Before the days of iPhone domination, there was a simpler time. It was a time when front-facing cameras and touch screens were replaced with cursors and midget-sized buttons. PINs replaced phone numbers, and you only needed one app to communicate with friends instead of the standard billion we have now. Of course, we are talking about the age of the Blackberry — a phone much less ubiquitous since we all sold our souls to Apple. But never fear! Blackberry’s best feature — BBM — is back, returning to phones in the form of an app now available for iPhone and Android. So if you’ve just downloaded it or are thinking of doing so, here’s a reminder of what we used to love and what to expect.
The return of emoticons!
Admit it — we all had our bit of fun with BBM’s emoticons. In addition to standard favorites, such as “talk to the hand” and the random celebrating smiley, Blackberry has added a few new faces. However, because many of us have been using the iPhone’s emojis for the longest time, we have to admit the BBM collection now seems a bit sparse.
Plus, any phone that offers an emoji of a smiling turd (thank you, iPhone) wins in our book.
Status updates strike again
In this age of technology, people love to tell everyone and anyone exactly how they are feeling as soon as they feel it, and with the return of status updates, you can once again know what your friends are thinking 24/7! Perfect for when you’re bored in a lecture or procrastinating in Main Stacks. Not so great when you could not care less.
No more giving out your phone number ever again!
Remember the days when you could give away your PIN without giving away your actual number? Let’s not forget that the return of BBM brings back those random collections of letters and numbers we were readily able to recite when asked (but we’re still unable to remember the math equations we learned in class).
What are your thoughts? With the existence of iMessage, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Kik, will BBM ever become as popular as it once was? Do we really need yet another app to talk to each other on?
Let us know how you feel!
Image sources: vernieman, katerha, Q͠υєєи Mɑя̈чɑм ♥, crushable
