting today BBM is also available for Android 2.3 Gingerbread users.

Ever since the availability of BlackBerry Messenger on other operating systems, the company has seen a tremendous response from the users. Now, after the availability of he BBM app for Gingerbread users, the app will be downloaded by more users. Gingerbread takes 21 percent of over all Android platforms, and BlackBerry mentions in the blog that they are expecting lot of more downloads for the app after it is made available for Gingerbread.

[BlackBerry]

February 19, 2014
Android Gingerbread Users Will Soon be Able to Use BBM App

Blackberry’s Messenger app has been available on Android ever since its dramatic launch. However the BBM application was only available for users on Android Ice Cream Sandwich and above, but Blackberry clearly wants BBM to be used by all so the company decided to make the BBM app available for the Gingerbread Android users.

BlackBerry has just confirmed that the BBM app will also be available on Android Gingerbread in the month of February. Gingerbread takes 21 percent of over all Android platforms, and BlackBerry mentions in the blog that they are expecting lot of more downloads for the app after it is made available for Gingerbread.

[Source]

January 29, 2014
BBM App For Android And iOS Gets New Features, Adds iPad and iPod Support

BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS was available some time back for Android devices and iPhones. At present the BBM app on Android has more than 10,000,000 downloads and a big number of downloads from iPhones as well.

Now, this number will increase soon, as BlackBerry has announced that BBM app for iOS will now support iPads and iPods as well(Good news for BB fans), the only condition would be you should be on iOS 6 or higher. That is not all, alongside the addition of the apps compatibility with iPads and iPods the company has also issued some bug fixes that will take care of the problems like battery drainage issue of Android devices and the missing contact name issues on iOS devices.

BlackBerry has also added PIN Barcode system, introduced in the update to BBM for Android and iPhone, the new Share PIN option makes sharing your PIN Barcode easier. Using this option you can quickly share your PIN Barcode to any social networking site or anywhere else you like. Feel free to update your app and get more information from the links below.

[BlackBerry, Android, iOS]

November 15, 2013
BlackBerry and Kik Settles Mobile Messaging Patent Suit

After 3 years of accused patent suit, Blackberry and Kik have finally settled the patent infringement case. Kik said in a statement that it is “very happy to put the BlackBerry lawsuit to rest,” the details of the settlement are not public, because it includes the confidentiality agreement.

BlackBerry initiated the suit weeks after Kik’s messaging service was in the market, grabbing 2 million users in the period of 10 days. However, Kik says it has 90 million registered users across iOS and Android, and is looking forward to 225,000 new joiners every day. On the other hand, BlackBerry’s BBM messenger has 60 million monthly users, which could have been more if the global launch of BBM for Android and iOS was not aborted in between of the process.

October 8, 2013
BBM For Desktop Showcased By BlackBerry

If you’re a heavy BBM user, it seems that during the BlackBerry Jam Asia 2013, BlackBerry showed off BBM running on a Windows computer, essentially mirroring the app on a desktop platform, similar to how BBM would be mirrored on the Playbook tablet.

The app allowed for quick conversations, attached files, send photos and works over Wi-Fi.

BlackBerry is reportedly working on a having BBM for Desktop available to Mac users, but there’s still no indication of when or if this will officially be rolled out.

There was no mention of a release date for this feature, but what do you guys think of it? Is this something you’d like to see happen in the near future?

[Via]

September 26, 2013
Blackberry pauses BBM Android and iOS rollout following Leaked apps

Blackberry has stopped seeding the Blackberry messenger for iOS and Android apps following a leaked Android app that caused server and stability issues with the Blackberry messaging network.There were too many simultaneous users, the company says; with over 1.1 million active clients in the first eight hours of the initial seed.

BlackBerry says that it has tried to address the problems caused by the leaked app throughout the day, but to no avail, requiring it to halt its launch plans. The company says that those that have already downloaded the iOS version of the app will still be able to use it, but it will not be releasing it to any new markets at this time. The leaked version of the Android app will be disabled.

Blackberry now plans a “staggered country roll-out” for Android and will soon restart the rollout for iOS. The company was hesitant in giving a timelinefor this new rollout, only saying

our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM.”

The company’s official statement is below:

Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day.

Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visit www.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.

As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone. Please follow @BBM on Twitter for the latest updates and go to www.BBM.com to sign-up for updates about BBM for Android and iPhone. These issues have not impacted BBM service for BlackBerry.

September 22, 2013
BlackBerry BBM For Android, iPhone Released

Most users now will be able to install BlackBerry’s iconic BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) app on their Android devices and iOS devices starting today.

It’s been a long wait for the BlackBerry Messenger service to go cross platform, but after months of anticipation BBM for Android and iPhone apps will go live today.

