Hitting the stage at Mobile World Congress to announce the latest happenings from Nokia, Stephen Elop confirmed that BBM will be coming to Lumia devices, joining Android and iphone users who recently saw the messaging service arrive on their platforms.

According to John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry.

BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM 

Today marks an exciting moment for Nokia," said Bryan Biniak, Vice President and GM of Developer Relations, Nokia Corporation. "By bringing BBM to the Windows Phone and Nokia X communities, our customers will be able to experience this popular global messaging app.

The topic of BBM on Windows Phone was one of much debate for a while there, so it's great to see those on Windows Phone and the new Nokia X platform will be now be able to enjoy it. Full press release is below for your reading pleasure.

Press Release

BlackBerry Announces BBM for Windows Phone and Nokia X Platforms

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2014, BARCELONA--(Marketwired - Feb. 24, 2014) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today announced that BBM(TM) will be made available to Windows Phone and Nokia X customers in the coming months.

BBM is a premier mobile messaging platform that offers best-in-class collaboration tools such as BBM Groups, BBM Voice and BBM Channels. BBM users rely on the privacy, immediacy and control that are at the core of BBM.

"BBM continues to grow in popularity as millions of people use our mobile platform for chatting and connecting with friends or colleagues, and we are very excited that we will soon welcome Windows Phone and Nokia X users to the BBM community," said John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry.

"Today marks an exciting moment for Nokia," said Bryan Biniak, Vice President and GM of Developer Relations, Nokia Corporation. "By bringing BBM to the Windows Phone and Nokia X communities, our customers will be able to experience this popular global messaging app."

Windows Phone and Nokia X customers will soon have access to a comprehensive suite of messaging and collaboration features, including:

• BBM Chats: Have instant BBM Chats, including a Multi-Chat option, and receive real-time confirmations when messages are delivered and read (Ds & Rs)
• Personalization: Create a profile that can be easily personalized with profile pictures/avatars and status updates that contacts can see in the Updates area of BBM ​
• BBM Groups: Now, with BBM Groups, up to 50 people can be added to the conversation. Chat, share photos and schedules with even more friends
• BBM Voice: Free voice calls between BBM contacts on Windows Phone, Nokia  X, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry anywhere in the world using data or WiFi connection (Data Plan or WiFi required for BBM Voice)
• BBM Channels: Join conversations on BBM Channels between people, brands and communities. Create a BBM channel to share thoughts, ideas and passions. Or, subscribe to a channel to join conversations with others who have shared interests.
• One-click sharing:  BBM users on Windows Phone, Nokia X, Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices have access to fast one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes and more.
• New Emoticons: We now have over 100 new emoticons to help people say what they mean and make their point in a fun and visual way. 

Pricing and Availability

BBM will be available as a free download from the Windows Phone Store this summer. BBM for Nokia X will be available from the Nokia Store when the Nokia X platform launches.

Nokia X Feb 24 event, live streaming

The upcoming Nokia X smartphone is generating a huge amount of interest right now, particularly because it will be the company’s first Android smartphone. Now a lot of Nokia X anticipation is building for a Nokia February 24 event at MWC 2014, and you won’t have to miss a thing as Nokia is offering live streaming.

Although there’s no confirmation that this event is for the Nokia X (previously dubbed the Nokia Normandy), all the signs certainly indicate that this is the phone that will be unveiled. The invitations sent out to media for the Nokia press conference show black arrows leaving the shape of an X in green in between, so it’s pretty obvious that we’ll be seeing the official introduction of the phone.

The event is scheduled to take place at 8:30 am Barcelona time, that’s 7:30 am for the UK, 2:30 in New York or for New Delhi, India the time will be 1:00 pm. The Nokia X is aimed at the affordable end of the market and is expected to be under €100. Nokia handsets are extremely popular in India and the Nokia X price for India is expected to be around Rs. 6,500

We’ve already seen plenty of leaked information about the Nokia X. Just in the last few days for example showing the phone’s UI. Unofficial specs include a Snapdragon dual-core processor, 4-inch WVGA display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), a 5-megapixel rear camera and 1,500 mAh battery.

If you want live streaming of the Nokia event taking place today head to this Nokia Conversations page for the webcast. You can also see a countdown there to the start of the event, and at the time of writing it’s just 2 hours behind

The new Gear successor will be presented in two variants, one with a built-in camera, the Gear 2, and the other without, the Gear 2 Neo. Both models will start shipping worldwide this April though the manufacturer still hasn’t announced a set price. The most important changes compared to theoriginal Galaxy Gear predecessor are a new pulse sensor, a remote function (IrLED to control your TV), a waterproof case (IP67) and finally a new operating system, none other than Tizen.

