How Do You Use Your BlackBerry - How do you communicate with your non-BlackBerry contacts?
When it comes to communicating with people a BlackBerry can't be beat. Email, BBM, SMS, IM - it's all there. The method of choice from BlackBerry to BlackBerry is obviously BBM, but what about those contacts who don't own a BlackBerry? You have many options to stay in touch, but what is your method of choice? Do you use SMS? Email? IM? A cross-platform messenger? Cast your vote in the poll above and let us know how to communicate with those people that aren't BlackBerry users, then leave a comment letting us know why what you do works best. Thanks rrrebo!
Have a question you want to know the answer to when it comes to BlackBerry use? Let us know in the forums!
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chefnilla May 9, 2011 at 1:20 pm
SMS, just like in the good 'ol days.
gatorboi352 May 9, 2011 at 1:55 pm
"The method of choice from BlackBerry to BlackBerry is obviously BBM"
False assumption. I know multiple BlackBerry owners that had no clue what BBM was until I showed them, and they still don't use it to this day.
SMS is by far the easiest, most convenient, and widely accepted/known form of mobile communication.
aloofkid May 9, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Well basically in the Philippines our primary mode of communication is SMS =]
That's why we are the Texting Capital of the World =]
Seijuro May 9, 2011 at 1:23 pm
i use everthing of the above
phone, sms, email, IM+ (icq/skype/msn/fb etc), cross-platform msg etc blabla everythiiing
jdaclutch May 9, 2011 at 1:25 pm
I do SMS, but what i do is add all of my regular non-bbm friends on my bbm contact list, I just show up msg like to regular bbm contact :) Hope this helps.
theninjasquad May 9, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I do the same thing but wasn't sure if this was the best practice for SMS and BBM. Seems like it is though, and it's convenient having everything in one place. And it means I can hide the SMS icon which is great.
Cafeina May 9, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Thanks jdaclutch for the excellent tip. I just added my regular sms contacts to BBM. It is so much more convenient!
Trek_Fan May 9, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Only one of my contacts is a BlackBerry user. We use BBM all the time.
Other contacts can be a wide range of services with the three most popular being SMS, Twitter and email.
Scotty.dont May 9, 2011 at 1:29 pm
lol often I just don't :)
feldmen01 May 9, 2011 at 1:32 pm
I hate SMS but it's universal and my friends who think Blackberry is lame are lame themselves....
rrrebo May 9, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Whee! I got a mention. ;) Yup, need a "combination" choice. I use WhatsApp, SMS for people who don't use WhatsApp, and e-mail with my folks, who have Jitterbug phones (but mom has an iPad...). With so many free options out there, I simply refuse to pay extra for SMS. I have the minimum 200/month just to cover those few folks I still use it with.
megabus May 9, 2011 at 1:42 pm
You're praising the endless ways of communication that blackberry offers its customers. I'd just like to remind, that the majority of blackberry users has no adequate way of accessing Skype! This might sound like a neglectable topic, but it's the one thing that makes me consider leaving bb for my next device..
don.new May 9, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I agree! The apps from IM+ that do Skype could be so much better.
sdreelin May 9, 2011 at 1:45 pm
I use Google Talk for a couple of reasons. I can IM back and forth to other smartphone users since GTalk is available on most smartphones. I can also IM back and forth between PCs and it allows me to jump from the PC to the Blackberry and back if I need to. I can also send SMS to non-smart phones from GTalk as well using the GVMax service (https://www.gvmax.com/) and my Google Voice Line. No SMS charges that way either!
gsingle May 9, 2011 at 1:46 pm
RIM needs to develop a bbm app for the iphone charge .99 for it. Marketing campaign would be "For the price of a single text message..."
Its like apple making itunes for a PC.
diegonei May 9, 2011 at 1:52 pm
On a very comic comparison, that would be like He-Man letting everybody use his sword, or every single comic book character being able to go "SHAZAN!".
BBM is one of the things that make the BB service unique. Giving it up would be one less reason to buy a BlackBerry over any other device.
RIM understands it and did the right thing not to go for it.
gsingle May 10, 2011 at 12:46 am
Based on others feedback i would say not to many people choose a bb smart phone over others based on bbm alone. I know i didn't.
noTh1ng May 9, 2011 at 1:49 pm
WhatsApp mostly and sometimes SMS (to those people who don't own a phone that can go to the internet, yes these people still exist ;))
ianchristie1972 May 9, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Hate to say it but bbm is the bottom for me. I rarely use bbm, just one or two contacts. However the beta of Facebook 2.0 was nice to get for the chat feature.
diegonei May 9, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Email (HAH, didn't see it coming did ya?) and Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerry-to-desktop or BB-to-non BB smartphone.
