Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Android
    • Android
    • Mobile

    BlackBerry Celebrates BBM for Android, Baffled by Fake Reviews

    By
    Michelle Maisto
    -
    October 25, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      BlackBerry just can’t catch a break.

      It made the gutsy move of deciding to build a brand new, from-scratch operating system, but then delivered it wildly late, well after the majority of its users had already left. Trying for a comeback, it got Grammy-winning Alicia Keys to be its creative director, and then she tweeted from an iPhone. And after finally making its most-loved app, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), available for iOS and Android devices, it’s embroiled in a weird cut-and-paste scandal, accused of peppering Google’s Play app store with fake positive reviews.

      BlackBerry has denied any involvement.

      A spokesperson told The Next Web in a statement:

      “We have been made aware of a number of potentially fake reviews of BBM for Android on Google Play, with rating anywhere from one to five stars. We have no knowledge of how these reviews were created or populated. We do not approve of or condone such activities. There are also many genuinely great and useful reviews from our new BBM users on Google Play. We would like to encourage our fans and users to continue to provide true assessments of the BBM experience through the proper channels.”

      Twitter user Abhay, an engineering student with terrible taste in pizza, posted a photo to Twitter Oct. 23 showing a list of reviewers with the exact-same, poorly written review: “Thank you so much blackberry team. I was waiting this app. Its really great user friendly and smooth”

      The Inquirer reports that Google Play is working with BlackBerry to have the fake reviews removed.

      BlackBerry announced intentions to launch BBM for iOS and Android at BlackBerry Live in May, and in September finally readied itself to launch the app, but then quickly pulled back, citing issues. On Oct. 21, the app was finally made available and Android and iPhone users downloaded it more than 10 million times in the first 24 hours.

      “This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices,” BlackBerry said in an Oct. 22 statement. “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.”

      BBM enables users to have a real-time view of when their message has been delivered and read, and when a contact is responding; lets a user share files and chat with multiple contacts at once; lets users post status updates; and makes it possible to be identified by only a PIN number—a popular feature in cultures where young men and women can’t publically socialize.

      BlackBerry is currently considering selling its business outright, or portions of the business—it signed a Letter of Intent with Fairfax Financial Holdings, its largest stakeholder, in September, and has until Nov. 4 to consider other options and suitors.

      In August, the Wall Street Journal reported that BlackBerry is considering spinning off BBM as a separate entity and had transitioned several key executives to its BBM division. Analysts, at the time, said such a move, like much at BlackBerry, would likely be too little, too late to make a difference for the struggling phone maker.

      Michelle Maisto
      Michelle Maisto has been covering the enterprise mobility space for a decade, beginning with Knowledge Management, Field Force Automation and eCRM, and most recently as the editor-in-chief of Mobile Enterprise magazine. She earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University, and in her spare time obsesses about food. Her first book, The Gastronomy of Marriage, if forthcoming from Random House in September 2009.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×