BlackBerry denies that Google Play Store is coming to BlackBerry 10

Just a couple of days ago, we showed you some screenshots that appeared to show the Google Play Store running on BlackBerry 10. While the platform can run certain Android apps, it cannot run any Google Play services or apps approved by Google. Thus, seeing the Google Play Store running on BlackBerry 10 seemed to indicate that a new level of cooperation had been reached between Google and the Canadian based OEM.

But a statement released on Tuesday from the troubled manufacturer (that would be BlackBerry), says that there is "no planned support" for Google Play on BlackBerry. The statement goes on to point out that BlackBerry App World is still the place to go for apps and content for your BlackBerry device.

It really is too bad for BlackBerry and its ardent fans. Having the Google Play Store available on BlackBerry 10 could have opened up a whole new world for the platform. Somehow, we get the feeling that this might have been a trial balloon that was shot down by developers who have their blood and sweat invested in BlackBerry App World.

"There is no planned support for Google Play on BlackBerry. BlackBerry World remains the primary source for trusted and curated BlackBerry applications and we continue to support open standards and open source tools so BlackBerry developers can continue to create great apps on any of the development platforms we support."-BlackBerry statement

Galaxy S III devices with Android 4.3 update reportedly suffering major problems

It has not even been 10 days since the international variant of the Samsung Galaxy S III started to receive the update to Android 4.3. Word has it that there are plenty of issues coming out of the update to the venerable SGSIII.

Among the problems, and they are not mere annoyances, are reduced battery life, application crashes, Wi-Fi connectivity problems and complete lock-up that can only be remedied by a battery pull. That does not sound like much of an update.

For what it is worth, it looks like Samsung has pulled the update rollout for the time being while these issues are looked into. The update to the Samsung Galaxy Note II may also be placed on hold since it shares similar underpinnings with the Galaxy S III.

Samsung is not always able to stick to its timeline when it comes to updates, but at least it puts forth the effort. Once these issues are ironed out, we hope performance will improve and those that are (im)patiently waiting will see your updates soon.

In the meantime, if you have an official update for the SGSIII, or if you installed the leaked update, let us know if you have been encountering any of the above noted performance issues.

Viber takes a page from the competition with a big new update

Messaging juggernaut app Viber has gone through an update, the scale of which is formidable. In a non-too surprising move, Viber has moved to implement features that were sorely lacking for at least a bunch of people – like voice messaging, a feature many have come to expect from rival WhatsApp. Called Hold & Talk, we found that Viber's execution of the new functionality isn't top notch just yet, though it does work nevertheless.

But the creators of the app didn't stop there, and are taking a page off Skype's recipe, too, by introducing 'Viber Out', which allows you to call each and every person on your contacts list, granted that you pay up and buy some credit. Much like Skype does. Additional changes include more stickers – a business that Viber has been under-appreciating, as Japanese challenger LINE has consistently shown (it now earns nearly $100M a quarter, a part of which through sticker sales).

Viber is now touting tablet support, as well. There's really nothing of note about the tablet version – it's just the same old design, blown up to bigger proportions. The rest of the new additions include some minor changes, like a different notification icon/color (it used to be purple-ish, like the logo) and select fixes and improvements that the creators aren't sharing.

Unfortunately, the update hasn't come to the desktop version of the app, which is now seriously lagging behind, and we mean that quite literally, too. 

BBM for Android beats out rival messaging services in user engagement minutes

Any way you look at it, BlackBerry's decision to rollout BBM for iOS and Android has been a success. After the first week, 20 million new active BBM users were added to the 60 million BlackBerry users who actively use the messaging app. In addition, data from Android users shows that in the first week after becoming available, BBM equaled or surpassed other messaging apps in the number of weekly engagements. Considering that BBM for Android users haven't had the time to build up a large contacts list, this is considered to be very impressive on the part of the BlackBerry application.