“BBM for Android will be available at 12 pm on Saturday 21,” an official statement from the company confirmed in the run up to the launch. The BBM Android app will be available as a free download and allow users to chat for free with follow BBM users across all platforms. The first time BBM will have been made available to none BlackBerry handset users, the BBM Android app will precede the BBM iOS app by a matter of hours, with the iPhone bound iteration to be rolled out just after midnight.

It’s features include everything you’ve come to expect from the program: traditional instant messaging, group chat for up to 30 people, and user profiles.

In order to use the app, you will need to signup for a BlackBerry ID, which will only take a few minutes. Signup is done through the app once its installed. For those concerned about privacy, you’ll be happy to hear that BlackBerry will assign you a PIN and you will not need to disclose your phone number or email to anyone in order to begin messaging.

For millions, the app will be a matter of nostalgia. There are a large number of Android and iPhone users who have owned a BlackBerry at one time or another.

If you can’t see the app on your App Stores yet, wait for a few hours!

Note : As many of our followers have notified us, there are a lot of fake apks floating around, so be careful while installing the app. BBM for iOS has already been put up on the Australian App Store, so we expect other stores to follow suit soon!

September 21, 2013
Micromax Press Release Confirms BBM for Android

Micromax today confirmed availability of BBM for Android on its Canvas range of smartphones. The Blackberry Messenger service application is said to come pre-loaded on new Micromax smartphones from the first week of October.

Existing Canvas users will also be able to download the BBM app from the Play Store. Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax said:

We have built a strong mobile ecosystem for our users, which not only drives them to buy our products, but also builds a connection with the brand by massifying and democratizing technology in India. Bringing one of the most popular mobile messaging services with BBM on our smartphones is yet another effort to expand our bouquet of messaging services for our consumers to connect and communicate seamlessly with their loved ones.”

With the arrival of BBM on android, users will now have access to the BBM mobile social network around the world, including features like BBM chats and multi-person chats with BBM Groups, the press release also mentioned that the customers can connect with up to 30 BBM contacts at a time, along with the ability to share voice notes and photographs.

Sunil Lalvani, Managing Director for India at BlackBerry said:

BBM offers customers a highly engaging mobile messaging experience, with the assurance that your message has been delivered and read, and privacy controls that let you easily connect with people without forcing you to give out your phone number or email address. We are delighted to work with Micromax to bring BBM to their customers directly on Canvas smartphones across India”

As per the press release, BBM for Android will be available for download from the Google Play Store, free of cost.

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New Delhi, September 19, 2013 – Micromax, India’s leading handset manufacturer, today announced availability of the popular BBM™ application on its Canvas range of smartphones. The popular mobile messaging service application will come pre-loaded on new Micromax smartphones from the first week of October. Existing Canvas users CAN download the BBM for Android™ app from the Google Play Store, adding to the current slew of third party messaging services available on the Micromax smartphones.

Mr. Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax said, “We have built a strong mobile ecosystem for our users, which not only drives them to buy our products, but also builds a connection with the brand by massifying and democratizing technology in India. Bringing one of the most popular mobile messaging services with BBM on our smartphones is yet another effort to expand our bouquet of messaging services for our consumers to connect and communicate seamlessly with their loved ones.”

“We will continue to drive innovation ensuring that our customers have preferential access to the latest and most exciting applications such as the BBM in the future as well,” concluded Mehrotra.
With the arrival of BBM on the Canvas smartphones, Micromax customers will now have access to the BBM mobile social network around the world, including features such as BBM chats and multi-person chats with BBM Groups, which allow customers to connect with up to 30 BBM contacts at a time, as well as the ability to share voice notes and photographs.

“BBM offers customers a highly engaging mobile messaging experience, with the assurance that your message has been delivered and read, and privacy controls that let you easily connect with people without forcing you to give out your phone number or email address. We are delighted to work with Micromax to bring BBM to their customers directly on Canvas smartphones across India,” said Sunil Lalvani, Managing Director for India at BlackBerry.
BBM for Android will be available for download from the Google Play Store, free of cost.

