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BlackBerry has updated the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application for Android devices and iPhones with additional support. Shortly after the troubled rollout of the BBM platform for non-BlackBerry devices, the company is moving to build users engagement to the platform in a competitive market. The Canadian-based company announced support for the iPod and iPad. The update also allows for Android users to improve filtering of contacts and addresses high battery consumption for some users. BlackBerry said that it fixed an issue where iPhone users reported that some contacts disappeared from the chat application. BBM users on non-BlackBerry platforms can also share their PIN with an improved Share PIN option. The company is determined to reclaim a larger share of the smartphone market it once dominated and on Wednesday, CEO John S Chen explained the strategy. "We have begun moving the company to embrace a multi-platform, BYOD world by adopting a new mobility management platform and ...

Screen grab/Google Play store BlackBerry denied it had anything to do with "potentially fake" reviews of the BlackBerry Messenger for Android app on the Google Play store and said it is working with Google to get to resolve the problem. BlackBerry won a rare bit of praise earlier this week when it finally released its standalone BlackBerry Messenger app for iPhone and Android devices to huge demand. Screen grab/Twitter/Matt Baxter-Reynolds BBM is "user friendly" and "smooth." At least according to these "potentially fake" reviews. The mobile instant-messaging app was downloaded more than 10 million times in the first 24 hours, BlackBerry said , and many users were so pleased they decided to post glowing reviews of the software online. Problem with some of the reviews appearing in the Google Play app store, however, was that they looked oddly familiar to one another. Well, nearly identical really. One particularly obse...

BlackBerry seems to be on seventh heaven after the cross platform version of its BBM or  BlackBerry Messenger app recorded 10 million downloads and positive reviews . However, it looks like a large number of positive reviews, at least on the app's Android listing on the Google Play store, appear to be fake or 'astroturfed' (paid or a PR effort).   One of the reasons for doubting the intent behind the BBM for Android reviews was that they featured the same text complete with grammatical errors, and a five star rating. The text said, "Thank you so much Blackberry team. I was waiting this app. It is really great user friendly and smooth." These reviews were first  spotted  by Matt Baxter-Reynolds who posted a screenshot on Twitter.   Interestingly, one review started with the text, "Please post the following comment on the new BlackBerry Messenger Android APP. 'Thank you so much black berry team...'" followed by the same positive review. Th...

We promised you'd be the first to know when BBM™ for Android™ and iPhone® is available. We’re excited to announce that the rollout has resumed! Due to incredible demand there is a line-up to start using BBM. But, since you took the time to sign up in advance, we'd like to give you the chance to start using BBM on Android or iPhone right away without having to wait in line. Here's what to do to get past the line-up: 1. Visit  BBM.com  from your iPhone or Android browser to download BBM. 2. Once the BBM app has been installed, open it. 3. When asked to "Enter your email address to check if you can start using BBM", use the email address this message was sent to. 4. Get started with setting up BBM. Description The OFFICIAL version of BBM™ from BlackBerry is now here for Android. Get the free BBM app for the best way to stay connected with friends and family. Download it now. Chat with friends on Android, BlackBerry and iPhone: • BBM is alw...

. BlackBerry Messenger may be where the company wants to push its resources. But enterprise software is where BlackBerry has to make its money BlackBerry knows who is paying the bills. And it isn't  people buying their smartphones.  BlackBerry's revenue these days comes mostly from its enterprise clients that use its services for security and management of mobile devices and applications. In its most recent quarter, almost half of the company's revenue came from its Services division as sales of its smartphones plummeted. BlackBerry serves these enterprises through its BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 hardware that enterprises install and maintain. But hardware of any sort may be an untenable solution for BlackBerry going forward. The future of BlackBerry, if there is one, is going to be in software for the enterprise. BlackBerry has some vague notions that it can turn its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service into a powerhouse messaging service that ...

What are the best mobile phones to buy in 2013 so far? 2013 is shaping up to be quite a year for smartphones. We’ve already seen plenty of new devices launched in and around CES 2013 and Mobile World Congress 2013. And there’s still a lot more to come – in September alone we'll see the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max, Sony Xperia Honami, Nokia Bandit and, of course, Apple's iPhone 5S. So far we’ve seen launches from some of the industry’s most significant players: Samsung, Sony, Nokia, BlackBerry, HTC, LG, Huawei, and ZTE. All of which represent a significant leap forwards in terms of processing power, display technology, and features. Most of 2013’s new high-rolling handsets feature full HD displays and high-end processors, CPUs that make last year’s Snapdragon S4 look practically remedial. And some handsets, notably the Xperia Z, Samsung Galaxy S4 Active and Huawei Ascen...

Reports indicate BBM for Android is back in closed beta testing BBM for Android and iOS is now back in closed beta testing, according to reports. IBNLive has an image showing a download page for BBM, though doesn't explain where it came from. It shows in the download description for v71 that beta testing has been re-enabled. The move comes nearly two weeks since BBM for Android and iOS failed to launch as expected, to the dissapointment of many who were eagerly anticipating the messaging service being enabled on non-BlackBerry handsets. The terminated launch came after a beta build of BBM for Android leaked online, although BlackBerry hasn't explained precisely why having an unofficial build doing the rounds is cause to slam the brakes on. While BlackBerry has re-iterated that BBM for And...

