Top cross-platform messaging apps

Posted by Ray Nicolini

If you’re craving to have a list of the best messaging app for most of the mobile platforms that there are, here’s your chance. Here we will list down the top cross-platform messaging apps that could be used on your smartphone. The apps that we’re going to feature here are working on iOS, Android, Blackberry OSand some would work on a Symbian-powered phone. But first let’s see what are the criteria for judging which apps should go in our list

Cross-platform

This might be the most important criteria. Versatility of the app would be the first thing a smartphone owner should think about when choosing a messaging app. And when you get these kinds of apps, you should make sure that it would work on some of the main platforms that you’d like it to work with, or at least on the platforms that your friends are using. So, if you’re a BB user and your friends own an iPhone, you’d probably get an app that works both on an iPhone and Blackberry.

Group Chat

This feature have been an important one to these apps, and it’s because they think that one-by-one chatting is just so yesterday. This would not just make your texting fun, but this will also make everything that you do, so much easier.

Things you can share

Some apps could let you not just text, but share files to the people your texting with. And when you get these kinds of apps, it would be a lot better if it can let you share photos, videos and music files.

So, are you ready to see them all?

PingChat

This instant messaging app has been called “The BBM for iPhones”, though it’s not really exclusive for iPhone users, they still called their app like that anyway. This app has been popular among iPhone users around the globe and is becoming  more and more famous on Android and even on Blackberries, other platforms that this app supports.

One good thing about this app is that you can also send videos, pictures, voice notes and locations with the use of your data plan or even via Wifi. The ability to work over Wifi is one thing that makes PingChat amazing.

Features:

- Works over Wifi
- Push Notifications
- Group Chat
- Media Support
- Works on iOS, Android and Blackberry OS

Download link for:
iPhone
Android
Blackberry

Kik Messenger

An awesome app indeed. Kik is one good cross-platform messenger out there and supports iPhone and Android-powered devices. Though not the best, this one is worth a shot. Kik is one of the messengers that can work over Wifi, this is great for those people who don’t have an unlimited data plan and still wants to text with their friends badly.

With over 3 million active users, this app could give you more friends that you’ve expected. And this app can also send photos and support group chat. Another amazing feature of this app is real-time texting, you send messages and receive ‘em real-time!

Features:

- Works on Android and iOS- Group Chat
- 3 million users
- Photo sending
- Works over Wifi
- iPod support

Download link for:
iPhone
Android

LiveProfile

LiveProfile is quite a looker, that’s without a doubt. It’s blazing fast and is forever free. And another good thing about this is that it works on major platforms, iOS, Android and Blackberry OS. And if you want to have an app that is battery-friendly, this one is definitely for you.

It also has integration with your social networking sites, that’s why updating your status and tweeting is so much easier and faster. Photo and video sharing is also supported that’s why this app is really something that you should not forget to install on your next visit to the App World, App Store or App Market.

Features:

- Stunning UI
- Fast and energy-saving
- Media Sharing
- Push Notifications
- Works on iOS, Android and Blackberry OS

Download link for:
iPhone
Android
Blackberry

WhatsApp Messenger

Is this yet another best for last article? We think it is. This amazing app is getting more and more popular each day and is quite on top of the list of most installed app on some of the operating systems that it supports.

A great thing about this app is that it doesn’t just support, iPhones, Androids and Blackberries, but it supports Nokia’s Symbian-powered smartphones. It’s just the thing that everyone would want to have, it works on Wifi and data plan, it’s a good-looking app, cost-free, fast and reliable, supports almost all media files, group chat and other great stuff. This app can also let you chat with people right on your phonebook, offline messages and push notifications are also there to ensure you that you don’t miss a beat. Simply the best.

Features:

- Works over Wifi- Awesome UI
- Offline messages and Push Notifications
- Media sharing supports
- Works on iOS, Android, Blackberry OS and Symbian
- Group Chat

Download link for:
iPhone
Android
Blackberry
Nokia

There you go. Feel free to comment below if you think that there are other apps that should be on the list.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 preview!

Posted by Ray Nicolini

via engadget.com

RIM's BlackBerry 9900 is the device that the BlackBerry diehards have been hoping, wishing, and waiting for since the original Bold launched way back in 2008. However, this time around the company has added in a capacitive touchscreen, swapped the trackball of yesteryear for an optical trackpad, and slimmed the Powhole thing down into a 10.5mm thick package. We were lucky enough to get a prototype device from our friends over at Negri Electronics, and have manhandled the thing till we were blue in the face. Head on past the break for an exclusive preview of the device RIM is praying will stalwart its competitors until the first round of QNX-equipped devices lands in 2012.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 preview!

The Bold 9900 bears a striking resemblance to the original "big Bold" 9000, and fans of that device's large but sturdy form factor will absolutely love the 9900. Gone is the faux-leather back cover, which has been replaced with a slick carbon fiber-esque flat battery door. Interestingly, whereas the entire back of the device could be removed and swapped on the 9000, only the part of the housing that covers the battery itself comes off on the 9900. The carbon fiber midsection is surrounded by soft touch black rubber finishes that taper the outer edge of the device slightly, resulting in a really nice overall form factor.

