Is BBM ready for the Messaging War?

It's an open secret that Blackberry have decided to offer their BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on Android and IOS platforms, and was scheduled to be launched in the summer. Unfortunately, the anticipation of BBM fans have been worn by the inability of RIM to meet up with the scheduled launch date, though there are reports that BBM for iOS and Android devices is due within days. 

With their seeming inability to meet up with he launch date and expectations of many fans, I seem to wonder if they're ready for the competitive world messaging apps. While Blackberry are still busy with BBM beta testing, their rivals have been their major rivals have been improving their apps.

Whatsapp have added new features such as ability to send multiple multimedia files (e.g up to 10 pictures) at the same time, this is not available on the current BBM, which only allows you to send one picture at a time. They also launched the Voice feature for sending voice messages which is similar but not as sophisticated as the already available BBM Voice.(Note: Whatsapp has over 300m users)

WeChat is another major player in the messaging world with over 300 million users primarily in Asia and has been re-branded for the international market. WeChat has similar features with Whatsapp but the Shake feature on their app is real cool.

Viber is another strong player in the messaging world with over 200 million users and offers texting, voice and video calls on mobiles and now on PCs. 

You'll agree with me that BBM with just about 55 million users have a lot of catching up to do, and further delays in the launch will not help their quest to be the No. 1 Messaging App. Also the current BBM features are pretty much basic and can be provided by almost any of the apps mentioned above. Blackberry needs to give the BBM app a 'Waoh factor' to enable it standout.

Only time will tell if BBM's move into the competitive world of messaging apps was worth it.

Samsung: Android's Major Threat?

Android is the world's most popular mobile operating system; 75% of all smartphones sold in Q1 2013 were Android. From humble beginning in 2008, Android worked its way to the top, supported by phone manufacturers who wanted a stake in the then Nokia/Apple dominated market. Android is an open-source software stack with permissive licensing which allows the software to be freely modified and distributed by device manufacturers, carriers and developers. 

Samsung has benefited the most from the success of Android, as its sales figures and profits have increased enormously over the years. The successful launch of the Galaxy S4 is an indicator that it's a major player in the handset market and the undisputed "King of Android". But it's not certain how long this fruitful union will last. There are indications that both parties are getting wary of the other.

Samsung always aimed to stand out from other Android device manufacturers by trying to create a Samsung experience, with the introduction of Samsung apps blended with Android releases for specific features on their devices. Now, they've taken it a step further by introducing apps such as the S-Voice and S-Translator in its flagship Galaxy series which can be viewed as alternatives to the Google apps. 

Not only that, Samsung announced a campaign in February that promises developers, 100% of revenue from software sold in its store. This is a massive effort to encourage the development of apps specifically for Samsung phones. It's evident Samsung have a plan of a future without Android and are simply getting all they need from Android; waiting for the perfect time to move on.

Google on the other hand are wary of this threat to Android and had hoped to use Motorola (which it acquired in 2011), as its joker, but this has not paid off yet. It has been slow to get the production lines busy again, though there are rumours of a Google inspired X phone from Motorola, meant to rival the iPhone and Galaxy S series phones.


Android and Samsung have come a long way together, thumping Apple to second best and causing a stir in the mobile world. However, things are not the way it used to be and their relationship can be summed up by the line " Keep you friends close but your enemies closer".

Analysis: Why BBM is going on Android and IOS

It might come to many as a surprise why RIM to roll out BBM on Android and iOS a few days ago. It was actually a smart business decision.

RIM has previously restricted the BBM app to only Blackberry devices as a means of making the Blackberry phones more attractive to the prospective consumers, but this is not working as RIM has lost a lot of the market share to Android, iOS and even Windows. BBM is the most valuable product that RIM have as we speak, and it'll be bad for such a good app to go extinct due the struggling Blackberry sales figures.

Competition from other messaging apps (such as Whatsapp) might also be a major reason behind this move. From humble beginning in 2009, Whatsapp was handling ten billion messages per day as of August 2012, growing from two billion in April 2012 and one billion in October 2011. This tremendous growth experienced by Whatsapp was due to the fact that it was cross-platform i.e it works on all major platforms (Android, BB OS, iOS, Symbian S40, S60, Windows). Whatsapp is also seen as a cheaper alternative to text as was observed on the last day of 2012 when they processed 18 billion messages.
Party crashers, Google and Facebook are also working on messaging app due for release anytime soon, so this is the best time for RIM to make the move.