Phone calls (Yep, some of us remember that these are still phones ^^ ) and SMS for non-smartphone owners.
BBM for BB-to-BB (got you again, haven't I).
Xopher May 9, 2011 at 1:58 pm
I use a combination of allall of them. Some people have phonesphones. Other people are on computers or tablets. Why limit yourself to just one or two wayways to communicate?
thetnaung May 9, 2011 at 2:02 pm
we need skype
DustBow May 9, 2011 at 2:06 pm
email & text depending on the contact and how much I'm trying to say/what I'm sending
tprime May 9, 2011 at 2:19 pm
i use sms or sometimes we just grow apart if they give up their blackberry. Sadly my friend who go from blackberry to "selfish" I phone are usually out of loop as they are no longer in bbm groups. Also i usually mock the phones of anyone i know without a blackberry.
mkye86 May 9, 2011 at 2:20 pm
I use all of the above.. It depends on who I am contacting. Their communication preferences differ from mine. So Its always nice to have the ability to accommodate all. I've juggled 5 different conversation methods at once before. Google Talk, WhatsApp, SMS, FB Chat and BBM :)
avsb514 May 9, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I love that Phone calls are at the very bottom! oh how the times have changed.
Cafeina May 9, 2011 at 2:45 pm
• BBM, text, Gtalk
In that order of preference for communication for me.
thesign May 9, 2011 at 2:50 pm
I don't consider people who don't own BB's as "friends" >: (
IAmDonFrazier May 9, 2011 at 3:21 pm
i think there should have been another answer to choose from. Depending on the type of person your talking to will really say in what ways do you communitate with them on your BlackBerry. Me being a C.E.O myself, i have some business contacts whom im not able to talk to via BBM or even SMS, so for them its email. Or my boyfriend doesnt have a BB so for him and i, sometimes we can email and or SMS. Then for friends with BB's no duh its BBM... so, this is a question that is really all about whom said contact is and why your even talking to them
By the way, this site is now on my list all time favs! It falls behind Twitter for me!
Feel free to follow me on twitter you guys! And if you want a follow back, let me know!!
@IAmDonFrazier
pmccartney May 9, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Email, SMS & Phone calls equally. The poll should allow for more than one choice.
J-ROLLS420 May 9, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Really I used all of these when I had a BlackBerry lol.
justineporter May 9, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Tried LiveProfile and it just never caught on, and it also kept freezing my phone so I ditched that program right away.
But there is always good ol text messaging, since some of my friends don't even have smart phones.
jevalladares May 9, 2011 at 4:12 pm
I use most of the services, but my first option is Whatsapp. The service is unreliable compared to BBM but their isn't a choice available.
Nashstruck May 9, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Sms is for oldies. It's all bout cross-platform messengers.
GET WITH IT!
Thumbless May 9, 2011 at 9:21 pm
sms IS a cross platform messenger.
c0rinne May 9, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Mostly email and then text.
joeberrymomma May 9, 2011 at 7:16 pm
SMS and email. Handful of contacts on BBM. Wish there was a really great cross platform messenger that everyone has and used on their smart phone, no matter what brand. I could cut $10/month off my bill with SMS! LOL!
oldtimeBBaddict May 9, 2011 at 7:54 pm
For non BB contacts, It's primarily SMS for me. I'm not a big fan of the cross platform IM apps. Alternatively, I will use FB chat for those who are also contacts but live in other countries. I do use BBM for 2 or 3 of my contacts regularly.
bmservice May 9, 2011 at 8:15 pm
SMS and email,or other IM software.
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Just go and have a look.
jedi214 May 9, 2011 at 8:48 pm
With the entry of many Cross platform apps now we have more option to use sms is still the best choice though
Thumbless May 9, 2011 at 9:01 pm
No one I contact regularly uses BBM so I don't bother with it. Email is most common because most messages are too long for SMS. SMS next. Blackberry has a pretty good voice app too called "phone" that I use for personal contacts.
Lexion May 9, 2011 at 9:46 pm
There is no such thing as "non-blackberry contacts" here in Indonesia.
Seigmen May 10, 2011 at 3:29 am
By calling them, just the same as with my bb contacts. Bbm IM and text isnt personal.
Talne May 10, 2011 at 10:59 am
I dont worry about cross platform communications or Skype at all, if I need to talk to someone I call them, no cross platform problems there, I can communicate much more information faster and more concisely than a text could possibly do, I can also talk way faster than I can text, most of my Blackberry friends have jumped ship to Apple or Android so BBM is less usefull to me than when I bought my Bold 9000.
Gamesdmc3 May 10, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Judging by this poll,people communicate the least through talking on the phone,smh,nothing is better than hearing someone's voice,sms cant compare to that,im only 22,but im more old school than new generation