BBM outage has nothing to do with London riots

You may have been frustrated not being able to use the Blackberry Messenger on your RIM handset. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. RIM went through an outage, which temporarily rendered its IM, browsing, and email service unusable. Do the London riots have anything to do with this? Apparently, it has nothing to do with the riots.

On its official Twitter account, RIM admitted that there was a problem. The tweet reads, “Some Canada & LatAm customers report BBM issues. Our support teams are investigating. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

It looks like the BBM outage has affected BBM users all over. Various users in the US and Canada have reported to be experiencing an outage as well.

RIM’s Blackberry Messenger was blamed to be the major tool used to organize violence and mayhem in London. Because it was free and allowed group chat, the unruly youth were allowed to organize the riots. There were talks from the government planning to shutdown the popular mobile IM as well as other social networks.

We do hope that this outage was due to technical difficulties and not the government. We also hope RIM gets its BBM as well as other services back online. After all, the Blackberry Messenger is one of main reasons why people choose to get a Blackberry smartphone.

Tags: BBM, BBM outage, Blackberry, Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry Messenger outage, London riots, RIM, RIM mobile IM
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Future Blackberry smartphones getting front-facing BBM video chat

True, the new Blackberry smartphones released by Rim come with more powerful hardware, an all new iteration to the Blackberry OS, and purely touchscreen handsets. However, there is still one feature missing, which the competition offers. This is a front-facing camera for video calls. According to new reports, future RIM handsets will feature a new version of the BBM with video chat integration.

RIM has promised to replace its current platform with the QNX operating system, which powers their tablet the Blackberry Playbook. These next generation smartphones are expected to make an appearance sometime in 2012.

Once of these rumored devices is the Blackberry Colt. Unlike its predecessors, this smartphone will sport a front-facing camera. This will allow users to enjoy more from video calls.

Gizmofusion’s sources say that these future smartphones sporting front-facing cameras are already being developed. These secondary cameras are said to be integrated into the Blackberry Messenger, which is the most successful and popular mobile instant messaging service.

Of course, this new feature will target other markets other than businessmen. It will target the youth. This will allow teens to indulge in video chat to their heart’s content, presuming that the BBM still remains free. Coupled with Blackberry’s new music streaming service, the youth is sure to welcome RIM’s new handsets with open arms. That’s if these next generation Blackberry handsets remain affordable.

Tags: BBM, BBM video chat, Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry Messenger video chat, QNX, video chat
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Home Office decides not to shutdown social media networks – seeking alternatives to stop the violence instead

The Home office has decided not to boot suspected riot organizers from social media networks. Instead, they are seeking for ways to prevent further violence.

Just the other day, RIM, Twitter, and Facebook representatives held a meeting with, Theresa May, the home secretary. According to The Guardian, the government is not seeking to clamp down on internet services or shut services down.

According to the Home Office, “The discussions looked at how law enforcement and the networks can build on the existing relationships and co-operation to prevent the networks being used for criminal behavior. The government did not seek any additional powers to close down social media networks.”

The BBM was said to be a major tool used to organize widespread violence. Because it was free and allowed the unruly youth send group messages, it was fairly easy for rioters to loot and do their damage.

Although the government decided not to shutdown social media networks, it doesn’t mean that the riot’s organizers will get off easy. There were two Facebook users who were sentenced to four years imprisonment for enticing violence when the riots broke out.

Do you think the government made the right decision, or do you think the police should be able to close down social media networks when necessary? Give us your thoughts.

Tags: BBM, Blackberry Messenger, Home Office, London riots, social media networks, Social networks
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