I’ve been saying this for a long few years, maybe a bit less with the release of the new Z10 and the wondrous devices to follow. But even so, there is nothing wrong with reinventing your business as a service. Especially since there are two types of people in this world, those who refuse to leave Blackberry because the BBM addiction is too real, and those who managed to fight off the addiction, but still keep and eye on it.

I can’t help but wonder how they will turn this potential gold mine of leverage into a comeback for the brand. Will they limit the features outside of BB10 to give the Z10 and Q10 an appealing home advantage? Or is simply existing good enough for them?

In the first version of multi-platform BBM, iOS and Android users are expected to be able to experience the following BBM features:

• The immediacy of BBM chats
• Multi-person chats
• Voice note sharing
• BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more

The team here at BlackBerry has definitely been working hard to bring the much-adored BBM experience to a wider group of mobile users. In a recent press release at BlackBerry Live 2013, Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry had this to say:

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

BBM Quick Facts:

• More than 60 million monthly active users
• More than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.
• BBM users send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps
• Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are

Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple® App StoreSM and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.

If you’re a Star Trek fan, you’re probably ticking off the days till Star Trek: Into Darkness. I mean, Benedict Cumberbatch!

Well, if you haven’t gone and gotten the Official App in the Windows Phone store, the Windows 8 store, Google Play, Amazon’s store, or iTunes (but I can’t get there without logging in, so that one you’ll have to hunt for yourself), what are you waiting for? It’s pretty good (although I confess to only having looked at the WP8 one so far) – pretty good trivia questions, posters, and other tidbits. It’s free, so if you’re a Trek fan it’s worth a little of your time

Once you’ve done that, if you’re not satisfied, and don’t mind opening your wallet a teensy bit, how about a custom email?  That’s right, you can get a @toboldlygo.com, starfleet.com (although why the fan organization of the same name didn’t jump on that is beyond me), or a ussenterprise1701.com vanity email for $15/year. Yeah, not free. You can’t have everything.

Surprisingly quickly after the release of Facebook’s latest master piece, Facebook Home, the iOS (iPhone and iPad) receives an update featuring the super popular Chat Heads. Chat Head’s are pretty much floating icons off to the side of your screen waiting for your Facebook Chat goodness. Most with early access to Facebook Home have actually opted out of the experience, but kept the Chat Heads. They are a none intrusive way to keep your notifications up front and center.

In iOS world, no luck on the same freedom. Because of iOS sandbox nature, Chat Heads can only exist when you’re in the Facebook App itself, needless to say, it really defeats the purpose of the really nice thought out implementation. Thus, making it useless! So while you may have thought you had a celebration on its way, the Android army enjoys this candy on its own. Check out The Verge’s early video coverage of the app.

If you’re a fan of SkyDrive but unsatisfied with your iOS version of the app hopefully this will make you happy. Version 3.0 has passed certification and is available in the App Store. This update includes:

• Support for iPhone 5 and iPad Mini
• Updated app icons and user experience
• Works better with your photos:
  • Download full resolution photos to your iPhone or iPad
  • Control the size of photos you upload and download
  • Photo metadata is retained when you upload to SkyDrive
• Opening and saving files to SkyDrive works better with other apps on your iOS devices
• Many other small changes, bug fixes and performance improvements

You can get the app or find the locate via iTunes HERE

Mistakes happen. That is a universal certainty and I’m really not one for conspiracy theories so I’ll just count this as a human mistake. The mistakes aren’t just a matter of copy and pasting the wrong info though. This Wirefly smartphone OS comparison chart has errors that deal with each OS signature feature. Who doesn’t know that Android has a notification center? Sure it is referred to as the notification shade but still everyone knows it’s the same thing. Just like everyone knows that FaceTime is Apple’s integrated video chat service. Windows Phone 8 has NFC and has had it since day one. I have a hard time seeing such major errors not being noticed but like I said I’m not a big fan of conspiracy theories.

Source: Wirefly

Sure enough somebody has stepped up to challenge the current king of social media photo sharing Instagram. Well, technically I’d suppose Facebook would still retain that title. Nonetheless the Instagram photo sharing app competitor Photoplay has released on Android, iOS and WP8 simultaneously delivering a much broader cross-platform play. The app runs smooth, is well designed for each platform and might be the first true challenger to Instagram’s runaway dominance. Yes it is yet another app forcing users to not be wallflowers and to mingle with the crowd but hey, I’m all for something taking the shine off Instagram and knocking it down a peg.

