Goodbye Research In Motion. Hello BlackBerry! (And BB10)

[silverpig]

HOLY CRAP

10:55:11 AM EDT
WHOA
10:55:10 AM EDT
"This summer, BBM will go across multiple platforms."
10:54:54 AM EDT
"No matter what mobile device they carry."
10:54:40 AM EDT
"It's time, to bring BBM to a greater audience."

 

[silverpig]

So, with BBM being awesome, and being better at video chatting than skype, and better at messaging than whatsapp...

 

[Makaveli]

Official 10.1 is out now.

 

[silverpig]

Official 10.1 is out now.

It isn't showing up for me, but I am 95% sure the recent leak is the same as the final 10.1. I think I already have it.

What network are you on? I know Bell's is live, but I'm on Rogers.

My OS version is 10.1.0.1762

 

[poofyhairguy]

"This summer, BBM will go across multiple platforms."
10:54:54 AM EDT
"No matter what mobile device they carry."
10:54:40 AM EDT
"It's time, to bring BBM to a greater audience."

Looks like BB finally saw the writing on the wall.

 

[Makaveli]

It isn't showing up for me, but I am 95% sure the recent leak is the same as the final 10.1. I think I already have it.

What network are you on? I know Bell's is live, but I'm on Rogers.

My OS version is 10.1.0.1762

I'm still downloading it but this screenshot is from CB forums with someone that has already installed it.

So looks like you are right sir.

 

[cronos]

HOLY CRAP

10:55:11 AM EDT
WHOA
10:55:10 AM EDT
"This summer, BBM will go across multiple platforms."
10:54:54 AM EDT
"No matter what mobile device they carry."
10:54:40 AM EDT
"It's time, to bring BBM to a greater audience."

This is completely inconsequential in the US, but it would have been HUGE if they did this two years ago. Releasing it now will just cause the BBM addicts in Asia to not need their Blackberries and dump it. These people have been carrying Blackberries just for BBM (in addition to their android or iphone) and now they don't need them anymore.

 

[silverpig]

This is completely inconsequential in the US, but it would have been HUGE if they did this two years ago. Releasing it now will just cause the BBM addicts in Asia to not need their Blackberries and dump it. These people have been carrying Blackberries just for BBM (in addition to their android or iphone) and now they don't need them anymore.

I don't think people carry blackberries for BBM anymore either. If your friends are off BBM, you just don't use BBM anymore.

The good thing about this is BBM does chatting, voice calls, and video calls now, all over data.

It can replace skype, whatsapp, facetime, and imessage all in one, and doesn't require sending phone numbers back and forth to do it. No text charges, and no data/airtime charges for voice or video calls over wifi. And it's cross-platform.

I can now video chat with my parents again, because they can put BBM on their devices, and we'll be using a BB product on both ends to do it - not facetime.

 

[cronos]

I don't think people carry blackberries for BBM anymore either. If your friends are off BBM, you just don't use BBM anymore.

The thing is I know these people. I was talking about people like dozens of my friends who are doing what I said above, carry two handsets everyday (one a BB and one either android/iphone/wp) and they dedicate the Blackberry just for BBM purposes. BBM is pretty much the sole reason why they still keep their Blackberries. With BBM being released on other platforms, they don't have a reason to keep their Blackberries anymore.

Within two hours of the announcement, I've already read at least three of these friends commenting (ironically, in a Whatsapp group) that they're dumping their Blackberries as soon as BBM comes out for the platform of their other phone.

I agree with all the good things about it in the rest of your post. I so wanted this to happen, but that was two years ago. I have since moved on.

 

[Joe1986]

This is the same company that can't manage to put BBM on the Playbook?

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

BBM will be on the playbook when it is updated to BB10.

I find the BMB news interesting. Don't have time to write though. They have to monetize it though, but think about corporations that could use it to make all that functionality work cross platform in a corporate environemnt ... securely.

And if BBm can crack the top 100 free apps on the apple and android app stores, it could easily get to the top 10 as it gains visiblity.

 

[lothar]

HOLY CRAP

10:55:11 AM EDT
WHOA
10:55:10 AM EDT
"This summer, BBM will go across multiple platforms."
10:54:54 AM EDT
"No matter what mobile device they carry."
10:54:40 AM EDT
"It's time, to bring BBM to a greater audience."

The death of BlackBerry in emerging markets begins?
The only reason people get BlackBerry in Nigeria is BBM. Nothing else.
Now that BBM is no longer an exclusive feature, there's no reason to buy their phones or recommend them.

This is certainly good news for Android, iOS, and WP owners.
Not sure why it would be considered good news for BlackBerry users however.

 

[lothar]

I don't think people carry blackberries for BBM anymore either. If your friends are off BBM, you just don't use BBM anymore.

The good thing about this is BBM does chatting, voice calls, and video calls now, all over data.

It can replace skype, whatsapp, facetime, and imessage all in one, and doesn't require sending phone numbers back and forth to do it. No text charges, and no data/airtime charges for voice or video calls over wifi. And it's cross-platform.