The operating system of both new Gear smartwatches is a version of Tizen, customized for mobility, which Samsung in its press release call a "Tizen-based wearable platform". The name allows us to conclude that Samsung will likely fit future wearable devices with the same system as well. Right from the get-go, the operating system offers a bunch of apps, like Runtastic, Weather Channel, Expedia, eBay and of course, some Samsung apps such as S Voice for voice command and ChatON.

The Gear 2 is only a slight upgrade from the first generation of Samsung smartwatches. The company didn’t improve the display nor did they increase the storage size. On the other hand, the processor now ticks faster with a dual-core processor at 1 GHz instead of 800 MHz. In my opinion, the best improvement is the build: Samsung was successful in shrinking the watch, which is now 10 mm thick as opposed to 11.1 mm.

SYSTEM	Tizen OS
DISPLAY	1.63 inch, Super AMOLED, 320 x 320 pixel
PROCESSOR	1 GHz, dual-core
RAM	512 MB
INTERNAL MEMORY	4 GB
BATTERY	300 mAh
CAMERA	2 MP with autofocus (Gear 2), no camera (Gear 2 Neo)
CONNECTIVITY	Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy), IrLED
DIMENSIONS	36.9 x 58.4 x 10 mm (Gear 2), 37.9 x 58.8 x 10 mm (Gear 2 Neo)
WEIGHT	68 grams (Gear 2), 55 grams (Gear 2 Neo)
SENSORS	Accelerometer, gyroscope, heart-rate monitor
EXTRAS	Waterproof to IP67 standard

It seems that Sammy won’t let go of the clunky design, but has nevertheless managed to create a more elegant watch this time around. The main reason for this is the camera, no longer found on the armband but integrated into the metal body instead.

BBM for Windows Phone delayed

Last year saw BlackBerry start to provide its BBM messaging service to rival platforms Android and iOS with the service quickly gaining millions of users around the world, but it seems as if the BBM for Windows Phone app release disappointment is ongoing.

We have reported before that the BBM app for the platform is one of the most desired applications that users want to see released, but now the company are saying that there are currently no plans to release such an app for Windows Phone.

David Proulx, Senior Director of BBM Business Development has been talking to TrustedReviews, and basically said that the lack of a BBM app for Windows Phone was basically down to the size of the platform.

This is why both Android and iOS were treated to the service but a Windows Phone BBM app release wasn’t ruled out completely as Proulx went on to state that “As other platforms emerge, whichever they may be, we will execute on those platforms as well.”

Some may question this decision as a way for BlackBerry to try and hang onto the Windows Phone platform as it begins to leave BlackBerry behind, but Proulx added that as soon as “sufficient numbers” are requesting the service the company will re-evaluate their decision.

The Windows Phone platform is slowly gathering speed especially since higher end smartphones become available, but the likes of Nokia’s lower price Lumia handsets have sold well especially in emerging markets so surely it makes sense to start developing the app now.

Are you surprised that BlackBerry has yet to release BBM for Windows Phone?

Tinder: the speed dating app

Flirting is a part of life and apps to help you do it are now a part of life as well. Using your smartphone to meet new people is casual, easy, and fun. That being said, flirting apps don’t always keep their promises. Is Tinder the exception that will genuinely fulfill its purpose? We tested the application to see if it will really find who likes you nearby.

Features & Use

Tinder works simply on the principle of Hot-Or-Not. The app is tied to Facebook, so there is no need to create a new profile and you can get started right away. Tinder uses the profile pictures from your Facebook account, so it may be that you will have to change what’s there or limit the amount to see. Your location is determined using GPS to show you other users and the radius can be adjusted. Tinder also lists any common interests and Facebook friends and then it is up to you to make a choice with two simple buttons - an X for dislike and a heart for like: are you interested in the person, or not?

Then, as soon as you’ve decided, the app will take you to the next profile: Tinder doesn’t spend much time on details. Let's be honest, we are all a bit superficial. Inner values ​​or not, we are first and foremost interested in looks. Tinder lets you easily click away one image at a time: you will be shown likely candidates much faster than in speed dating, and you can be as shallow as you like.

Only when mutual interest is expressed by you and another candidate does Tinder connect you with someone. With the app, you can chat with that person and how much you want to tell them about yourself is of course up to you. You should definitely be cautious when chatting with strangers on the internet though. Íf what’s going down in conversation is not to your liking, you can also simply abort the connection and click on through profile pictures.

Screen & Controls

Tinder’s user interface is clear and tidy and focuses on the essentials, namely the evaluation of profile pictures. There are two buttons which are easy and efficient, allowing you to quickly express whether you are interested in the person or not. The keyboard is only used for sending messages after a connection is established. Controls and interaction within the application are set to an absolute minimum and it becomes increasingly more fun as you check out profile pictures and chat with people of interest. 