According to data from Mobidia, for the week ended October 24th, BBM for Android had a weekly engagement of 40 minutes, topping the 24 minutes scored by messaging app Tango (which has over 130 million users), and close to the 44 minutes of Viber. Kik still is on top with a weekly engagement of 106 minutes. Still, the data shows that Android users are doing more than merely downloading the app just to join the hip crowd.

While BBM is still well behind more popular messaging apps in the U.S. like Kik and WhatsApp, and may never enjoy the popularity among teens that other apps have, considering how BBM's journey has just started, we can say that it looks like this is going to be a rare success for BlackBerry. Now comes the hard part which is figuirng out how to make money with it. At one point months ago, there was talk of selling BBM access to users of rival platforms. Now that BlackBerry is giving it away, there needs to be a way for the application to generate some income for BlackBerry. Via phonearena.com

Samsung takes the top spot for 2012 cell phone shipments, Nokia 2nd, Apple 3rd

The numbers are finally starting to come out for the mobile ecosystem, even though 2012 isn't quite over yet. IHS iSuppli has released its estimations for which cell phone manufacturers shipped the most devices in 2012, and for the first time in 14 years, Samsung has taken the top spot in cell phone shipments, pushing Nokia to 2nd place, and Apple held steady in 3rd place as far as total cell phone shipments, and 2nd in the smartphone segment.

According to the data, Samsung is expected to account for 29% of global cell phone shipments in 2012, with Nokia at 24%. This is almost a perfect reversal from last year when Nokia had 30% of cell phone shipments and Samsung had 24%. Impressively, Apple takes 3rd place on total cell phone shipments with 10%, even though Apple only makes smartphones, and no feature phones, unlike Samsung and Nokia. 

On the smartphone side of things, Samsung retains the top spot with 28% of global smartphone shipments, and that extends Samsung's lead over Apple, which held 20% of smartphone shipments. Last year, Samsung had 20% compared to Apple's 19%. The smartphone side also shows how Nokia lost its overall lead as it dropped from 16% of smartphone shipments in 2011 to just 5% in 2012. HTC and RIM also came in at 5% of smartphone shipments this year.

WhatsApp will not be supporting BlackBerry 10

RIM has been doing its part to keep the excitement and the anticipation levels high for the upcoming release of BlackBerry 10 next month. We have seen a lot of companies lining up to bring their applications to the new platform. 

Unfortunately, WhatsApp will not be one of those applications. WhatsApp is a nicely executed cross-platform instant messaging service that provides delivery confirmation.  It also has proven to be a consistent performer and has about 20 millions users. The app is currently available across most smartphone operating systems, Android, iOS, BlackBerry 7, Windows Phone, even Symbian and Nokia S40. After receiving an inquiry about the upcoming BlackBerry 10 release, the response from WhatsApp said simply, “We have no plans to support BlackBerry 10 at the moment, sorry.”

Okay, so you see “at the moment” and think, “Well, that means they might support it later!” We do not want to rob you of that ray of hope, so hold on to it if you want to. Alas, as it stands now, at best case, WhatsApp will not be available when BlackBerry 10 launches.  However, it is certainly reasonable to think that WhatsApp would develop their app for BlackBerry 10 if it proves to be the success that RIM says it will be.

source: CrackBerry.com

BBM on BlackBerry 10 shows you recommended contacts with BlackBerry Messenger

BBM on

BlackBerry 10 will bring a new set of features to BlackBerry Messenger, although it will remain compatible with the current version. One of the new features is called the BBM Recommended contacts tab and it provides you with a list of names from your contacts list that have BBM, Keep in mind that you won't be able to see any PIN numbers, but you will be able to invite anyone on the list to chat. It's similar to a feature on the BlackBerry PlayBook video chat app which shows you which of your contacts has the app so that you can engage in,well, video chatting.

RIM is saying to expect a number of changes to BBM with BlackBerry 10. The official introduction of BB10 is set for January 30th. Meanwhile,  RIM's shares continue to move higher as investors are voting with their cash that BlackBerry 10 will be a major success. The stock has nearly doubled off of lows made during August and September.

source: BerryReview

BBM Groups on BlackBerry 10