My advice for everyone that has been rooting for Instagram is to clue your Android and iOS friends on this “hot new” app that everyone is using. LOL, I’ve just discovered House of Lies and its influenced my spin mentality. You know what would be a keen move by Microsoft? Run ads for Photoplay on both iOS App Store and Google Play. Heck, pay a couple celebrities with huge followings to use the app and tweet from it. It would instantly trend and downloads would pour in. Overnight you’d see an Instagram competitor and Facebook would be left with eggs on its face. Can you tell I’m spiteful over Facebook’s reluctance to deliver a credible app to the platform (both FB app and Instagram)? Good it should show. They are darn lucky I don’t have the marketing budget of Microsoft.

Android Link: Photoplay for Android  iPhone Link: Photoplay for iPhone Windows Phone Link:

Source: WPCentral

Images; iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store

I get tons of emails a day from developers and marketing companies asking me to post their apps. Unless it is really cool, we don’t post too much because it buries the top news and reviews. Today however I get an email about an app that you have to pay to snooze a little longer in the morning! It’s called Shredder Alarm Clock for iOS and is available for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. The app is free and has a nice user interface and layout. But the developer has thinks that getting you out of bed in the morning would be more effective if you had to pay to snooze a little longer! The app comes with some free minute packs but I am assuming it will run out pretty quick. So here we go folks, the dreaded in app purchase. That’s right, to get more minute packs you have to pay $0.99 for a 30 minute pack, 5 bucks for 170 minutes, and $10 dollars for 333 minutes! Seriously? I am not paying to snooze and I especially hate in app purchases.

With the Holiday weekend coming up, I think a lot of people are looking forward to the extra sleep, but come Monday, how much would you pay to snooze a little longer before having to go back to work or school?

Google is making it really difficult for me to hate them these days. With the likes of Google Now running around, now they’ve gone and made the best app on earth even better. After a really smart move on the part of The MTA to make their train schedules available to developers, Google has integrated the data in Google Maps. This makes your timing that much more impeccable! Lets “Jump It Up” for Google folks, they deserve it.

Why iPhone? Because its an iPhone. That is pretty much the conversation that used to take place between someone using any device other than an iPhone and an iPhone user. For several years this was the norm but finally Android, led by Samsung and newer builds, has proven to have garnered so much mindshare that Apple has had to launch a defensive maneuver. They say the best defense is a good offense but faced with Android 4.2 and the quality hardware housing it Apple seems to lack very little of substance they can use to attack Android. The end result is a page of Apple’s past accomplishments framed as current superiorities. Lets take a look at each point and the weight each carries at this stage of the game.

#1 iPhone has received 8 Straight J.D. Power and Associates awards for customer satisfaction.

• True. On the surface that would speak to Apple’s ability to deliver a pleasing user experience. Apple was indeed the first smartphone manufacturer who got the Keep It Simple Stupid mantra. iPhone users continue to cite their satisfaction and enjoyment with their iPhone.

#2 Every detail has been considered.

• True. Then again the same can be said for every smartphone OEM. I’m pretty sure nobody is rubber stamping features (hardware & software) without extensive consideration given to the detail or feature. This is one of those universal truths that Apple likes to claim as a singular innovation originating from Cupertino.

#3 Only iPhone has the Retina display.

• True. This is more marketing truth than a sign of technical superiority. Yes Apple leaped a generation ahead of the competition when they unveiled the Retina display. Today however the still beautiful Retina display has been completely surpassed with the introduction of 720p and 1080p screens. This is Apple’s attempt at betting that anyone interested in the iPhone isn’t interested in the fact HD screens are standard and that the well marketed Retina trademark will sway the consumer. Either way this has only served to set up the competition to attack Apple directly on this point.

So you’re tired of seeing everyone else’s Harlem Shake video, you think its time for you to be a productive member of pop culture and do you own! You’re in luck, if you happen to be an iOS user that is. Behold, the app sent from above, titled, “Harlem Shake Creator HD.”

The app makes your life a lot easier by divided the Harlem Shake awesomeness into three easy steps, so easy, you’d be crazy not to do it! Added “high quality” option is a must, but the best part of the app is the added slow motion effect at the end, NICE!

The original Harlem Shake Creator! Make viral videos with your friends in simple 3 steps.
★ Slow motion for last 2 seconds (canons)
☆ FREE upload to YouTube in HD or medium quality
☆ Save to camera roll
The Harlem Shake is an Internet phenomenon based on viral videos that began to gain popularity in early February 2013, following the release of a video by the YouTube comedy vlogger Filthy Frank.
Due to numerous requests, “save to gallery” option will be available for free within two next versions!!

source Lifestyles Defined