This Berry's front face is split between a 640 x 480-pixel capacitive touchscreen up top and a full-sized QWERTY keyboard down below. The screen size has been bumped to 2.8-inches from the 2.6-incher on the 9000. The display is bright and vibrant, and boasts superb viewing angles and clarity. As with the Torch 2, touch sensitivity also seems to be quite good, with the screen registering even slight touches on its nearly edge-to-edge surface. Overally, we're quite impressed with the screen on the 9900, as we were with the Torch 2's.

So far as we can tell, the keyboard is the same size as that of the OG Bold, though the buttons seem to be a bit more 'clicky.' It's kind of difficult to explain, but the keyboard feels more firm than mushy -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We also noticed that the four main navigation buttons for the BB OS (send, menu, back, end / power) are all flush with the device and backlit, rather than having splits between then. There's also the now ubiquitous trackpad located front and center, and it has a nice white backlighting that helps make it stand out against this BlackBerry's murdered-out facade. When the screen shuts off for standby mode, the trackpad glow rem for an extra few seconds before fading back into darkness.

On the inside, the 9900 boasts a 1.2GHz processor, which is bumped from the 624MHz of the 9780. In fact, we're pretty sure that the guts of the 9900 are identical to those of the Torch 2 -- just crammed into a thinner, non-sliding enclosure. We've known the specs on this bad boy for a while now, but after playing with one for day or so, we're impressed with the real world translation into performance. It's noticeably more snappy than current BlackBerry devices on the market, and the fading transitions of BlackBerry 6.1 OS 7 didn't seem to stutter in regular use. Of course, this is still BETA software -- and from what we've heard, our build is quite a bit older than what's currently on demo devices -- so performance is subject to change.

A five megapixel shooter is located on the backside of the device, but it's been relocated to the upper left corner as opposed to the centered position on the 9000. Again we're convinced that this camera is identical to the one in the Torch 2, which means it's capable of capturing 720p HD video. If you want to see some performance of this shooter, head back to our Torch 2 preview -- what you get on the 9900 isn't vastly different.

BlackBerry 7 OS screenshots

The 9900 will ship with BlackBerry 7 OS, and we won't bore you with the details of this marginal upgrade to the OS. (We went over many of them when we showed you the Torch 2). We will say that the performance improvements we noted on that device seem to have made their way to the 9900, and that many of the mundane tasks that used to bring up the dreaded hourglass of doom no longer do so.

Overall, the 9900 is definitely a sexy slab of circuitry, but we still can't skirt around the fact that RIM has been making the same device for years now. We're glad to see the improved specs and solid hardware, but it doesn't detract from the fact that the OS is virtually unchanged except for some visual flair and new APIs. We're hopeful that despite rumors to the contrary, RIM will be able to get this device out the door during its promised "summer" time frame, and we know it won't be good if it misses that self-imposed deadline. Still, the fact of the matter is that RIM desperately needs to get somethingradically new out the door as soon as humanly possible, or else users will continue flocking to other platforms. It hopes it has a winner on its hands with the 9900, and while we'll reserve judgment until the thing finally ships to end users, we do think it's yet another step in the right direction.

An overview of Browser Bookmarks on the BlackBerry PlayBook

Posted by Ray Nicolini

Browsing the web using the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is a great experience, as you are able to take advantage of everything the web has to offer. Today I’ll be providing an overview of several features built into the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet browser. If you have a question after reading this post make sure you leave a comment and let me know as I may do a post about the question you ask!

With that being said, let’s get started by taking a look at how bookmarks work.

The first time you open the browser on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you’ll be presented with the bookmarks screen by default. You have the ability to view your bookmarks in a thumbnail view or list view. To change the view, all you need to do is tap on the icon that I’ve circled in red below. You’ll also notice a Pencil icon (circled in Green) which, after tapping it, allows you delete a bookmark by tapping on the trashcan icon (circled in yellow) as per the following screenshot:

To access your bookmarks while using the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet browser, all you need to do is tap on the gold star icon. To add a new bookmark, browse to the site you’d like to bookmark and tap on the star icon with the green plus symbol next to it. You’ll then notice two options appear, the first being “Add to Bookmarks” followed by “Add to Home Screen”. The first is pretty self-explanatory, and the second is a feature I really like as it allows you to add a thumbnail bookmark to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet home screen. A great way to try this out is by adding the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog to your home screen (Thumbs up! – Ed.)

If you’d like to remove a bookmark after adding it to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet home screen, all you need to do is tap and hold on the icon for a few seconds until it starts to pulse. While pulsing, you can drag it to a new location on your home screen, or tap on the X below it to remove it from the home screen completely. I love this feature as it allows me to add my favorite websites to the Favorites view set on my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

After you’ve modified your icons, tap on the checkmark that appears in the top left corner of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet home screen view bar that I’ve circled below in red.

You might be wondering at this point: How do I change my settings so that my BlackBerry PlayBook tablet opens up my favorite homepage instead of displaying my bookmarks? To do this, swipe down from the bezel, select “Options” and toggle the “For a New Page Show” setting from “My Bookmarks” to “My Home Page”. You can then specify what page should be loaded by entering the web address in the “Home Page” field.