I can now video chat with my parents again, because they can put BBM on their devices, and we'll be using a BB product on both ends to do it - not facetime.

You are wrong.
And likewise...if your friends continue to use BBM, then you continue to buy BlackBerry devices and will never leave.

 

[DukeN]

Good to see Anandtech keep up on Blackberry news as always.

From their lightning-fast BB 10 device reviews, to news about Blackberry Live events today they are truly an objective and unbiased place for reading about mobile technology.

[\SARCASM]

Oh, and RIM devices outsold WP8 last quarter. This before the Q10 which has gotten pretty good sales numbers is factored in (Q2).

 

[DukeN]

Smart move by RIM, they should've done it years back.

Opening up BBM will be like free BB advertising to the millions of iOS and Android users out there.

If RIM doesn't fuck it up, it should become one of the top messaging apps and will keep the company in users psyche, which is a claim they couldn't previously make.

 

[Kneedragger]

I haven't yet, but I have seen a few in the wild and they look pretty great.


Also, BB just announced the Q5 today. It's the name for the previously rumoured "R10" and will be the replacement for the curve. QWERTY, but budget.

http://blogs.blackberry.com/2013/05/blackberry-q5-announced/?CPID=SOC_FBNA1000008

Looks good but I would probably go for the Q10. I heard it should be coming out in US somewhere between June -July

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I've only had the reboot issue twice on the original OS.

Since the last os update i've been solid.

My last manual restart was on april 15.

I thought bb was known for being rock solid.
I'm on a community developed rom for my n4 since the beginning and I've never had it reboot randomly.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Two things:

1. If I am Microsoft today I throw a billion at BB to make BBM platform exclusive to their phones and allow them to consolidate that market rather than let it go to Android.

2. If true and it has any sort of feature parity on other platforms, then that is the end of BB devices. In that vein,

Opening up BBM will be like free BB advertising to the millions of iOS and Android users out there.

What is it advertising about BB? "The only really killer app a BB phone has is now on your current phone too, so buy a BB device because, um, we are nice guys."

 

[Makaveli]

I thought bb was known for being rock solid.
I'm on a community developed rom for my n4 since the beginning and I've never had it reboot randomly.

They are rock solid.

However this is gen 1 hardware and a brand new OS there will be bugs etc.

There rebooting issue isn't affecting everyone but some people are getting it.

Blackberry is already aware of it and will be releasing a update.


Intel is also known for being rock solid and even they couldn't save their own sandforce drive or USB issues in chipset like in haswell and previous errata.

As these devices get smaller and more complex this will be a normal thing.

 

[DukeN]

Two things:

1. If I am Microsoft today I throw a billion at BB to make BBM platform exclusive to their phones and allow them to consolidate that market rather than let it go to Android.

2. If true and it has any sort of feature parity on other platforms, then that is the end of BB devices. In that vein,



What is it advertising about BB? "The only really killer app a BB phone has is now on your current phone too, so buy a BB device because, um, we are nice guys."

1. Blackberry is worth a lot more than a billion. Their market cap alone is near $8B, and valuation will probably be higher now that they have a high margin bestseller in the Q10 (and likely the Q5 overseas)

2. How many Android and iOS users see a Blackberry logo, icon or app daily? Migrating millions of them to an application from Blackberry will open up a lot of people to the existence of Blackberry. My guess is BBRY didn't just do this out of goodness of their heart, they probably think the benefit of this 'exposure' probably outweighs the risk of users migrating to other platforms (a lot of people tied into corporate systems won't ditch BB anyways). Also, these types of moves aren't typically done without analysis done on a pretty extensive fiscal level.

 

[s44]

Two things:

1. If I am Microsoft today I throw a billion at BB to make BBM platform exclusive to their phones and allow them to consolidate that market rather than let it go to Android.

2. If true and it has any sort of feature parity on other platforms, then that is the end of BB devices.

Isn't this actually a move *against* MS though? Look what platforms BBM is going to: the ones they aren't going to beat anyway. If your friends are on BBM, then you can go to Android/iOS but you can't go to WP8. Maybe BB figures they don't have to outrun the giant robot, they just have to outrun the fat tile guy, locking up #3.

 

[poofyhairguy]

1. Blackberry is worth a lot more than a billion. Their market cap alone is near $8B, and valuation will probably be higher now that they have a high margin bestseller in the Q10 (and likely the Q5 overseas)

They wouldn't buy the company. Just a few years of BBM exclusivity.

My guess is BBRY didn't just do this out of goodness of their heart, they probably think the benefit of this 'exposure' probably outweighs the risk of users migrating to other platforms (a lot of people tied into corporate systems won't ditch BB anyways).

Or they realize that BB10 is a dead end because the market can't support a fourth player so if they want to stay in business the future is building Android phones with BB features.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Isn't this actually a move *against* MS though?

Yes, I think so. Which is why I think its a bid for an ole-school MS payoff.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I'll be dead before Verizon pushes 10.1.

 

[silverpig]

I'll be dead before Verizon pushes 10.1.

Just get the leaked version.