@BBM's Timed and Retracted Messages - How to BBM's Improved HD Pictures, BBM Sticker and BBM Music Discovery prevent @Snapchat Nude pictures

“These new enhancements to BBM were highly requested, so we're excited to be delivering them to users today. These capabilities will allow our users to be more creative in how they deliver their messages while also being confident that their content is kept private and seen only by its intended recipient”

President of Global Enterprise Services at BlackBerry, John Sims, commenting on BBM latest features of Timed Messages and Message Retraction on Friday October 31^st 2014

So now that it's clear that Snapchat has a unique concept of self-exploding messages and videos which they're now capitalizing on with advertising since October 17^th 2014 as stated in my blog article entitled “Snapchat does Advertising with Snapchat Discovery – 100 Million Strong Potential for reaching Teenagers with Snapchat Stories for Advertising”, what are the other Mobile Social Messaging Platforms doing to counter their rising popularity?

Why follow the leader of course, Mission Impossible style!

A mantra the still-recovering Blackberry and their Mobile Social Messaging Platforms, Blackberry Messenger that's now the best thing on Windows Phone and the new Blackberry Passport as described in my blog article entitled “Blackberry Messenger on Windows Phone OS – Goes well with Blackberry 10.3 OS and Passport” can actually do and succeed in this competitive consumer smartphone market!

Blackberry is the latest in a slew of Mobile Social Messaging Platforms to copy Snapchat's Mission Impossible Self-Destructing IM (Instant Messages) and Videos with a recent upgrade to BBM (Blackberry Messenger) on Friday October 31^st 2014 that gives users this ability along with some well need security and perks as stated in the article “BlackBerry Messenger lets you take back that text”, published October 31, 2014 11:04 AM PDT by Lance Whitney, CNET News.

BBM Timed Messages and Message Retraction – How to retrieve erroneously sent Nude Selfies

The new features are basically improvements on the Snapchat experience:

1.      Timed Messages

2.      Message Retraction

With Timed Messages, IM sent over BBM can now be set to self delete. However, how BBM does it is nothing short of genius. When you send a Timed Message, it appears as an empty slot in your BBM Chat screen that's invisible, reducing the risk that anyone lurking about looking over your shoulder will see than phallic photo with both pillar and stones and be all up in your BBM Chat Kool-Aid!

You then slink off to one side and when the coast is clear; you can and press the message at which point it becomes visible. But here's the catch that I love them most!

The sender of that nude selfie can set how long they want to make their secret message visible as noted in the article “BBM now offers message retraction and Snapchat-like timed messages”, published November 3, 2014 By Trevor Mogg, Digitaltrends. Once received by the intended recipient, it remains visible as long as their finger is touching the screen or after the preset time has expired.

Disappear just like that, True Mission Impossible style! The Message Retraction feature is even cooler!

Messages sent in error can now be retracted before they're seen, very similar to retracted messages in Outlook email or even Social Media Apps such as Facebook Messenger or on Facebook itself. The messages get replaced with the words “Message Retracted”. However, any attachments sent with the message will still be seen, so this isn't quite fool-proof as yet. Still, these are BIG improvements to the BBM Experience overall that are really cribbed from Snapchat.

One small caveat thought folks; this is only free for three months stating as of Friday October 31^st 2014. After that, this service becomes a part of BBM's Premium package of Features for which you'll have to pay for. Well, something this life and career-saving really could be free, if you realistically think about it.

I just hope it works exactly as advertised, as I have no need to cuddle with my boss or barge into a meeting to snatch his phone before he reads my sexual overtures meant for my girlfriend!

BBM’s Central Perks – Improved HD Picture viewing, BBM Sticker and BBM Music Discovery

BBM also has some other new perks:

1.      Improved HD Picture viewing, with the option to request a HD version of any picture sent to you

2.      Faster BBM Sticker selection with fewer steps

3.      Improved Music discovery that allows you to listen to whatever jams your friends are into

That last bit on Music Discovery is related to BBM Music, which came back on BBM in August 2014 when Blackberry renewed the deal with 7Music, the providers of BBM Music as explained in my blog article entitled “Blackberry Passport Specs revealed in Hands-on - Why Microsoft Office and BBM Music will make the Passport Hip to Be Square”.

So Disappearing Snapchat-esque Messages with a sprinkle of message retraction, Music and better Sticker selection with HD images. BBM is making all the right moves in the right direction!

BBM well-timed Updates – Red Blackberry Passport a hit in India as BBM squares with Xim

This upgrade cannot come at any better time than after the launch of their US$500 Blackberry Passport Smartphone in September 2014 as detailed in my blog article entitled “US$599 Blackberry Passport Launched - How Blackberry Blend Remote Access may trump Apple Pay Wallet in the US of A”.

It's apparently doing quite well in India, with demand already exceeding supply as noted in the article “BlackBerry Passport Shines In India”, published Nov. 10, 2014 10:14 AM ET by Piyush Arora, Seeking Alpha.

And yes, already they have a favorite colour; the Red Blackberry Passport as noted in the article “Red ones go faster: a red-colored version of the BlackBerry Passport breaks cover”, coming later in 2014 published 10 Nov 2014, 08:03 by Peter K, Phone Arena.

This improvement to the security features of sending self-destructing images on Snapchat in BBM makes Blackberry the second company to finally understand what makes Snapchat tick.

The other company is Microsoft, whose Microsoft Fuse Labs’ Microsoft Xim App and its Real-Time Anti-Social Self-Destructing Cross-Platform Picture-Sharing experience finally becoming a true Snapchat competitor as noted in my blog article entitled “Microsoft launches Microsoft Xim, Snapchat's true Competition - How Slingshot backfired and Microsoft Xim makes Conscious Shared Slideshow Experience Fun”.

Blackberry has a hit with Timed and Retracted Messages – On Par with Snapchat and Xim

Facebook is learning the hard way that you can neither buy nor beat Snapchat.

Already Slingshot, launched with much promise back in June 2018 as a much hyped Snapchat-killer as touted in my blog article entitled “Facebook's Creative Labs Division debuts Slingshot – The Paper Man need Friends Nearby + Firechat + Group Mini-Games = Original Design” has basically backfired.

Facebook Rooms as described in my blog article entitled “Facebook launches Facebook Rooms - The 90’s Return as Facebook faces competition from Anonymous Mobile Social Networks”, however, will work as with the return of the 90’s secret chatroom, it’s cool to be anonymous again!

These new features along with a new Passport smartphone that's sellin' like hot Johnny Cakes in India will get Blackberry back to profitability again in no time.

Hopefully this good fortune in the booming Indian Economy will create some buying envy in Britain and resurrect their sagging profit margin projections in that country where they are in 3^rd  place behind Apple and Samsung as per my analysis in my blog article entitled “Blackberry 3rd in Britain by End of 2014 – Blackberry loses in Apple, Android fight as Blackberry Passport to launch in September 2014”.

So Facebook, back to the drawing board with you and your Slingshot! BBM's new feature puts them on par with Snapchat and Microsoft Xim. And yes, this message will self-destruct in 5 seconds.......