Besides changing the “For a New Page Show” setting, you also have the ability to customize several options such as which search engine is used by default, and the ”Remember Open tabs When I Start Browser” setting.

What was the first setting you customized in the browser on your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet? Leave a comment and let me know.

Twitter for BlackBerry Smartphones v2.0 Beta Update

Posted By Ray Nicolini

The Twitter® app team here at Research In Motion® (RIM®) always strives to deliver a great user experience that meets the diverse needs of our customers. The updates included in this latest version were primarily driven by customer feedback we received on v2.0. We hope that you will be happy with the changes we’ve made to continue to improve the experience of Twitter for BlackBerry® smartphones.

The Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones v2.0 Beta update is available today within BlackBerry® Beta Zone. Let’s take a look at the latest changes we’ve made:

Color Refresh

This update features a lighter color scheme consisting of light blue with a shade of white. This new, smooth color scheme makes it easy to follow where you are in the timeline and has been incorporated throughout the app.

Compose a Tweet

It’s all about options! By default, the Tweet composer is “hidden” from the Home timeline but accessible from the new “Compose Tweet” bar located below the nav bar as displayed in Option 1 below. Clicking the “Compose Tweet” bar will bring up the Tweet composer at the bottom of the screen, similar to if you’re composing a Tweet via the Menu or by using the same hotkey that you would use to compose an email message from the BlackBerry message list (for example, in English, the hotkey is ‘c’ if using a QWERTY keyboard). Alternatively, you can choose to display the Tweet composer as a static fixture at the top of the Home timeline (see Option 2).

Option 1

Option 2

Trending Topics now with local trends support

A Trending Topics icon has been added to the nav bar and now includes local trends support. Local trends helps you keep in touch with the trends in your area while on-the-go with the Twitter app.

My Profile

Now you can access your profile quickly and easily from the nav bar (or the Menu). And, you’ll notice that the icon is personalized with your profile picture to better help you identify the account that you’re logged into (teaser: this feature will be especially helpful should we include multi-account support in a future release. #justsayin =D).

Performance Enhancements

Last but certainly not least, we’ve included some performance enhancements to improve the overall usability of the app.

This update is currently available in BlackBerry Beta Zone. To download the latest beta version, you need to register to become a BlackBerry Beta Zone member. Please note that you must reside in one of the BlackBerry Beta Zone supported countries in order to participate in the latest beta release.

Check it out today and post a comment below to let us know what you think of the changes we’ve made.

Ruling out each of RIM’s “potential” buyers

By Ray Nicolini

Via TheCellularGuru.com 

Since RIM’s dismal Q1 numbers were released, analysts have been very verbal with their idea that RIM will either go under within the year or simply be bought out – while many have agreed with this forecast, many have also strongly disagreed. Some of the potential suitors mentioned frequently in regard to this are: Microsoft, Apple, Google, Cisco Systems, HP, Dell, and IBM.

Today, Kris Thompson at National Bank Financial released his own report, listing the reasons why said companies won’t put an offer together anytime soon. Read below:

Microsoft: Despite being at the top of the list, it just bought Skype for $8.5-billion (U.S.), and has already inked a partnership with Nokia.

Apple: No reason to. It’s already branching into the enterprise market and is currently the market leader in the consumer segment.

Google: Has its Android platform, simple as that.

Cisco Systems:  Already has over 30 product segments and is currently parting ways with weak non-core units, such as its Flip video device.

HP: Has its Palm division and webOS, which most think is more than enough for HP to concentrate on right now.

Dell: Simply may not be able to pull off a deal of this size/magnitude.

IBM: Though it has the financial muscle to pull it off, Thompson views this deal as a “long shot.”

When this list is whittled down, all that’s left are private investors; which are also considered a long shot because investors rely on, “strong, stable cash flows to pay off this debt” and RIM’s market is, “fiercely competitive and probably undergoing a transition to lower gross margins.” Further, “[a]ssuming private equity invested 2 times cash flow (or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) and a high-yield issue could be raised at 5 times cash flow, then RIM’s sustainable annual cash flow would need to be $2.85-billion to acquire the company for $20 billion net of cash on hand,” Mr. Thompson calculated.

Yes, they did generate that kind of cash flow in 2010, but with stock prices dropping and avid users’ slowly but surely migrating over to Android/iOS, the chances of that kind of cash flow repeating itself are slim. I think RIM is basically in serious need of a re-brand, fast. They also need to take their future into their own hands and not be so reliant on running Google’s Android apps on QNX as their saving grace. There is only soo long RIM can ride the BBM train until it loses its niche relevance.

Now don’t get me wrong and please don’t take what I’m saying from a fan-boy perspective – I hold no bias; I just want to see RIM pick themselves up. They are Canada’s biggest tech success story, donate millions upon millions to charity, and create work for thousands of Canadians. I just think people are throwing in the towel way to soon. Give’em a chance, they’ll be back.

[via Globe and Mail]