Another reason is the launch of BBM Channel. It's a new platform from RIM to will allow users subscribe to various channels and get updates from the subscribed channel...sounds like another name for twitter if you ask me. However,  cross platform operation is key in order to achieve success and revenue from this new service.

It seems RIM have got it all figured out, what better way to take on your competitor than on a level playing field. I expect the number of active BBM users and messages to increase, which might mark a turnarounf in the fortunes of RIM, however, I am skeptical about the success of the BBM channel. Interesting days ahead

***Sent from my BBM for Android***


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BBM Quick Facts:

• More than 60 million monthly active users
• More than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.
• BBM users send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps
• Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are

BlackBerry To Launch BBM On Android And iOS This Summer

Today at BlackBerry Live, CEO Thorsten Heins announced BBM will soon be available on Android and iOS. The messaging app will launch globally this summer. This is a huge move for BlackBerry as it brings BB10′s strongest feature to literally hundreds of millions of potential users.
“It is a state of confidence,” Heins explained. “The BB10 platform is so strong and the response has been so good that the time is right for BBM to become an independent mobile messaging platform.”
The app will be free on both Android and iOS. Much like other messaging apps, it will be a standalone application. iOS 6 or Ice Cream Sandwich will be required.
Initially, only messaging and group features will be available. But Heins promised that the rest of BBM will eventually make its way to the Android and iOS versions including screen sharing, BBM voice and the just-announced BBM channels.
We are making the BBM platform more powerful than ever”, Heins proudly stated. And with this very uncharacteristic move from BlackBerry, it’s hard to argue against his statement.
It’s clear BlackBerry is finally waking up. They are no longer the big dog in the mobile war. If they are to survive, the company needs to forge new relationships and learn to work well with the two reigning platforms. This move to put BBM on Android and iOS is a big step forward. BlackBerry might actually have a chance. (Culled from Techcrunch)

MNP: Frequently Asked Questions

As MNP kicks off today in Nigeria and subscribers can now port to other networks, here are some Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

1 What is “Mobile Number Portability”?
Mobile Number Portability is a service that enables you to keep
your mobile phone number when changing from one mobile
service provider to another. So, if you switch between service
providers, you do not have to go through the trouble of informing
all your friends, family, colleagues and other contacts because your
number stays the same.

2 Who can use the system?
Mobile Number Portability is available to both “Pre‐Paid” (Pay As
You Go) and “Post‐Paid” mobile customers in Nigeria.

3 Who can provide this service?
Mobile Number Portability will initially be available among the
GSM mobile operators: MTN, GLOBACOM, ETISALAT, and AIRTEL.

4 When will porting become available on the CDMA and Fixed
line Networks?
NCC has adopted a phased approach to the launch of Mobile
Number Portability service in Nigeria. The process to port to
CDMA networks will begin as soon as the GSM porting process is
completed and launched.

5 What type of phone number can be ported?
Any mobile number on the GSM network can be ported
irrespective of the type of service it is been used for (e.g. voice,
data, GPS tracking etc).

6 Where do I have to go to port my number?
Customers should go to the customer care office, retail shop or
outlet of their chosen new service provider and meet with the
authorized sales person to request to port their number.
(Porting can only be undertaken by visiting the customer care
office, retail shop or authorised dealer of your chosen new service
provider and is not available by telephone, online or other
electronic means). Please do not terminate your service with your
existing service provider before initiating porting with the new
service provider.

7 What time of day will the porting service be available by the
operator?
The porting service will be available when your new service
operator's store/ outlet/ sales point is open to customers.

8 What do I have to do to port?
You will be required to complete a Port Request Form. You will
also be asked to send a text message with the word “PORT” to a
short code “3232”. Assistance will be made available if required.

9 How do I confirm that it is my number?
To move your number to a new mobile operator, you need to bring
the following into the new operator's stores.
Proof of identity – Either an identity card, passport or driving
licence or an officially validated photographic identity document;
The working mobile number you wish to port.

10 What if I do not have an ID card?
If you are unable to present any ID card, a webcam will be used to
take your photograph.

