Facebook's Messenger app has come along in leaps and bounds over the past twelve months, and today, the Menlo Park-based social company has announced a substantial update to the Android version of the app, with the iOS version being in the pipeline for an update as well. As well as affording the IM app a few aesthetic touch-ups, it would seem as though Mark Zuckerberg's team is seeking to further differentiate it from the standard Facebook app by placing more emphasis on messaging itself.
Google, it's fair to say, likes to make a song and dance of its announcements, and with the company's Google+ event having taken place today, Hangouts has been afforded a pretty healthy update. Vic Gundotra announced all of the details, and if you're a regular Hangouts user, you'll be pleased to know that there's now support for animated GIFs and location sharing, as well as one or two other nice additions. Catch all of the details after the break.
In the grand scheme of Android releases, 4.4 KitKat mightn't be a great deal to write home about, but with the Nexus 5 also a part of the deal, we've reason to be somewhat excited. Today, the official KitKat YouTube channel has been given an update with a new video entitled "magic," and although it doesn't give too much away regarding the software's features, it does serve to whet the appetites of Android users far and wide. Check it out after the break.
Last month, Samsung dropped its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, and although Pebble's Kickstarter-boosted effort is credited as the main reason for the uptake in big-company interest on wrist-worn tech, it's fair to say that the South Korean company doesn't have a great deal of competition at this moment in time. According to a report over at The Wall Street Journal, though, this could soon be about to change, with Google apparently just a couple of months away from finalizing a smartwatch of its own.
There's always going to be a subset of the technology loving community that simply can't force themselves to get on-board with a particular piece of tech, but the overall opinion about Google Glass seems overwhelmingly positive thus far. The good news coming from Google today is that reports of a Google Glass Explorer Program expansion are most definitely true with Google themselves confirming the imminent introduction of an invite system.
Amid celebrating an unprecedented success in the gaming industry, it must have slipped the mind of the folks at Rockstar that its GTA 5 iFruit app for Android was still pending, and despite having released the iFruit app for iOS users in the middle of last month, it's taken a full six weeks for the Android version to manifest. With the launch having passed and GTA Online now well and truly establishing itself, the release of GTA iFruit seems a bit of a futile gesture, but nonetheless, it's now available over at the Google Play Store.
Samsung may be currently sitting at the top of the tree when it comes to smartphone sales, but it seems that the competition isn’t ready to let the South Korean company have it all their own way when it comes to hardware innovation. Korea based LG Electronics may not currently be known for being Samsung's main competition in the smartphone game, but they may soon be competing against one another in the curved display stakes. After keeping quiet as a number of leaks flew around the Internet, LG has finally come clean and announced the existence of the LG G Flex handset, which aims to take on the Galaxy Round straight on.
If you've been patiently waiting for BlackBerry to give you access to its BBM service on iOS or Android then you're in luck, because the Canadian firm has now opened its instant messaging system up to anyone, allowing existing users to invite their friends to join them on what was once the world's up and coming instant messaging service.
Google Play Store APK version 4.4.21 has been leaked, and is available to download for most Android devices right now. Read on for more details.
Apple often likes to point to how people use their iPhones and iPads in the real world when they have any kind of press meeting. It was evident once again at the new iPad and MacBook Pro event that we witnessed earlier this week. And with good reason, because iOS devices have generally changed the way we do so many things that Apple is right to show off about it.
