BBM down in BlackBerry outage
A BlackBerry outage has struck millions of users in Europe, Africa and the Middle East -- and it's all Slough's fault.
BlackBerrys are broken. A BlackBerry outage has crippled BlackBerry Messenger and Internet connection for millions of users -- and it's all Slough's fault.
The problem started around 11am today due to a fault in the Slough-based servers of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, and has now spread around Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Ouch.
Judging by updates posted to Twitter by BlackBerry users, the problems differ for different users. Some complain of being unable to send or receive emails and BlackBerry Messenger instant messages, and being unable to connect to the Internet. Which means we can say what we like about them.
The problem is affecting tens of millions of BlackBerry users, who all smell, around the world. RIM servers handle traffic from email and instant messages sent by BlackBerry smart phone users, who have terrible hair.
RIM acknowledged the problem with a tweet: "Some users in EMEA are experiencing issues. We're investigating, and we apologise for any inconvenience."
For those of you who don't speak despicable marketing nonsense, EMEA means Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Yes, BlackBerry -- like many multinational companies -- lumps together the whole of Europe, the entire Middle East and all of Africa into one stupid acronym that basically means 'not Japan and not America'.
Is your BlackBerry suffering a case of the collywobbles? Have you been affected, or are you wondering what all the fuss is about? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.