A few days ago we told you about a new patent that had been granted to BlackBerry maker RIM, and asked if any of our readers were thinking of leaving the platform. The BlackBerry platform may be hurt at the moment with many favouring rivals’ offerings, but it is still fighting.

BlackBerry fans have had to deal with many headlines recently about the platform losing market share to the likes of the iPhone and Android, and new Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins has even suggested a sale or partnership, which as SFGate are reporting will leave many BlackBerry fans concerned about the platforms future.

There are still many fans of the BlackBerry platform who couldn’t imagine a world without their favourite smartphone, one such person is John Yester of Pittsburgh. He first used the BlackBerry instant message service three years ago, and uses it to communicate with fellow fire fighters when answering emergencies.

Its fast notification system and easy typing with the physical keyboard standout and Yester said he gave Android a try last year but found “the e-mail capabilities were actually very frustrating”, so decided to go back to BlackBerry.

The platform is probably safe for now as there are over 75 million people that share the same views as Yester, which includes the likes of US President Barack Obama. The BlackBerry may have lost market share in some regions such as the US, but in emerging markets the platform is growing in favour.

Unfortunately RIMs stock has fallen 74 percent in twelve months and the company faces a challenge to reignite interest in its products in the US before it is too late. Fan site Crackberry.com says that the platform may be losing users in the US, but other areas are replacing those lost. RIM outsold Apple by more than 3 to 1 in Africa and the Middle East last year, and in Latin America this rose to 5 to 1.

Kevin Michaluk founder of Crackberry.com likes the platform as it allows him to be more efficient with the fast messaging compared to wasting time with games. In Saudi Arabia the BlackBerry platform is growing as teenagers are making use of its encrypted and free BlackBerry Messenger, which is allowing them to communicate without worrying about the local religious police who block interaction between unmarried men and women.

RIM may still regain some favour in the US and other regions once RIM releases the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, which many are tipping to prove to be a big hit with smartphone fans.

Do you think BlackBerry has a good future?