<p><pre><code> It happened so fast that it’s hardly been noticed in the media.
RIM may not even know it themselves.
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The suggestion that RIM may not know about it shows complete lack of knowledge, it's obvious from the marketing over the past two years that not only do they know it, they made it happen.<p>See for example <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnysB4BC5Ng" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnysB4BC5Ng</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYlENP50jA" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvYlENP50jA</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvqlZzhZb4Y" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvqlZzhZb4Y</a> and <a href="http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/media/tracyandmatts_blog/windowslivewriter/blackberrycurve3g9300review_107b6/bbm_2.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.tracyandmatt.co.uk/blogs/media/tracyandmatts_blog...</a><p>As to the media not noticing... well I've seen them notice it on numerous occasions. I don't recall if I've read an entire piece based around this one subject, but I've seen it mentioned <i>many</i> times as a note in a piece about RIM, or about a certain phone, or whatever.<p>Edit: here's another example which answers both points, <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2213555/" rel="nofollow">http://www.slate.com/id/2213555/</a> (Blackberry sponsoring U2 tour). Not only is that a demonstration of Blackberry targeting this new wider audience, in March 2009, it's also an example of the media noticing.
Funny, because for a long time executives used BlackBerry devices to avoid litigation hold/e-discovery considerations.<p>BBM's are popular with certain types of "entrepreneurs" for the same reason that Nextel/Boost direct connect was -- they are difficult/impossible to intercept.
I could attest to some of the stuff this guy says. In a certain southeast-asian country, everyone is using Blackberries not because they're cool but because unlimited text-messaging plans makes them really cheap.
I keep two Blackberries handy, different providers, for reliable email receipt and transmission as well as BBM as I'm frequently traveling between countries.