You are here

CB » BlackBerry Apps » PingMe delivers a similar BBM-like experience
Weekly Accessory Roundup - Win a BlackBerry case of your choice! Previous
If RIM were to push one native application to the BlackBerry PlayBook developer version of OS 2, which would you prefer?Next
50 Comments

PingMe delivers a similar BBM-like experience

By Kerri Neill on 9 Nov 2011 11:54 am
10
loading...
14
loading...
76
loading...

Cross-platform messaging applications are popping out all over lately but few deliver like our beloved BBM. The latest competitor in the arena is called PingMe. Shockingly, it is very similar to BlackBerry's native application. With PingMe, you can message all those traitors friends who are on other platforms while enjoying the following features:

  • Cross-platform: iOS, BlackBerry, Android and Windows 7 coming soon
  • Real Time Message Receipts: see when your friends are typing as well as sent/delivered/read receipts
  • Group Chats: create groups for family, co-workers or friends with similar interests 
  • Register using your phone number so no PINs or IDs to remember
  • Free! We all love when an app is free and one that delivers an experience like this one with a promise that it will always be free is a wonderful thing
  • Social News Feeds: see all your friend's updates in one location
  • Geo-Location: find your friends who are nearby with geo-location enabled messages
  • Push notifications:PingMe lets you know when you have a message even when it's closed
  • Friend Finder: simply use you address book to search for any friends already using PingMe

The UI is clean and simple with customization options available for both the background and message box colors (I've always wanted these features in BBM). I have family on all platforms and have been searching for an instant messaging application just like this for all of us to use. Now I can use PingMe to see when my husband's ignoring my texts on his iPhone just like I do when I BBM him on his BlackBerry.

For more information / download of PingMe

Topics: BlackBerry Applications BlackBerry Instant Messaging Apps Blackberry Cross-messaging Apps PingMe BlackBerry Apps

Weekly Accessory Roundup - Win a BlackBerry case of your choice! Previous
If RIM were to push one native application to the BlackBerry PlayBook developer version of OS 2, which would you prefer?Next
Kerri Neill Kerri Neill 162 (articles) 449 (forum posts)
50 comments

Wolf35Nine

Think I'll pass on this for now. May try it later if it goes viral.

sofakingcdn

it won't go viral if no one uses it....

Silvius

There is also WhatsApp that does just that.
The difference is that this one will have Windows 7 and WhatsApp has symbian.

johuntbb

and this one is free, while whatsapp is not since the second year

Nashstruck

Incorrect. Whatsapp doesn't have read receipts. It has delivery receipts, which is a v different thing.

DGetz

WhatsApp doesn't have groups, or profiles, or many of these features. WhatsApp really couldn't be more different from BBM or Pingme.

MauritzioMeyer

Guess its the best thing for Windows 7 users, hope for them it goes viral ! BBM is just classic and the best out there !!

checkyoulater

my biggest concern is how this affects battery life on the 9900....if it uses as much as bbm then it's ok to use as a way to keep in touch with the rest of the world's smartphones.....

theninjew

lawsuit waiting to happen....

jorkat80

yes.
i think the same...
just the name alone is too similar...thers even a BBM song which goes on about "pingme".

_StephenBB81

It is much closer to iMessage than it is to BBM, being that is uses your phone number,

because it requires me to give out my phone number. No thank you.

far more expensive to BLOCK people who have your phone number than using an app to block your PIN

cbcastle

gonna have to give it a try, now to just get all the friends and family onto it.

gord888

question: how do these instant messaging developers make money? are they using everything you say as part of a data mining process and selling your information anoymously or am i just being paranoid?

jasonvw

Just asked the same thing. And no, you're not paranoid. Its the only viable way for them to make any money. If they don't charge for it or have ads, how else can they make money? Thats the main reason I'd only recommend whatsapp. Even though their gui for blackberry sucks. And theres no guarantee they don't do the same thing as all the others.

ev44

well lets see, first and foremost they have your phone number and potentially contacts (both emails, phone numbers, etc), your media files, your conversation history, etc.

could they be using/selling all this data?

dairadatzu

When you can use a service for free it means that you're the product being sold.

lcohen999

How many of these do we need

Soon to keep in touch with everyone I will have

BBM
WhatsApp
LiveProfile
Kik
Pingme
I think there are 4 others I have forgotten, getting to be too much

DGetz

I think the answer is simple: 1 good one. One that has all of the features and integration of BBM. As of right now the others have failed miserably. I have tried them all and they all suck in one or more ways that makes it a flop. From no sent/received/read notifications, to no group chats, to no profiles, to no application (where you have to go into your contacts in your phone book to find your messenger contacts), to needing to log onto the internet first to open it, to massive data usage, to no push messages.... the list goes on.

We need 1 that has everything: is instantaneous, is dirt cheap data-wise, offers stability reminiscent of one that's built into the OS itself, has all the features and catches on. Part of what makes BBM awesome is every blackberry has it whether they use it or not. If you walk up to a Berry owner you say "add me" and they do, in 5 seconds. It's that simple. Not,

"Do you have WhatsApp?"
"No"
"You should get it"
"I heard it sucks"
"It's not bad"
"Download it. I'll be back in 20 minutes to show you how to use it and we can add each other."
"Nah. I don't really want to download another app."

