All About Smartphones

BlackBerry have been testing BBM for Windows Phone for a while now in the hope that it becomes available for every Windows Phone user before August. First a beta version of the app was released to the Windows Phone App Store to developers only in the early days of July but today we have good news for you.  BlackBerry Messanger (BBM) for Windows Phone now available for not just developers but every Windows Phone user to download. All you have to do is go to the Windows Phone App Store and then look for BBM (a direct link is provided below). For years, BBM had been exclusive to BlackBerry devices up until last year when it became available to iOS and Android devices and today, Windows Phone 8 devices can now enjoy messaging their friends on the blackberry messanger platform.  Download BBM for Windows Phone here .  Mind you, only Windows Phone 8 and above devices are eligible.  Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitte...

Earlier last month, BlackBerry started rigorous testing of BBM for Windows Phone OS and later this month the beta version of the app was released to more people for more testing.   Of course, this is long overdue especially since android and iOS devices already had BBM beginning last year October. Windows users can now join in the party of blackberry messenger users.  If you are interested in getting BBM on your windows Lumia or on your windows Phone OS smartphone, then you should click on the link below to download BBM for Nokia Lumia and other Windows Phone smartphones running windows phone 8.0 and above OS. Download BBM from this link Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gist

I love using BBM for chatting, its very good but when it comes to sending files, i abhor BBM. One of the issues I have with it is that it has a size limit of 6mb before you can transfer file. That means, if you want to transfer a high res image of 6.5mb, you wont be able to use BBM for such transfer to your contact. Well, it looks like BlackBerry have seen the light, heard the thoughts of her users and have decided to release a new BlackBerry messenger that would increase the 6mb transfer limit as seen in the tweet below. Currently, Whatsapp, have a transfer limit of 12mb which we even think its small. Therefore, we expect that BlackBerry will beat the Whatsapp transfer limit and make BBM limit somewhere around 15-20mb. The announcement which came from Jeff Gadway is highly welcomed and we are looking forward to the next BBM update that will see the transfer size limit increased. Like our Facebook page and follow us on twitter for more smartphone news.

BlackBerry released BBM for both Android and iOS devices last year which was a welcomed development for those that love the platform; However, the Windows Phone OS platform was left out of that development but not anymore. BBM4ALL is now truly BBM4ALL platforms as noted by John Sims who said and i quote “BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community,” Furthermore, Bryan Biniak, Vice President and GM of Developer Relations, Nokia Corporation added that “Today marks an exciting moment for Nokia. By bringing BBM to the Windows Phone and Nokia X communities, our customers will be able to experience this popular global messaging app.” Users of Windows Phone devices have often protested on social media sites on the need to have BBM on their devices too and finally B...

BlackBerry have released an update to their popular BBM app for Android and iPhone. According to Jeff Gardaway, head of product and brand marketing for BBM, BBM now includes a new Find Friends feature that allows you to discover people you know that are also using BBM and invite them to your BBM contact list, from within the app.  The Find Friends feature will detect which contacts in your smartphone’s contact list are already using BBM, and allow you to quickly send them an invite to join your BBM contact list. For those contacts that don’t yet have BBM, you can invite them to download the app with an email or SMS invite. This is not a bad development and update from BlackBerry. However, we are still expecting that promised BBM Channels and Voice for Android and iOS devices to drop, perhaps in the BBM 2.0 that is in the works. You can download the latest BBM update from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store as it applies to you. Like our Facebook pa...

We told you guys of the ongoing project by BlackBerry to bring BBM to older android devices, Android Gingerbread OS devices to be precise. The reason for this can't be farfetched seeing how much users Whatsapp and Kik messenger are boasting about. Blackberry want to increase their user base too. The good news is that the BBM for Gingerbread OS devices is set to be released for February, no specific date communicated but we now have access to the leaked version of the BBM build. This BBM is slightly different for the ones you see on Android 4.0 and above and also different for the one on iPhone. The difference being that the top bar is black (blue for the higher versions). For now, that is the difference we notice between the two kinds of BBM.  If you are a Android Gingerbread device user, you can grab the BBM app below for testing. Don't forget to give us feedback on what you think about it. Download BBM for Android Gingerbread Like our Facebook page ...

BlackBerry is now making plans to release BBM for older Android devices specifically those running Android Gingerbread 2.3 on their phones. This was unveiled in a message sent to Blackberry messenger beta testers as shown in the image below.  While those running Android version 4.0 and above on their devices are happy those running Android Gingerbread 2.3 feel like an outcast and that has generated into an outcry from these set of users.  They have petitioned BlackBerry to make BBM available to Android 2.3 users and it seemed like that petition is accepted and now work have started to grant that wish. If this plan actually pulls through, the immediate result is that there would be a surge in the number of users on the BBM sever. What are your thoughts about this? Is it a welcomed development? Drop your comment in the space below. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and stay up to date with smartphone news.  ...

