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Interviews | 75 Comments CrackBerry Live: Interview with the inventor of BBM, Gary Klassen! On the day when BlackBerry announced that BBM is going cross platform to support both iOS and Android, we had the lucky opportunity to sit down with Gary Klassen. If you're not familiar with Gary Klassen, you should read this article we posted back in 2011, where we gave Gary the CrackBerry...

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Jun 12, 2013 BBM Channels support animated GIFs!
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Yes, you read that right. While it may not seem like such a huge deal, it's so geekily awesome. Now you can spice up your BBM Channel with your own bit of flair by using an animated GIF instead of a basic static image on your posts. 

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Jun 11, 2013 BlackBerry Messenger 10.2.0.12 with BBM Channels leaked
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For the past little while now there have been bits and pieces of BlackBerry OS 10.2 turning up in the CrackBerry Forums for those of you out there who are adventurous and wish to try things out. Previously we saw BlackBerry Maps updates, Camera updates and Facebook updates. Now BlackBerry Messenger 10.2.0.12 has turned up and brings along with it BBM Channels without the need to install it separately. Though, I'm not sure if that's much of an advantage, given you need to sideload this file anyhow. Continue Reading →
Jun 06, 2013 Scratch that - Android and iOS BBM won't be out June 27th after all; Still due later this summer
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Just like that BlackBerry has crushed the rumor that cross-platform BBM will be arriving on June 27th. While BBM is still set to go cross-platform with Android and iOS later this summer, it won't be happening at the end of June.

We had some reservations since it wasn't an official announcement and sure enough the rumors are not true.

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Jun 04, 2013 PSA: Beware of fake BBM for Android / iOS betas - Sign up to be alerted when it really goes live!
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Chances are, you've seen some postings around the internet regarding a download site for a BBM beta for Android and iOS. That's because someone cleverly disguised a website recently and made it look as though it was an official BlackBerry site. The site looks genuine enough and even offers a download with an iOS .ipa file along with an Android .apk file but we assure you, it's not legit. In fact, it pretty much screams computer virus. We're not going to link to it but it's hosted on some free web site and will hopefully, be yanked down soon. Continue Reading →
May 24, 2013 Have you checked out our BBM Channels forum yet?
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If you have no clue what BBM Channels are, make sure you read this post first.

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May 23, 2013 Going cross platform could skyrocket the number of BBM Money users
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While reading through BlackBerry-related news yesterday, I saw a post that our friend Ronen published on BerryReview pertaining to BBM Money.

Here’s whats new: In the first 90 days since launching BBM Money in Indonesia, the service has in excess of 60,000 users registered.  It’s not exactly a huge number, but apparently the target is to grow this user base to 200,000 by the end of the current year.  Sounds like they are well on their way to achieving this goal.

Keep in mind BBM Money can only be used by BlackBerry customers today.  And it can only be used to send money between BBM users, or to top up your mobile account.  It only exists in Indonesia today, where most BlackBerry hardware is running the legacy BBOS, and the devices don’t have features such as near field communications (NFC) to permit “tap to pay” type functionality.

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May 22, 2013 Mike Lazaridis has high hopes for BBM on iOS and Android
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In a recent interview, ex-co-CEO of BlackBerry Mike Lazaridis commented on BlackBerry Messenger going cross-platform. As you might expect, he figures BBM stands a good chance at succeeding on iOS and Android. 

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May 21, 2013 BBM has a real shot at consolidating the global mobile messaging market
237 Comments
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So BlackBerry Messenger is finally going cross platform, eh? For quite some time now most of you at CrackBerry Nation have believed this should happen. In fact during 2010 (when the stock was still around $60), CrackBerry ran a poll asking you all if the company should take BBM cross platform.

Guess what?  A whopping 71% of you said yes, it should go cross platform. Our own fearless leader, Kevin, is clearly on record saying BBM should be opened up. Here’s what he wrote in November 2010:

”So should RIM do it? Personally, I think they should. I get the reasons why they wouldn't. RIM makes money from selling smartphones, and right now BlackBerry Messenger is one of those hooks that keeps people on BlackBerry and actually attracts some people to BlackBerry (I've heard stories from carrier reps where individuals walk into the store and ask for the phone that does BBM). But I don't think this reasoning holds up long-term. As soon as a cross-platform BBM-style client emerges in the smartphone space and attains critical mass (ie. Kik or another), even if not as fully-featured as BlackBerry Messenger the hook of BBM starts to diminish.“

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May 14, 2013 CrackBerry Live: Interview with the inventor of BBM, Gary Klassen!
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On the day when BlackBerry announced that BBM is going cross platform to support both iOS and Android, we had the lucky opportunity to sit down with Gary Klassen.

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Apr 09, 2013 Will BBM Video and BBM Voice get unlocked in the UAE?
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The BlackBerry Z10 has been available in the UAE for some time now but it wasn't until very recently that I discovered that BlackBerry 10 users there are missing a couple of the new OS's best features. BBM Video and BBM Voice are currently blocked in the region so those folk who have picked up a Z10 don't get the full BlackBerry 10 experience that the rest of us have been accustomed to.