DrLouie

PingChat is one as well.

jasonvw

Am I the only one who'd love to know how all these companies make money? They offer the service for free with no ads and don't have any other business to create revenue.

Whatsapp charges money so at least you can see how they get their money, but all these other ones?

freedomx20a

i hate wats app...looks ugly and emoticons are not clean! PingME seems like it will be alot better. HOpe everyone on earth just makes the dam switch so we can have 1 final cross platforum messaging.

maam

that's why RIM should sell the BBM platform eh
BBM for everybody! lol

freedomx20a

i hate wats app...looks ugly and emoticons are not clean! PingME seems like it will be alot better. HOpe everyone on earth just makes the dam switch so we can have 1 final cross platforum messaging.

LuayS

Beyond how they make money, this market has gotten so fragmented.

Some people use LiveProfile others Kik others Ping others Pingme others WhatsApp I can go on. Personally I've deleted all these and just stick to BBM/text because I don't need to worry about who uses what app.

jorkat80

Agreed. BBM is all I need.

dmann96

Used LiveProfile until this came out. PingMe has a sweet UI! You can also send pictures. I love how the group chat changes the pictures of the participants in the chat when you in the overview screen. Needless to say I dropped LiveProfile for lack of support and takes forever to develop new features.

kendabeatz

just got it on ma 9930, but it lags like crazy...cant even type a sentence without waiting 5 seconds for each letter to appear...anyone else having this problem on their berry?

Kerri Neill

No lag on my 9930. I'd try deleting and reinstalling.

grnrprl

The same problem on BB9360 with OS7 - lags and battery is getting drained, even reinstalling does not help :( but everything all right on BB9780 with OS6 = WHAT IS GOING ON ?!

grnrprl

Moreover, can feel the battery works hard - cover's getting hot while PingMe is on

sk8er_tor

I think I'll pass on this. BBM and texting for now.

r0bert4

Haha lol'd at traitors

Kerri Neill

I stood in line to pick up an iPhone 4s for my husband and felt like I should be wearing a big red A on my chest or something. The Sprint CSR knows I write for CB and shook his head and made tsking noises the whole time I was there lol. After having several BBs, an HTC Evo 3D, LG Optimus and now the iPhone 4s in my house, I love my BlackBerry even more.

_StephenBB81

I would have been in line at the divorce lawyer! :p
how can you be married to someone who wants an iPhone?? ;)

UnknownError507

i would try this chat platform if i knew will be a good one like BBM and have friends to talk to, but till this platform get some users ill keep it on my list.

The UI is stunning!!!!

rcbtri

OK HELP! Just DL to Torch 9800, and the phone has been going through a constant reboot cycle since. Even pulled the battery with the same result.

knowledge_6

Battery draining like crazy since install on my 9900!!

battery log shows -6 and -7% discharge in the last 2 hrs!

deleted!

Maisoumenos

i installed it but everytime i get to the "put your phone number" screen, ithe program just closes. has this happened to anyone? or any suggestions on what i can do

arturox

Im using a 9800 and set trusted program as NO as always recomended, now I cant as friends because it says connecting to facebook and never conects

efd2051

Just about everyone I know is logged into Skype or similar cross-platform IM. These aggregators just make it easy to tie them all together - but messages are not delivered cross different IM's other than Yahoo & MSN.

BBM is too limited ...not everyone uses a blackberry.

If BBM were cross platform (worked on IOS, Windows, Android) it would be more viable. Until then its use will be limited to BB fans only.

shabbs

Group chat on PingMe is dynamic, not static. You can add users to an existing PingMe conversation. But you can't seem to have a list of groups etc...

Not even close to BBM level. No way, no how.

See ya.

pygo#AC

Bad
Extremely slow...font size waaay too big, and constantly running in my application list even if i close the app...long way to go from whatsapp, and even longer way to go from bbm...

Good
It's FREE, map location and read receipts.

Installed on bold 9900 tested with bold 9700 in chat...could barely run on 9700 massive black clocks and more importantly it DRAINED THE BATTERY IN MINUTES. Installed and removed after testing this needs multiple revisions at the moment.

freedomx20a

lags and sux deleting now

Danf

Installed it and watched my battery drop 12% in one hour while I was not even using the phone.

uninstalled it.

PeterRei

It's SLOW and freezing all the time on my corve 9300; and the battery drains realy fast with this one; 15% the firs hour this morning. But looks sweet and has some cool features.
My problem with BBM is that I've only ONE contact (my son)... Seems that there are not many BB out here...

zensen

PingMe? More like MeToo

dairadatzu

Slow as hell on BB 9100 OS 6, it drains the battery life a lot. And the UI is not that good :(

ugotme

It worked fine on my 9650 but killed my battery life. Like the concept since my boss has an android and my coworker has a iphone. just have to keep texting for now.

ciscobear

Just not suited for OS7 phones....had my phone laggy and behaving really strange.

Removed it and back to normal now.....using whatsapp and liveprofile for now...