11 How much will it cost me to port my number?
There are no charges for you to port your number.

12 Can I change my mind during the porting process?
You can change your mind anytime before you send the
confirmation SMS. Once the confirmation SMS has been sent, you
can no longer cancel your port request and the porting process
must progress to completion.

13 How will I be advised of the status/ progress of my porting
request?
You will be informed of the progress of your porting request by
text messages

14 What happens if my porting request is rejected or fails to
complete?
You should contact your new service provider to resolve the
problem

15 I'm a pre‐paid customer and I have some credit left ‐ can I
take this with me?
“Pre‐paid” customers won't be able to take outstanding credit with
them, and should use it up before they switch service providers.

16 What happens to SMS that I send or receive whilst porting?
Messages which have been sent to the customer prior to porting,
but not delivered, may be lost

17 Will I be able to take my voicemails, SMS and service settings
to my new operator?
You will lose your old voicemail, SMS, MMS and ancillary services,
and will need to set these up again with your new service provider.
Mobile Number Portability

18 Will the cost of my calls to my friends and family change
after I have ported?
After porting, you may be charged differently when calling friends
and family that are not on the same network as you. Also, your
friends and family may be charged differently (if they remain on
the old network or if the tariff arrangement with the new operator
is different from that of the donor) when calling the customer after
porting.

19 When can I port to another operator?
You can port at any time. However, you will be restricted from
porting your number to a third operator or back to your original
operator within 90 days of a previous port.

20 Do I have a limit to the number of porting that I can do with
one number in a particular year?
No. You can port your number as many times as you like in a given
year. However, there is a 90 days restriction before your next port.

21 If I port to a new network, and get a new SIM Card, after 90
days, will I follow same procedure to return to my previous
provider?
Yes. Any time you wish to port your number, you will have to go to
the customer care office, retail shop or authorised dealer of your
chosen new service provider to request to port your number. You
will also need to be issued a new SIM Card.

22 Will I use my previous SIM Card or will I be required to get
another SIM Card from my previous operator thereby rendering
my earlier SIM from this operator useless this time?
You will need to be issued a new SIM card every time you wish to
port your number to a new service provider as your previous SIM
card will not work with your new service provider.

23 Would I be required to pay for the New SIM Card?
You will be issued a new SIM card by your new service provider,
which may be free or charged, depending on the service provider.

24 Can I approach the new operator and decide to register my
SIM Card with them for the purpose of porting?
Your SIM Card must be registered with your current operator
before visiting your new service provider.

25 Can my current operator try to persuade me to stay whilst I
am porting?
No. Your current operator is not allowed to contact you during the
porting process to try and persuade you to stay with them. Any
such contact by your current operator must be reported to your
new service provider or the NCC.

26 If my previous operator calls or disturbs me as a way of
inviting me back to its network within a period of 90 days of
porting, to whom should I report?
You can report this to your new service provider or to the NCC.

27 How long does porting take?
Your port will be completed within 48 hours.

28 I'm a post‐paid customer ‐ can I port if my initial contract has
not expired or I haven't paid my bills?
Yes. “Post‐paid” customers will be able to port their numbers.
However, once the porting process is complete, post‐paid customers
are required to settle their outstanding bills to their previous service
provider including any early termination fees. The old service
provider is permitted to use any legal measures to recover any
outstanding charges from you.

29 Will my old operator stop billing me when I port?
“Post‐paid” customers will receive a final bill for usage up to the
time their number is ported to the new operator.

30 How can MNP be said to be free when a network operator may
decide to charge for the new SIM card?
The service of porting from one network operator to another is free.
However, since a new SIM card is required to port, network
operators may choose to either sell the new SIM card or issue it for
free to the subscriber.

31 Do I need to preserve my old SIM card in case I want to return
to my previous network operator after 90 days?
Your old SIM card will be rendered unusable as soon as porting to
the new network operator is completed. If you wish to port back to
your old network operator, a new SIM card will be issued to you.

32 If I initiate the porting process that cannot be reversed at the
point of sending the text, when do I lose service from my previous
network operator?
As soon as porting is completed, you will be notified by SMS that
porting is completed, and you will be requested to change your old
SIM card with the new one given to you by your new network
operator. You may lose service from your old service network
operator within an hour from being notified by SMS of completion of
your port request. It is therefore advisable that you insert your new
SIM as soon as you are notified of port completion.