(Photo: Robert Deutsch USA TODAY)  BlackBerry says its BlackBerry Messenger app for iPhone and Android will not relaunch this week. On Saturday, the company paused the rollout of the iPhone and Android apps for its popular BBM mobile social messaging service after an unreleased version of the Android app was posted online. That version saw 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours, the company said, but the unofficial version caused issues, which the company continues to address. DEAL:  BlackBerry unveils deal with Fairfax investor group The unreleased, older version was posted on numerous file sharing sites, the company said Monday. That resulted in data traffic issues that affected the system in abnormal ways, according to a blog post by Andrew Bocking, head of BBM at BlackBerry. As the company worked to address the problems over the weekend, "it became clear that the only way to address the issue was to pause the rollout for both Android and iPhon...

For those of us who are anxiously awaiting the release of BBM for Android (which was supposed to be released several hours ago) be warned that there are a bunch of fake Android BBM clients on the Google Play store at the moment! For the REAL BBM you need to be keeping an eye out for the BlackBerry Limited official version. The best place to find it is on the  BlackBerry Limited app listing page here . Once its available we’ll update this post with a direct link to the BBM App for Android. UPDATE:  BlackBerry has issued a  statement  indicating that issues related to the leaked version of BBM have caused unforeseen problems and put the official release of BBM for Android and iOS on hold. 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 i...

who actually is to blame for the roll out failure well on google play i noticed there has been a reduction of fake BBM apps to one which is claimed to be the official one updated today but on the left hand side the reviews left for the apps is not worth it so i say again RIM where is the official BBM app we've been waiting for. Although it's been a long day for those waiting for cross-platform  BBM  and those in Waterloo working to make it all happen, there was some pretty interesting news in  the status update from BlackBerry . In case you missed it, they actually added 1.1 Million users to the BBM platform without even launching the app officially.  I'm not trying to sugarcoat it,  the rollout has been a frustration and not the best experience  but again, 1.1 Million users in less than 8 hours. I guess that answers the question about whether or not people are willing to give cross-platform BBM a go. Now all that needs to happen is getting it offi...

- Getty Images This weekend marks a new beginning for BlackBerry Messenger (popularly known as BBM) as it becomes available on iPhones and Android smartphones. With an addressable market of a billion users, BBM has the possibility of becoming much bigger than it could have ever been were it to be stuck with BlackBerry smartphones, sales of which have fallen so rapidly that the company is investigating “strategic options” (read going private or a sale). With just 60 million BBM users and increased competition from services like WhatsApp, WeChat, Line and others, can BBM still be relevant? A few things I hear regularly from existing BlackBerry users is how their BBM contacts have shifted to WhatsApp and how most of the conversations have moved on from BBM. Then there are also some users who keep a BlackBerry just because of BBM. “I cannot wait for BBM to come to Android. I want to move from BlackBerry but cannot do that right now,” a journalist friend who works for a newswir...

An earlier report on Twitter from Samsung Nigeria confirmed that BlackBerry’s popular BBM messaging platform will be coming to Android and iOS quite soon. Although it won’t be a three-month exclusive to Samsung as was initially speculated, BBM could hit Google Play and the iOS App Store as early as this Friday. BBM Communications Director Victoria Berry had this to say on the impending launch: “The excitement around the upcoming BBM launch on iPhone and Android devices seems to know no bounds. Although I’m a big fan of this passion, I want to clarify that no one will have an exclusive on offering BBM. We’ll be bringing the app to Android and iPhone users across the globe soon.” BBM has long been a staple of BlackBerry’s messaging platform, allowing BlackBerry users to communicate between one another for free, but has until now been limited to BlackBerry devices. The latest incorporation of other mobile OS’s i...

If you’re an Android or iOS device owner and have been waiting for the BlackBerry Messenger app to arrive, then you will know that it has seemed a long wait. BlackBerry originally stated that the apps would be available in the summer, so they should be arriving very soon. Now it appears that the release of BBM for Android is uncertain, but for the iPhone it could be imminent. BlackBerry’s recent woes have been well documented and the company really needs to release these apps as soon as possible. Although many are expecting the Android and iOS apps for Android to release simultaneously, this may not be the case. There have been many occasions where Android users have been left waiting for a popular app for some time after the iOS version has become available, and this can cause a certain amount of frustration. Android apps can sometimes be delayed as developers have to take into account the various versions of the operating system that are currently being used. However, we rece...

Another Fake BlackBerry Messenger App Shows Up In Play Store One of the key strengths of any BlackBerry device is its BBM service. This allows anyone to easily share messages and other content to other BlackBerry users. Previous reports say that BlackBerry Messenger will soon be arriving for the Android platform which has excited a lot of people. As of now though there is still no official BBM app at the Play Store coming from BlackBerry. Some individuals are taking advantage of the anticipated release of BBM for Android by releasing what is supposedly a BBM app. A few months back there was a fake BBM app that tricked quite a number of people. Today, a new app has surfaced called BBM App created by BBM Droid which is obviously a fake as well. From its description alone it states that “THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL BBM APP”. What it does is that once someone installs this app it proceeds to download another app which needs to be installed. We are not sure what the downloaded file conta...