OEMs across Africa have made a collaborative with BlackBerry to make sure that BBM is pre-installed on their devices. This would mean that once a new device from these OEMs are turned on, it will come already pre-installed with BBM. Popular OEMs that have joined the deal are TECNO, Be, Micromax, Snexian, TiPhone, Brightstar, Celkon, EVERCOSS, IMO, Mito, Spice and Zen. Its possible other OEMs like Infinix, iTel etc partake in this collaborative efforts in the near future. Already, most of these devices come with Whatsapp pre-installed on their devices but with BBM increasingly becoming more popular and relevant in the Android community, its only logical that this happens so as to increase the selling point for their devices. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone news.

One of the things that I like about BlackBerry Messenger is its useful emoticons. It's one of the best out there. Although during the days of yahoo messenger, its emoticons were great especially the rolling on the floor one which literally rolls when sent. So hilarious. Whatsapp emoticon could make you cry. Not so useful. BlackBerry emoticons are good since its introduction and have survived long enough for the introduction of new nice ones. To get things started, BlackBerry is asking all its fans to submit any idea of emoticons they have in mind. Anyone that interest BlackBerry most will be featured in their BBM app. So guys, what are you waiting for? Wear those thinking caps and put those suggestions out there by going to this link Suggestions are open till November 20th.  For me, I suggest one new emoticon which is the "middle finger". It's a start Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gists. ...

Remember when BBM for Android and iPhone was released few weeks ago, it was said that iPad and iPods won't be supported until later. It was almost as if iPad and iPod user were sidelined by BlackBerry. Well, that later is here and iPad and iPod users can now download BBM on their iDevices. It is not surprising to see this early given the huge demand that came from BBM going cross platform. Anyways, direct download links for BBM on iPod Touch and iPad mini is here for immediate download. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for prompt information and download

BBM is definitely waxing strong on the Android and iOS devices. One cool feature of the Android OS is the widget feature in which you can place widgets on your home screen for fast Access to certain app features. Well, with BBM, entering directly into a conversation hasn't been any easier.  All you need do is go to the app widget section of your drawer to see the BBM widget. Click and hold the widget and place it on your home screen where there's space. Once this is done, you can jump into any conversation directly and can also see whose pings you received without even opening the app. I hope this tip was useful. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for more smartphone tips and gist.

It is well known that bad news travel faster than any other news, but we also know that news of missing persons travel even faster when sent through social media especially through BlackBerry Messenger Broadcast channel. The story is that of a little girl called Alma who went missing in Jakarta when she went to the National Monument Park in Central Jakarta along with her parents and aunt. Apparently, the aunt allowed Alma to wonder off on her own which result in the 7 year old girl not able to find her way back in the crowded central Jakarta park. Alma went missing for four days but was found by Aja Suharja , a business man who rents bicycle. Suharja could locate the little girl's family so he took her home with his family for four days. The police said that Suharja didn't realise that it was most best to contact the police and notify them of a missing persons. When Roy , Alma's father couldn't find his daugther, he quickly turned to social medi...

It's exciting using BBM on Android and iOS devices, 10 million downloads in 24hrs is a testament to that and that's a good thing for the Canadian company, but not without a catch. The catch is the bad news but there's good news too.  If you have used BBM on BlackBerry 10 phones you would know that it has some features missing in the cross platform devices. The good news is that BlackBerry has pledged to bring the missing features (BBM voice, BBM Channels etc) to Android and iPhone. Also, BlackBerry has pledged to keep making BBM on Android and iPhone free and better. The bad news is that BlackBerry says advertising will be brought to BBM on Android and iOS devices.  Seeing the level of acceptance the messaging app as gained, its only logical that BlackBerry uses this swift popularity to monetize the app. Generally, since the release of BBM to other platforms, the sale value of BlackBerry devices have dropped especially here in Nigeria and  this ma...

Finally,  BBM has gone cross platform (Android, iOS and BlackBerry OS) for about a week now and million of Android devices are already pinging massively. Whatsapp on the other hand have been around cross platform for a longer period and with a lot of users. Alot of updates and refinement have been put into Whatsapp for Android and iPhone to give a very high user experience. BBM on the other hand will just start the update which will include BBM Channels and Voice in the near future. Now, for those that have both messaging apps on their devices, it won't be long before people start taking sides as to which of the two messaging apps they prefer. Putting the question to you folks,  which do you think it's better considering that BBM is just 1 week old cross platform? Drop your comments below and don't forget to like our Facebook page  and to join this conversation. Also follow us on Twitter for more smartphone gists.

