samsung galaxy apps

 After a 72 hour wait, I finally have Blackberry Messenger installed on my Android Device, the app isn't yet available on Google Play but if you have a Samsung device it is available through the Samsung app store . The app has been downloaded so far by more than 10 million users, this has to be some kind of record.


The company originally planned to release its messaging app late last month, but those plans were abruptly pushed back when an early version of the Android app publicly leaked ahead of schedule. The company says that "about 1 million" Android users were using the unreleased version of BBM for Android, and BlackBerry is also claiming that more than 1 million iOS users managed to "side load" the app onto iPhone.


But unfortunately it appears that BlackBerry is still very much concerned about an initial surge of users. It's implementing a registration wait list; upon opening the app, you'll have to enter an email address to reserve your spot. Anyone that signed up for information about the mobile apps at BBM.com won't have to wait, but new signups will have to deal with the virtual queue. Despite being despised by users, the wait list has become an increasingly popular tactic among startups.

BBM fans who signed up on the official site will be able to use the application immediately. But those who haven't can download the app to "hold your spot in line," and will get an e-mail when they can start using the service. As it currently stands, BBM is available through Apple app store and Samsung app store, the App is also on Google Play but currently not available to download yet in the South African Google play store.

Whether BBM is better or not and whether it can survive in a world littered with competitors, only time will tell but at least we can have a quick look a the messaging app in this comparison.

At first glance, BBM and WhatsApp appear to differ significantly from each other, but both messengers incorporate, at their core, the same functions and options. Whether BBM has enough in it to stand out from the pack, that’s for you to decide.

		WHATSAPP		BBM
Invite Friends		Yes eg by SMS, Facebook, Hangouts, Google+, Email, LinkedIn or Skype		Yes eg by SMS, email, NFC, PIN or QR Code Scan
Address Book auto-update		Yes		No
Registration type		By cell phone number		By E-Mail
Use on multiple devices		No		No
Chat features		Sending text messages, emoticons attachments voice messages, photos (gallery or camera), location, contacts, videos Copy complete chat history		Sending text messages, emoticons attachments voice messages, photos (gallery or camera) Copy complete chat history Add another chat partner
Group Chats		Yes		Yes
Broadcasts		Yes		Yes
Widgets		No		Yes
Additional functions		Adjustment of layout and notifications for each chat Blocking contacts Direct call from contacts		Group management (appointments, tasks, lists, notes, photos) Blocking contacts "Pinging" of people
Price		Free for 1 year. 0.99 cents per year afterwards.		Free

I know just from personal experience, friends who have long stood by BBM are excited that their friends on other devices will be able to chat with them at long last with their beloved “messenger” service. Will that steadfast user base be enough to bring people over to try it out? I have a hard time convincing myself to make the change as I already have a good base of friends using WhatsApp already.

The greatest asset of the BBM is the management of groups and that may be the core strength behind it: concentrating on the student and business crowds. As well, you don’t sign in with a phone number and “lock” a device to your account, but rather use a BlackBerry ID which is e-mailed to you, which is good if you plan on using across multiple platforms, particularly good for ipad users who have been long deprived of IM chat clients.

So, what do you think so far of BBM? Is it enough for you to make the change?

SOURCES 

Samsung Users, Download BBM Here 
http://apps.samsung.com/mars/topApps/topAppsDetail.as?productId=000000672674&srchClickURL=|@sn=SAPS|@qh=1766029621|@qid=SAPS.SRCH|@q=bbm|@tot=2|@idx=0|@doc=G00017255551|@title=nil

Apple Users, Download BBM here
http://www.bbm.com/iphone?IID=za:bb:bbm:bbm-landing:Oct2013:hero:download-bbm-iphone 
 

Direct Link for BBM to Google play store and Apple App Store for both Apple and Android users
http://za.blackberry.com/bbm.html

Android Users, Download BBM here
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bbm 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/21/4862518/blackberry-says-bbm-for-android-and-ios-coming-today
http://www.androidpit.com/whatsapp-vs-bbm

 

It might come to many as a surprise why RIM to roll out BBM on Android and iOS a few days ago. It was actually a smart business decision.

RIM has previously restricted the BBM app to only Blackberry devices as a means of making the Blackberry phones more attractive to the prospective consumers, but this is not working as RIM has lost a lot of the market share to Android, iOS and even Windows. BBM is the most valuable product that RIM have as we speak, and it'll be bad for such a good app to go extinct due the struggling Blackberry sales figures.

Competition from other messaging apps (such as Whatsapp) might also be a major reason behind this move. From humble beginning in 2009, Whatsapp was handling ten billion messages per day as of August 2012, growing from two billion in April 2012 and one billion in October 2011. This tremendous growth experienced by Whatsapp was due to the fact that it was cross-platform i.e it works on all major platforms (Android, BB OS, iOS, Symbian S40, S60, Windows). Whatsapp is also seen as a cheaper alternative to text as was observed on the last day of 2012 when they processed 18 billion messages.
Party crashers, Google and Facebook are also working on messaging app due for release anytime soon, so this is the best time for RIM to make the move.

Another reason is the launch of BBM Channel. It's a new platform from RIM to will allow users subscribe to various channels and get updates from the subscribed channel...sounds like another name for twitter if you ask me. However,  cross platform operation is key in order to achieve success and revenue from this new service.

It seems RIM have got it all figured out, what better way to take on your competitor than on a level playing field. I expect the number of active BBM users and messages to increase, which might mark a turnarounf in the fortunes of RIM, however, I am skeptical about the success of the BBM channel. Interesting days ahead

***Sent from my BBM for Android***


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BBM Quick Facts:

• More than 60 million monthly active users
• More than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.
• BBM users send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps
• Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are