For more information, please visit www.micromaxinfo.com or www.bbm.com
You can also connect with us at – f – Micromax or @Micromax_Mobile

About Micromax:
Micromax started as an IT software company in the year 2000 working on embedded platforms. In 2008, it entered mobile handset business and by 2010 it became one of the largest Indian domestic mobile handsets company by offering unique affordable innovations. Micromax currently holds 22 percent market share in the Indian smartphone market according to IDC Q2 report. The brand’s product portfolio embraces more than 60 models today, ranging from feature rich, dual – SIM phones, 3G Android smartphones, tablets, LED televisions and data cards. The company has many firsts to its credit when it comes to the mobile handset market including the 30-day battery backup, dual SIM phones, QWERTY keypads, universal remote control mobile phones etc. Micromax has presence in more than 560 districts through 125,000 retail outlets in India. The company has sales presence spread across Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of BlackBerry Limited. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.
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September 19, 2013
BBM For Android Leaks As APK

BBM for Android and iOS are coming soon, but the former suffered a leak this weekend that lets users sideload the APK file and open the app. Unfortunately for most, likely because BlackBerry saw this day coming from a mile away, the actual functionality — logging in with a BlackBerry ID and using the app — is restricted to a small number of whitelisted accounts.

We saw the application leaked on video a couple of weeks back, with one lucky user giving us a nice run through of everything we can expect. It’s full-on Blackberry, with the company’s design time ditching Holo for an experience that matches what you can find on their own devices.

BlackBerry said the service would go live before the end of the summer, following its announcement at BlackBerry World Live 2013 in May.

More recent reports have claimed BBM will launch before the end of September although BlackBerry is remaining very tight-lipped about concrete release dates. Adding fuel to the speculative bonfire that is when-will-BBM-come-to-Android is the news that Samsung Galaxy handsets may get the service first via the company’s Samsung Apps portal.

Statement from BlackBerry:

The excitement around the upcoming launch of BBM for Android and iPhone users is amazing. We want to thank everyone for their enthusiasm, but wanted to let people know that the program is structured so that only those in the beta will be able to use the app. The version we’ve seen on the Web in the last couple of days can be downloaded, but will not work on devices that are not approved in the beta program.

[Via. Via]

September 16, 2013
BBM For iPhone Confirmed By BlackBerry Executive

“The BBM app will be launched for Android and iOS”, we have been hearing this news from a long time. About a month ago BlackBerry was rumored to test the messenger on both Android and iOS platforms. Now, as per a tweet from Alex Kinsella(Senior Strategic Account Manager for BlackBerry), it shows that BBM will launch first on iOS. As the tweet said:

“BBM for iPhone was submitted for review 2 wks ago #waiting”

Earlier in May BlackBerry officialy announced that BBM will be available on Android and iOS, ever since then we have heard rumors of it launching soon. Here is what Mr. Bocking said when he officially announced messengers availability on Android and iOS.

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community,” said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry.

The tweet above shows that BBM might be available for iOS anytime, so when you wake up tomorrow do not forget to check your app store. Few years back, BBM was one of the most popular communication means, but today we have others like Whatsapp, hike, we chat and ALOT more. Will the availability of BBM on Android and iOS bring the change back ? We will have to wait and see.

September 7, 2013
BBM for Android gets shown of in a Video

Event though the BBM for iOS and Android has not yet arrived, videos are starting to leak out and that is a good sign. Folks over at BlackberryOS have got hold of a test video of the new BBM for Android and it might just live up to the hype. Apart from the swipe in from the sides to chose chats and setting, the video shows the ability to transfer contacts through NFC, which is good sign that the messaging app will make the most of these the new features that are present in Android Devices.

Let us know below what you think.

September 3, 2013
WSJ : BlackBerry To Turn BBM Into A Separate Company

BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), BlackBerry’s popular messaging platform, is widely used and has over 60 million registered users. The company is on the cusp of going cross-platform and making the service available on both iPhone and Android.

BlackBerry recently announced its plan to “explore strategic alternatives” that could include “possible joint ventures, strategic partnerships or alliances, a sale of the company or other possible transactions.” News today has surfaced about one possible spinoff in the works. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, BlackBerry might take BBM into a separate company, aptly called BBM Inc., say “people familiar with the matter.”

BlackBerry recently introduced BBM Channels, its new “social engagement platform” within BBM that allows users to connect to channels of interest, plus give you the option to follow and receive latest updates (similar to Twitter). In addition, BlackBerry was previously rumoured to monetize your BBM Channel feed with ‘Sponsored Invites.’

Another interesting transition for BBM is going beyond smartphones and the PlayBook tablet by making it available on your desktop/laptop computer. As expected, a BlackBerry spokesperson denounced the rumour and stated, “We haven’t announced any initiatives to bring BBM to the desktop.” Apparently a desktop version of BBM has been running internally at BlackBerry for years now, but never became a public offering.

BBM will be made available to the iOS and Android platform sometime this summer, the first time that the messaging platform has been offered on non-BlackBerry phones. Samsung has already started promoting BBM as it comes closer to becoming available on its Galaxy smartphones in Africa. With fast moving chat services like WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, and iMessage taking center stage, BBM needs to pull out some big moves to stay relevant.

[Via]

August 28, 2013