Finally, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) is now available for Android and iOS devices as promised by BlackBerry and it works so well and flawless on these devices. According to BlackBerry, 5 million people downloaded BBM within a space of 8hrs. The question is, what percentage of these people would be dumping their BlackBerry devices for Android or iPhone? Where does this leave BlackBerry? I believe it will in a way put BlackBerry in a not-so-good condition. BBM is a highly anticipated and revered messaging app and its not surprising to see the massive download rate by Android and iOS device users. If people, are dumping BlackBerry devices which already has BBM for Android and iPhone, how much more will Windows Phone device purchase take a hit? The effect would be felt  by Windows Phone manufacturers due to the fact that there's no BBM available for WP devices (e.g Nokia Lumia phones, HTC and Samsung phones with Windows OS) and people buy smartphones for the apps it s...

Update: BlackBerry have released an update to fix the BBM crash issue encountered on iPhone running iOS 7.0.3 firmware. You can get the download here . Some reports have been sent out that BBM for iPhone is having a crashing problem and in particular, it affects those running iOS 7.0.3 on their iPhones. The BBM app crashes as a result of font compatibility issues. One of the fonts used by BBM is no longer supported in iOS 7.0.3 and therefore a crashing happens when such fonts are employed in sending messages BlackBerry is now aware of the problem and have submitted an update to fix the issue. However,  if you are not ready to wait for BBM update fix, one way to quickly fix this annoying situation is to kill your existing conversation and end all chats. This means you would lose your chat history (if you don't mind). Steps 1. At the Chat section, end chat of all the people you are conversing with 2. Close the BBM app and relaunch again Once you ...

BlackBerry finally brought BBM to Android and iOS earlier this week , but in an effort to prevent the server problems that halted its initial debut , the Canadian company decided to implement a waiting list that allows it to control how many users gain access. But if you were late to the party and you’re stuck at the back of the line, you’ll be pleased to know there’s a quick and easy way to bypass that waiting list. Just follow the simple steps below. After installing the BBM app on your Android or iOS device, open it up and register your email address to join the queue. Now return to your home screen and force-close this app. On iOS, this can be done by double-tapping the home button and swiping the BBM app away. On Android, just enter the multitasking menu and do the same, or go into the Settings app, select “Apps” and then BBM, and then tap “Force Close.” Relaunch the BBM app and you should now be able to create a new BBM account and use the app. The workar...

By now, almost everyone knows that BBM for Android and iPhones is already available for some in some parts of the world and will be available to others within days.  If you had downloaded yours on your device but don't know how to get it activated, follow the steps in this guide. Requirements 1. BlackBerry ID which you can register from here 2. Supported Android or iPhone  Note: Direct download link for BBM for Android can be found here Procedures 1. The first thing is to download the app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store depending on your device type. 2. After downloading and installing, launch the BBM app and you will be presented with a screen to enter your Email address if you initially registered an email to be among the first people to get the app. On doing this, you would get the above screen.  3. If you have a BlackBerry ID, input it in the provided space. If you don't, register a new one. Note: entering the same...

Update Its been exactly a month today that BBM failed to launch on the Android platform. People have waited for what it seems like ages but now the wait is over. BBM for Android and iPhone is ready for launch today. In other to avert what happened the last time, the launch of BBM for android and iPhone is taking a different stride due to the high volume of people that would want to download this app, however, the procedure below will get you your BBM app. BBM Roll Out Details: Download BBM – the easiest way is to visit BBM.com from your Android or iPhone browser*   Once you install the app, open it, and enter your email address to hold your spot in line, they will email you as soon as you reach the front of the line and can start using BBM If you are among the millions that took the time to sign up at BBM.com, you can start using BBM immediately without waiting in line.* If you didn’t sign up in advance, don’t worry – BlackBerry is focused on moving millions o...

It wasn't too long ago that BlackBerry released a open heartfelt letter to its customers stating why they should stick with them and not give up on BlackBerry. Part of that letter also made mention of BBM for Android and iPhone which means that commitment is still high in that area. To further buttress this, BlackBerry's CMO, Frank Boulben spoke with Reuters and said that as a matter of fact, BlackBerry Messenger will be coming to Android and iPhone for real this time in matters of days. Its not clear how many days we are talking about here especially considering that the first launch which happened 3 weeks ago was a mess. However, Frank Boulben says that he's confident that BlackBerry was able to address the issue that plagued the initial launch. What does this suggest? Well, it just means that very soon, BBM on Android and iPhone will be a reality for everyone soon enough.