BlackBerry-maker Research In
Motion has come under the microscope following reports that rioters in the U.K.
used the company’s secure instant messaging system to coordinate violence and
destruction across the country.
BlackBerry’s BBM service is an encrypted, secure and cheap
way to send messages between friends and groups. BBM became a weapon of choice
for disaffected youth spreading the message of what location they would target
next.
Despite questions over the role of BBM in the U.K. riots,
mobile app-based messaging remains hugely popular.
RIM’s BBM service had over 45 million users at the end of
July.
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Now, other tech giants
are clamouring for their share of the instant messaging market. The increased
competition from Facebook, Apple and Google could prove to be another blow to
the once-mighty tech company.
Facebook released its standalone app, Facebook Messenger for
Mobile, in the U.S. on Tuesday night, placing it in direct competition with
RIM’s BBM and Apple’s iMessage.
Facebook Messenger allows users to send instant messages
from their iPhones, Androids or BlackBerries directly to their friends’
smartphones.
The messages are integrated with the user’s Facebook
messages and chats, allowing users to access all of their conversations through
the mobile app.
The free app also features location mapping, the ability to
send messages to friends who aren’t using Facebook Messenger.
In June, Apple unveiled its instant messaging service,
iMessage. The system, to be released this fall, will work over Wi-Fi and the 3G
network, and will be available for all iOS 5 users.
iMessage will allow users to send texts, photos, videos,
contacts and locations. Users will be able to see when friends are typing to
them. For Mac fanatics who use multiple
Apple products daily, conversations started on one device can be picked up and
continued on another iOS device.
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