5 ms·

The lock-in argument doesn't hold much water. RIM already provides IM clients for Google Talk, Yahoo, and MSN, with pretty much the exact same UI and features

The lock-in argument doesn't hold much water. RIM already provides IM clients for Google Talk, Yahoo, and MSN, with pretty much the exact same UI and features as BBM. The quality of their Google Talk client is one of the things keeping me on BlackBerry.

nikster 16y ago
None of these are especially created for mobile. Or aimed squarely at BBM with the same features. I had been thinking about creating BBM for other platforms simply because I'd like to have it on my iPhone.
- hugothefrog 16y ago
  WhatsApp is a near approximation of BBM on the iPhone (and other devices, I believe). Their reliability isn't great, however.
  - ba217 16y ago
    WhatsApp has better reliability, more handset clients, more features, and more users.
- Ennis 16y ago
  How would you create a BBM client for other platforms? You wouldn't be able to authenticate with BB servers since you have no PIN.
gustaf 16y ago
BBM = Mobile - Mobile Messaging GTalk/MSN etc = Mobile - Desktop Messaging The use cases are completely different.
- LordLandon 16y ago
  What if you run gtalk on your blackberry, and I run gtalk on my android phone. Is that still Mobile - Desktop?
nhooey 16y ago
The Google Talk client is horrible. It wastes tons of CPU when it's loading up the contact list, and still uses a bunch just while idling. If you have it on all the time, it will eat your battery away such that a Blackberry 9700 with no other apps running won't last a full day. I tested this on my own device a while ago, it might have gotten better, but I doubt it. Blackberry Messenger (BBM) also has a typing indicator, delivered and read indicators, and it's faster than anything else out there. Also, the fact that it's only on mobile devices and not desktop computers means that you know your message will get delivered to someone's pocket instead of the computer they may have left on. An odd side effect of its lack of portability.

nikster 16y ago

None of these are especially created for mobile. Or aimed squarely at BBM with the same features. I had been thinking about creating BBM for other platforms simply because I'd like to have it on my iPhone.

hugothefrog 16y ago
WhatsApp is a near approximation of BBM on the iPhone (and other devices, I believe). Their reliability isn't great, however.
- ba217 16y ago
  WhatsApp has better reliability, more handset clients, more features, and more users.
Ennis 16y ago
How would you create a BBM client for other platforms? You wouldn't be able to authenticate with BB servers since you have no PIN.

gustaf 16y ago

BBM = Mobile - Mobile Messaging GTalk/MSN etc = Mobile - Desktop Messaging The use cases are completely different.

LordLandon 16y ago
What if you run gtalk on your blackberry, and I run gtalk on my android phone. Is that still Mobile - Desktop?

nhooey 16y ago

The Google Talk client is horrible. It wastes tons of CPU when it's loading up the contact list, and still uses a bunch just while idling. If you have it on all the time, it will eat your battery away such that a Blackberry 9700 with no other apps running won't last a full day. I tested this on my own device a while ago, it might have gotten better, but I doubt it. Blackberry Messenger (BBM) also has a typing indicator, delivered and read indicators, and it's faster than anything else out there. Also, the fact that it's only on mobile devices and not desktop computers means that you know your message will get delivered to someone's pocket instead of the computer they may have left on. An odd side effect of its lack of portability.