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Apr 08, 2013 How to add a BBM contact on BlackBerry 10
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It's rare that I add a contact to BBM by any method other than entering their PIN, so I often forget that there are a few different ways to get the job done.

When I travel to a conference or head to a meet up, I get the chance to use the good ol' barcode scanner or NFC to add contacts to BBM.

What's surprising is that not everyone is aware of how to add a contact to BBM by these methods - or maybe even at all. 

So while most of you already know how to add a contact to BBM by PIN or email, we'll take a quick look at all of the methods so you can become a BBM master in no time.

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Apr 03, 2013 BBM Stress Test - The Aftermath
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We invited. We accepted. BlackBerry Messenger on BlackBerry 10 conquered. 

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Apr 01, 2013 BBM Stress Test: Add me to your BBM Contacts now!
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5:50PM UPDATE: OK Folks, things have been going crazy awesome today. We got flooded with requests by the thousands. They're still coming in. We maxxed out the contacts approved at over 2,050. We have hundreds of chats going, BBM Video Chat is holding up, as is the whole device. Overall, the Z10 and BB10 are passing the BBM Stress Test with flying colors. We have more testing to do but we're stopping for a dinner break (we're going to toss in a fresh battery and see how fast it drains given the amount of BBM stuff we have going on). Were turning off the live stream now, but we'll keep recording video updates and be following up with a big summary post and conclusion video. 

HUGE THANKS to everyone who participated. If you haven't been approved yet, the odds are you won't be approved as a contact because we've pretty much reached the cap for contacts (though we will keep trying). 

Thanks again for all the love and support to day. CrackBerry Nation FTW!!!

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Mar 27, 2013 BBM Stress Test happens @ 12 Noon EDT on Monday. Tune in now!
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You've been asking for it.  And now that the BlackBerry Z10 is available from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the USA, we're going to do it. The BBM Stress Test is happening! Join in by visiting CrackBerry.com at 12 Noon EDT on Monday, April 1st, 2013 and invite me to be a BBM contact!

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Mar 11, 2013 BlackBerry Messenger gets updated for older devices - Brings BBM Voice to OS5
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Good news today for BlackBerry 5/6/7 users - BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has received a wee update to version 7.0.1.23 and it brings BBM Voice to OS5 users. That may well be an old OS now, but I still see so many people around London talking and texting on their BlackBerry Curve 8520's.

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Feb 28, 2013 BBM updated in the BlackBerry Beta Zone
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BBM has once again been updated in the BlackBerry Beta Zone bringing along some fixes as well as support for OS 5.0 devices. Nothing shiny and new this time, but it's always fun to grab a new update. 

Latest updates include:

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Feb 26, 2013 First Look: BBM Money [video]
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Feb 19, 2013 BBM 7.0.1.16 hits the BlackBerry Beta Zone
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A new version of BBM has hit the BlackBerry Beta Zone today. Version 7.0.1.16 isn't sporting many new features but it does come with some bug fixes and a few tweaks. This is for OS 7 and lower devices (no BB10) so if you're a Beta Zone member you can login now and should see the program available. 

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Feb 16, 2013 How to request high quality images over BBM on BlackBerry 10
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BlackBerry Messenger is a great way to instantly keep in touch with people. Being able to send pictures via BBM is one of my favorite features, as you can quickly share what you're looking at without missing a beat. BlackBerry compresses images sent through BBM, which is nice if you're watching your data usage, but what about when you want a higher quality image? Luckily, there is an option to request a high quality image. The release of BlackBerry 10 saw a bit of change to the process, so check out the following tutorial to see just how it's done.

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Feb 10, 2013 How to disable music updates from BBM contacts on BlackBerry 10
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If you’ve been a BlackBerry user you’ll know that there is a feature in BBM that allows you to update your BBM status with what music you’re listing to. The feature of showing people what you’re listening to is popular amongst BlackBerry users, more so that there was an outrage when BlackBerry removed it in the first versions on BBM that had BBM social integration.

Continue reading to see how to enable and disable the “show that I’m listening to” status updates on BlackBerry 10.

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Feb 01, 2013 Must Watch Video: BlackBerry Messenger w/ Video Chat and Screen Sharing in action!
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One of the videos we posted in our extremely long and and in-depth BlackBerry Z10 review and BlackBerry 10 Review was this video demo of the new BlackBerry Messenger.

For BlackBerry 10, BBM has received a massive upgrade. The user interface has been updated to go with the flow of BlackBerry 10. A key change here is that BBM Groups gets a little more in your face, which is a good thing - people should put BBM Groups to use. Of course, the real new WOW features of BlackBerry Messenger are Video Chat and Screen Sharing.

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Jan 30, 2013 BBM Video Chat on BlackBerry 10 featuring Screenshare looks great!
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