Despite the fact that BlackBerry looks in more than a spot of bother just now, the planned effort to bring the famed BlackBerry Messenger service, or BBM, to Android and iOS is still going ahead as planned. Whether owners of said devices actually require this impromptu resurrection of a dying brand - particularly in light of services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger - remains to be seen, but by the looks of a new landing page on the Canadian arm of the company's website, the wait is almost over.
The official Twitter app has taken a fair bit of stick over the years, especially with the likes of Tweetbot hanging around, but it's fair to say that in recent times, things have improved dramatically. Today, Twitter for Android and iOS have both been given rudimentary updates, with the main alteration being that conversations between tweeters are now clearer, rather than showing up as individual tweets.
The Google Chromecast dongle has been making some ripples recently in the portable technology world. The little $35 dongle allows users to stream high-definition content directly to a TV set through service providers such as Netflix and YouTube. The content may be fairly limited at the moment, but with the Mountain View company planning on adding additional providers, the future looks bright for Google's little connected device. Having said that, controlling and interacting with the Chromecast got a tad bit easier with the official release of the Chromecast app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.
With iOS 7 just weeks away from release, much of the discussion has surrounded what developers will do with their own apps and how they will redesign their interfaces. As all eyes are on the developer community, it was almost forgotten that Apple too would need to update its own iOS apps to reflect the new interface that goes along with iOS 7.
Gameloft has taken to the mobile industry like a duck to water, and with a wide range of different titles available for both iOS and Android, the company has built a solid reputation for high-end, graphically-intensive fare. Asphalt, a nitrous-charged racing game, has been a staple part of the company's range for a number of years, and today, the company has released Asphalt 8: Airborne for both iOS and Android. In addition, the Paris, France-based developer has revealed that the game will soon be arriving for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, while also outlining its intention to port a multitude of titles over to Microsoft's fledgling platforms.
Yesterday, we shared with you that YouTube v5.0 had been seeded to users by Google. Up until now however, this new version has been reserved for Android users, but we quickly found out that an iOS version was on the horizon - and it just dropped onto the App Store in the form of YouTube v2.0 for iOS. As Ben pointed out in his earlier post, the biggest change in this update is without doubt the new in-app multitasking functionality that allows you to watch a video, and browse the app itself with ease simultaneously.
The advancement of cameras within smartphones has prompted a wave of wannabe photographers, and with a seemingly endless list of apps available for said individuals to hone their new-found skills in the point-and-shoot department, mobile device owners are rather spoilt for choice. In terms of app categories, the photography section of the App Store is perhaps the most heavily loaded, and no matter what kind of snap you're trying to achieve, there's bound to be at least one hundred apps vying for your attention. But if you're hunting for something that can take burst shots like no other, then you needn't look farther than the appropriately entitled SnappyCam.
iOS has seen quite a few changes over the past few iterations, but while some, such as iMessage, have been every bit the success, other implementations feel somewhat unfinished, and it's fair to say that the multitasking feature is a prime example of this. The process of killing apps in iOS 6 makes us wonder whether Apple indeed intended to make things as cumbersome as possible, but joining the growing list of tweaks to help enhance this feature is AppSwiper, a new entry to the Cydia Store that turns the system on its head.
It’s here - the zombie apocalypse is upon us! If this announcement troubles you at all, fret not, for all you need are trusty old mushrooms and some pea shooters to deal with the mayhem. That’s right, PopCap’s much anticipated Plants vs. Zombies 2 has just been officially released worldwide for iOS devices, and even better, is available for free like we mentioned before.
Most of us like to to keep our personal information safe and secure, and since our smartphones have become the foremost hubs for such content as banking, email and private messages, it's no surprise that security is high on the agenda of many an iPhone user. The native iOS Passcode feature is useful, but fundamentally flawed, because while a long, alphanumeric password can prevent anybody else from gaining access, typing it in every time we want to play a bit of Angry Birds can become rather cumbersome. As such, most of us opt for the famous four-digit Passcode, but while it's relatively convenient, a potential intruder wouldn't need to be too eagle-eyed to spot those rather blatant finger taps. Luckily, there's a tweak at hand to help, and it goes by the name of CodeScrambler. And we’ve got the details after the break!
