messenger

BlackBerry Messenger 6 offers more 'social experience'

It appears Research In Motion has decided to flip the switch and turn its popular BlackBerry Messenger application, or BBM, as its users refer to it, into a more full-fledged "social experience," complete with app integration, social app discovery, even some enhanced social gaming.

Buzzwords aside, BBM 6 does, in fact, change the game for both BlackBerry app developers and end users. It allows developers to create apps using the BBM API, which in turn will allow users to interact with each other from right within the BBM-connected apps. This means that newly developed games, for instance, could … Read more

High-end iPad bag: Booq Cobra Courier XS review

Carrying an iPad a year ago involved searching for the perfect bag, and the problem back in 2012 was that many bag makers hadn't figured out the iPad yet. Flash forward to mid-2011, and the iPad 2 and original iPad feel nearly ubiquitous--so, too, do iPad bags. Finding one that matches the iPad's sleek styling is a harder challenge, and one the Booq Cobra Courier XS meets while still offering ample storage in a small package. $145 is a lot to pay for a small bag, but it's hard to do better if you're looking for a sturdy, stylish, practical triple threat. In fact, over the course of our time using this model, we haven't found much better.

Related links • Searching for the perfect iPad bag • Booq Boa Squeeze review

The Booq Cobra Courier XS feels in some ways like a microminiaturized version of the Booq Boa Squeeze, a backpack we loved back in 2009.… Read more

Ask Maggie: Buh-bye BlackBerry; iPhone has iMessage

If you've been waiting to dump your BlackBerry for an iPhone because you don't want to give up the free BlackBerry Messaging service that allows you to bypass carrier text messaging, then the wait is over.

Earlier this week, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco that its new iMessage feature that will be baked into the latest version of iOS software due later this year, will offer a similar messaging service that Research In Motion's BBM service offers.

In addition to seeing when and if messages have been received, just like BBM, iMessage … Read more

New Yahoo Messenger looks great on the iPad

Last night, Yahoo announced the update for the Yahoo Messenger app to work with the iPad, adding voice and video calling for iPad 2 owners, a sleek new iPad-optimized interface, and improved spam management that lets you block one or all add requests from a single view.

Yahoo Messenger (Universal) had already been available on the iPhone and iPod Touch since April 2009. But with this Universal update, iPad users will no longer have to use the unoptimized iPhone client on their larger iPad screens.

No longer just for instant messages, Yahoo Messenger lets you share photos and videos, make … Read more

Trade up to a leather laptop case

Many laptop bags and cases have been reviewed on these pages, and the vast majority of them are well-made, functional, and completely appropriate for lugging a portable computer around town. The only problem is that you wouldn't want to be seen dead with the majority of them. No matter how many side pockets and shoulder pads they include, there's still a vestige of either college campus backpack or corporate stuffed-shirt nylon briefcase in just about every one.

That's why I keep finding myself ditching whatever high-tech, waterproof, ballistic nylon, gimmicky bag I've been using for a … Read more

NASA snaps first images from Mercury orbit

NASA this afternoon released the first-ever photo of Mercury taken from a spacecraft in orbit around the innermost planet of the solar system.

The most arresting element of the photo is the rayed crater Debussy, which lends to the overall image the impression of the vine end of a cantaloupe after the vine has been snapped off. Straight out to the left of Debussy and much smaller, about halfway to the left border, lies the crater Matabei "with its unusual dark rays," NASA says.

The space agency has seen Debussy and Matabei before. What it hasn't ever … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1430 T-Mobile gets super-mooned (Podcast)

AT&T gets bigger, a whole lot bigger with its purchase of T-Mobile. Trust us, mobile plans won't be getting any cheaper. Sprint gets a few consolation prizes, Twitter is 5 years old and we feature the "Morning-After" App.

Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (640x360) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS (640x360)… Read more

Rumor: RIM's BlackBerry Messenger coming to Android, iOS

Research In Motion is said to be prepping cross-platform versions of its popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) application for release later this year. According to multiple sources close to Boy Genius Report (BGR), an Android version "is definitely a go" with an iOS counterpart also on the horizon. Android Atlas reached out to RIM to confirm the report, but spokeswoman Marisa Conway responded that "RIM's standard policy is to decline comment on rumors and speculation."

One theory is that a stripped-down, lighter version of BBM will allow Android users to communicate across platforms with other clients, … Read more

Texting on the cheap

WhatsApp Messenger has been around for quite a while, but it's still an app that's extremely useful to texting addicts. With this chat app installed on your iPhone, you'll save a considerable amount of money on text charges through your carrier. The only catch is that you'll have to persuade your most frequent texting partners to download the app, too, but once they see WhatsApp's advantages, they'll probably pony up a buck.

Much like the texting app that comes on the iPhone, WhatsApp Messenger shows your chats in little text bubbles, gives you a … Read more