33 In the event that I lose my previous service from the point of
porting, would I be unable to make or receive calls until the porting
is accomplished in 48 hours?
You will have service from your old network operator until you are
notified that porting is completed. You will be required to put in
your new SIM to continue to make or receive calls. If for any reason
the SMS message was undelivered and you lose service, you should
insert your new SIM card from your new service network operator as
you may already be active on the new network operator.

App of the Week: My Data Manager, Onavo Extend and Onavo Count

Its no news that Smartphones are 'data hungry' devices and this insatiable appetite is even getting larger with the variety of apps being rolled out.
This week I would like to introduce a three apps that are very useful in monitoring as well as managing your data usage on Android and Apple IOS powered devices.

My Data Manager from Mobidia (Android and IOS)

This allows you to monitor your data usage on an application basis (over Mobile, WiFi and Roaming) as well as give data usages in hourly, daily, monthly and also Data plan views. Another nice feature about this app is that it tries to predict your monthly data usage and advises if the subscriber data plan will be sufficient.
Here are some snapshots on my Android device.

 

Here are some snapshots on an Apple device.

 Onavo Extend and Count (Android and IOS)

This app is really "da BOMB". Onavo Extend (Android) sets up a cache of commonly accessed content there by saving data. It also compresses the data sent toward the internet also saving more data. You now see why its the BOMB.  Some of the features are

• Alerts and warnings: Receive status notifications about apps that are hogging your data, when approaching your data cap, or when traveling (data roaming). Onavo Count for Android will even predict when you will reach your monthly cap. 
• Data hog blocking: Restrict specific apps to WiFi, or block your 3G data altogether once you exceed your data cap to avoid any additional costs.
•  Advice. Get tailored tips on best value data plans from your carrier or other carriers, based on your actual usage.
• Crowdsourcing. Join the Onavo Android Community to tap into the collective wisdom of Android users everywhere.
• Simple setup. Get going in seconds: Set your monthly cap, bill cycle and cost - and you’re good to go! 

Here are some of the snapshots on my Android device after 1 day of minimal data usage.

  

These apps are available on Google Play and Apple Store.

N.B, The Onavo Extend (Android) is affects data hungry applications and activities such as tethering

Any questions or clarifications regarding the use of these apps are welcome.

The Smartphone Revolution

Last year saw a record of  over 600 million smartphones out of about 1.6 billion phones shipped worldwide in what many see as a "Smartphone Revolution". Smartphones are getting more popular by the minute.

Android was the No. 1 smartphone operating system with 68.4% of the global smartphone market, followed by Apple's IOS and others (like Blackberry OS, Symbiam and Linux) and its increasing the gap.

 Android is up 13%, iOS down 7%, BlackBerry down 81% … and Windows Phone up a massive 52%. Android is now the favourite smartphone operating system. As a result of its affiliation with Android, Samsung has seen its phone sales soar and had 25% of mobile phone shipments in 2012. Other manufacturers of  Android based smartphones such as LG, HTC, Sony and Huawei also experienced growth in sales figures. Apple's IOS is now experiencing the the heat of competition from Android (Samsung) as its lost ground in its key markets in China and US due to the success of the Samsung Galaxy S3.
This battle for more market share will continue through 2013 global smartphone installed base is expected to grow by 33% this year and double in size by 2016. With projections that smartphones will be twice the number of feature phones coupled with its market share of 60%, its no wonder why mobile phone manufacturer have been busy trying to woe customers with ad campaigns geared towards improving sales and market share.

 Nigeria is surely not left out of this revolution, for example, Nigeria is the largest market for Blackberry in Africa as we speak and this speaks volumes of our own Smartphone Revolution.
Countries with major installed smartphone bases include China, United States, Germany, Nigeria, India, Brazil and Russia (Courtesy: StrategyAnalytic). The Nigerian market is the tenth largest in the world in terms of mobile subscribers and I can modestly estimate that 1 in every 8 mobile subscribers uses a smartphone in Nigeria, and this would translate to about two (2) million smartphone users. With the introduction of many low price Android phones into the Nigerian market by Huawei, Samsung and others, these numbers can only go higher.
Smartphones have come to stay and are now part of our everyday life and as more people embrace it in Nigeria, a whole lot of opportunities abound.

What are these opportunities?you might ask, I'll be discussing them in the concluding part of this article next week.