If you're not familiar with Kik, the concept is pretty simple. You can think of it as a cross-platform BlackBerry Messenger style of app. It's still pretty basic in terms of functionality, but it does provide the R (read) and D (delivered) message stamps that makes BBM what it is, is pretty quick to use, and of course uses data instead of SMS. In the past few weeks especially, it's been gaining momentum with a lot of downloads and usage among smartphone users.
The growth among BlackBerry users has been temporarily stunted though... I woke up this morning to see a Kik message on my BlackBerry Bold 9780 from the Kik team which says,
New downloads of Kik Messenger for BlackBerry devices have been temporarily suspended. Kik service for all existing users (including BlackBerry) is unaffected, as are new downloads for iPhone and Android devices. New BlackBerry downloads will resume as soon as possible.
No explanation was given as to why, but it does seem the Kik page is no longer showing in App World. I was reading through the reviews of Kik on App World this week and there were a ton of comments complaining that it killlled battery life after being installed. Could be we'll see Kik again as soon as they clean up their coding a bit (though to be honest, I haven't personally experienced too much of a battery drain when using Kik, though I do exit the program fully after using it and just open when I get push notification).
As for Kik usage itself, I'm curious to see where it's at among CrackBerry readers. Take a vote on the poll above and let us know what you think of Kik in the comments!
#BlackBerry App Roundup for November 12th, 2010! Win 1 of 10 copies of Datepedia 2.0!
Howdy and welcome to the weekly app roundup! Yee-haw! This week the Style train keeps on rollin on. We’ve caught the official Style commercial and an amazing review by our own Kerri Neill! Will YOU commit to the flip? Kevin also shared his video unboxing and first impressions of the BlackBerry Bold 9780. There’s definitely a lot to look at this week. Today, we announce the winners of the MegaAlarms giveaway and also give you the chance to win one of 10 copies of Datepedia 2.0! Have a rootin’ tootin’ weekend! Giddy up!
Freebies of the Week: Barcode Assistant. mVideo Gallery, Cineplex Mobile
In Case You Missed It: CrackBerry.com Search, NFL.com Game Center
New This Week: Sixtools, Self- Hypnosis for Sound Sleep, Virtual Vault Enterprise Edition
Cool at BlackBerry App World: NavGuard Track and Trace
Contest: Enter to win 1 of 10 copies of Datepedia 2.0!