Tag Archives: BBM

Hands-on with BBM Channels: BlackBerry’s trojan horse social platform

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Handson with BBM Channels BlackBerry's trojan horse social platform

"It's more like Tumblr." That's how one BlackBerry rep described BBM Channels to us, the company's new social networking service announced this past week at BlackBerry Live in Orlando. While Channels, alone, may initially seem like nothing new -- it's an iteration of a social communication model we've seem countless times before -- the service actually speaks more to BlackBerry's forward-facing strategy for BBM as a device-agnostic mobile solution. And, certainly, with the BBM messaging service heading to Android and iOS later this summer, BlackBerry only stands to gain from making its platform more robust, more engaging and more attractive to the big name brands, personalities and publications that draw followers.

Gallery: BBM Channels

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BBM app for iOS and Android won’t run on tablets at first

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BBM app for iOS and Android won't run on tablets at first

Tablet users eager to hop on the BBM bandwagon with BlackBerry's standalone app will have to tamper down their enthusiasm. Vivek Bhardwaj, head of the BlackBerry Software Portfolio, told TrustedReviews that the company will focus exclusively on smartphones running iOS 6 and Android 4.0 or above for this summer's launch. "Smartphone is our real focus and again it comes back to what BBM is. If you look [at] BBM and the engagement and the activity, it's because it is mobile, because people are on the go," Bhardwaj said. Meaning, iPad owners will be bereft of a tablet-supported BBM app until BlackBerry sees fit to develop one. There might still be hope for BBM on larger screens at some point, though. Perhaps hinting at BlackBerry's plans for the future, Bhardwaj said, "I think when you look at things like Smart TVs and desktops, those are definitely areas for exploration."

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Via: SlashGear

Source: TrustedReviews

The Daily Roundup for 05.14.2013

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DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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BlackBerry to offer BBM as standalone app for iOS and Android this summer

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BlackBerry to offer BBM as standalone app for iOS and Android this summer

Thorsten Heins just broke what has to be the biggest news out of BBLive this morning: BBM is breaking out of its walled garden. Starting this summer, users running iOS 6 and Android ICS or higher will be able to download the BBM app for free and join in the messaging experience so highly curated by BlackBerry. Initially, however, only the messaging and group features will be accessible for outside users, but throughout the year, the company hopes to add BBM voice, BBM channels, screen sharing and video capabilities. You'll have to hold tight for a more specific launch date, as Heins didn't announce any concrete timing. But if you've waited for this news for years, what's a few more months?

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BlackBerry 10.1 official with HDR camera mode, expansions to Hub and notifications

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BlackBerry Q10 and Z10

Never mind that a few developers spoiled the surprise last week: BlackBerry 10.1, BB10's first major OS update, is official today. The release arrives chiefly to support the BlackBerry Q10's hardware keyboard and smaller OLED screen, but it brings a swath of extra improvements that should please Z10 owners in equal measure. An HDR camera mode, which should fill out highlights and shadows in some photos, is just the start. The Hub now supports contact suggestions, PIN-to-PIN messaging and email with attached messages; notifications are more refined as well, with per-account message notifications joining options to define sound volumes and vibrations for each contact. Dive deeper and you'll also notice more granular text selection, better calendar viewing on the Z10 and the ability to copy phone numbers into (or from) the dialer. Do be patient if you're not bent on picking up a Q10, however -- the Z10 doesn't get its update until sometime in the weeks following the release of its keyboarded cousin.

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Source: BlackBerry

The Daily Roundup for 04.04.2013

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DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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WhatsApp lands on BlackBerry 10, offers Z10 owners a BBM alternative

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WhatsApp lands on BlackBerry 10, offers Z10 owners a BBM alternative

Back at the Z10's launch, BlackBerry revealed that WhatsApp, along with a host of other third party applications, would be headed to its BB 10 platform. And as of today, the company's actually delivered on that promise, giving Z10 owners an open alternative to its BBM service. The messaging app, natively built for BB 10, brings with it support for push notifications, as well as integration with BlackBerry Contacts, thus eliminating the need to manually re-enter phone numbers. It's live in the BlackBerry World store now, so go ahead and grab it at the source below or download it direct from your Z10.

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Source: BlackBerry World

‘Leaked’ BlackBerry 10 info shows video chat and screen sharing in BBM, new task manager

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'Leaked' BlackBerry 10 info shows video chat and screen sharing in BBM, new task manager

Top dog at RIM Thorsten Heins heavily implied that video chat would be added to BBM when BlackBerry 10 showed up, and now possible confirmation of the feature has come from what are thought to be leaked presentation slides. Originating on CrackBerry's forums, the images have been taken down on various sites, leading us to believe they're legit and that strongly worded requests have led to their removal. Not only do they suggest BBM video chat is coming to BB10, but also the ability to screen share during these video calls. Another slide details a new task manager for the OS called "BlackBerry Remember," which can sync with Outlook and -- based on its description and what was uncovered in the gold SDK -- may include Evernote integration. We've contacted RIM for comment and will update you with any response, but until then, take a look at the slide above and the pair hidden after the break to assess for yourself whether they're the real deal.

Update: Here's RIM's statement, which doesn't really come as much of a surprise:

"We understand that there is a lot of excitement for BlackBerry 10. We will launch the platform on January 30th and until then we won't comment on speculation."

Continue reading 'Leaked' BlackBerry 10 info shows video chat and screen sharing in BBM, new task manager

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Via: All About Phones

Source: CrackBerry (1), (2)

BBM 7 leaves beta, brings WiFi voice calls into the mix (video)

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BBM 7 leaves beta, brings WiFi voice calls to the equation video

RIM moves quickly: it was just a few weeks ago that BlackBerry Messenger 7 was in beta, and today we're seeing a finished version roll out to BlackBerry App World. As we saw in mid-November, the revamp lets chatters switch to free VoIP chat on WiFi without having to drop text messaging or photo sharing in mid-session. That's not the only upgrade; there's also direct BBM profile syncing through a BlackBerry ID as well as in-app notifications for future software versions. RIM warns that the BBM 7 upgrade may take as long as a day to show up in the store, so don't be disappointed if it's not immediately available; do, however, expect inter-BlackBerry voice calls to get that much cheaper.

Continue reading BBM 7 leaves beta, brings WiFi voice calls into the mix (video)

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Via: Inside BlackBerry

Source: BlackBerry App World

Facebook for BlackBerry v3.3 now integrates BBM

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Facebook for BlackBerry v33 now integrates BBM

It's a red letter day for BlackBerry-owning Facebookers, as version 3.3 of the platform's native app has arrived. BBM has been woven deep into the update, enabling you to initiate chats and find friends using your pin contacts. Of course, if you do that, you might find yourself friending too many people who share the minutiae of their lives -- so the Zuck has also added easy un-friending to the mix as well. You can snag the update from the BlackBerry App World, which we've thoughtfully added for you down at the source link.

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Source: Inside BlackBerry, BlackBerry App World