BlackBerry's BBM app elicits mixed reviews

BlackBerry is wasting no time talking up its long-anticipated launch of BBM for Android and iPhone, boasting 10 million downloads on the first day alone and top rankings in App Stores in over 75 countries. After a failed rollout last month, which BlackBerry blamed on a leaked version of the Android app, the company is keen to put some positive marketing spin out on the interwebs. 

“This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices. The mobile messaging market is full of opportunity for BBM. We intend to be the leading private social network for everyone who needs the immediate communication and collaboration of instant messaging combined with the privacy, control and reliability delivered through BBM,” said Andrew Bocking, executive vice president, BBM at BlackBerry in a press statement.

BlackBerry then goes on to describe the features that BBM users are ostensibly already enjoying, but is the launch truly the resounding success that the company’s press release makes it out to be? Many early reviews indicate that it is not.

Writing for the Unofficial Apple Weblog, Mike Wehner makes more than a few astute, if not hysterical observations in his aptly titled article, “The Ridiculous BlackBerry Messenger rollout reminds us why the company is circling the drain.”

“I signed up for BBM and I'm currently waiting for my turn to use it. Like some sort of digital soup kitchen, BlackBerry will open its doors to me at some point and allow me to sample its expired goods,” Wehner writes, alluding to the waiting list that the majority of Android and iOS BBM users are still relegated to. “When that day comes, I'll remember how big of a pain in the ass it is to exchange PINs with my friends and delete the app, which is exactly what anyone with a smartphone in 2013 should do.”

Harsh, but fair words from a reviewer apparently not granted early press access to the app. So what of the lucky few who’ve gotten the chance to play with BBM? CNET’s Michael Tan sums it up fairly well in his article, “It’s so lonely using BlackBerry Messenger for Android.”

The crux of Tan’s argument is that BBM not only utilizes dated technology, but that the app’s entire premise is predicated on a dated paradigm of what messaging is in the era of smartphones. BBM does not auto populate its contact list from your phone’s database, instead relying on PC-style friend invites. The result, as the headline suggests, is a pretty lonely chatting experience.