Speed & Stability

Tinder ran smoothly, without any lag or crashes. The demands on your Android smartphone are relatively low. It isn’t here to present you with a challenging game, but merely a fun flirt app to interact with real people.

Tinder is available for free, so you can’t beat the price-performance ratio. Who knows, maybe you will find the love of your life which is priceless

Final Verdict

. You can get started right away thanks to the simple concept and intuitive interface. Tinder always offers exciting entertainment and fun, and sooner rather than later you will find a conversation partner. What you make of it is up to you.

Before I conclude my review, here’s a little warning to heed: Tinder has a few dangers. During the testing period, I noticed some scammers with fake profiles. If your chat buddy acts funny, makes absurd suggestions, proposes a dubious meeting or sends you a questionable link, you can use the block button to ignore the person as well as report them if necessaryINSTALL

Recommended Apps

Bang Your Friends                                           INSTALL

Works Only On Android 2.2 Or Higher

Overview: Unlimited access to paid app in Google Play and Amazon Appstore

Market Unlocker lets you access paid or restricted apps in Android Market 2.x and 3.x and Amazon Appstore in one click. It’s safe, stable and simple.

This pro version remove all advertisements and enable automatic fetch/configuration of proxy comparing to free version.

For some apps are just enabled for some specific countries and not available to the other countries,so it is very difficult to download many high quality software. Market Unlocker lets you access paid apps from countries where paid apps are not yet available.

== Requirements ==
* Get Root permission
* Installed Google Play (Android Market)
* Installed Amazon Appstore (optional)
* Installed app in internal storage to auto unlock

== Features ==
* Change provider in one click
* Change provider automatically on boot or switch to flight mode
* Access Market via Proxy. It support HTTP/Socks4/5 proxy and user authentication.
* Support Amazon Appstore outside USA.
* Support fetch and configure proxy automatically
* Support global proxy for all applications

==== Basic Usage ====
To work with Android Market 2.x,
Switch “Enable Unlocker” button to ON and Open Android Market to buy paid app. Optionally different provider can be configured in “Market” tab.

To work with Android Market 3.x and Google Play,

1. Turn on flight mode

2. Enable Market Unlocker and auto unlock (by default Verizon is configured)

3. Got to system Setting => Applications => Manage applications => All => Market, and click “Clear data”

4. Reboot phone

5. Turn on Wifi/3G

6. Wait google service sync-up completed or refresh in Gmail.

7. Open Android Market or Google Play. paid apps are there.
Turn off flight mode now.

Amazon Appstore does not allow users to buy paid apps from outside USA, even if users have been registered use US credit card and billing address. Market Unlocker will set USA proxy to help you buy daily free apps as well as paid apps.

To work with Amazon Appstore outside USA,

First install Appstore app, otherwise the function will not be visible.

1. Go to Proxy tab

2. Click edit icon beside “Proxy For Applications”, select “Amazon Appstore” in list, and click OK button.

3. Configure Proxy Type, Proxy Host, Proxy Port. Please make sure you’re using an effect USA proxy server first.

4. Switch “Enable Proxy” to “ON”

5. Open Amazon Appstore and enjoy

If still get “unavailable in your region” error, please check the credit card and billing address info

1. Go to Proxy tab

2. Click edit icon beside “Proxy For Applications”, select “All applications” in list, and click OK button.

3. Configure Proxy Type, Proxy Host, Proxy Port. Please make sure you’re using an effect USA proxy server first.

4. Enable “Enable Proxy” to “ON”

Now proxy server is routing all the system and application traffic.
To restore original market,
Go to Home tab and click “Back to default market”, or go to Home tab, Switch “Enable Unlocker” button to OFF and reboot phone

New Stickers for BBM

In an age that's mostly predominant with the likes of WhatsApp and Viber, as far as free texting services and apps are concerned, it's pretty easy to forget early pioneers of the idea like BlackBerry's BBM service. However, BBM is still aiming to go strong with yet another addition to its BBM service. Shortly after releasing a brand new Voice Chat option for BlackBerry's Messenger on both Android and iOS platforms, the Canadian manufacturer has announced that it will also introduce stickers as a yet another new feature for BBM users.

The new option comes following the earlier introduction of the same on services such as Facebook Messenger, Line, Kakako Talk and many other messaging apps. So it's only natural that BlackBerry will also try to gather the same kind of popularity with the user base it still has for the BBM service. And while the option of finally being able to make use of stickers in the BBM messenger service sounds pretty exciting (especially to the hard core BBM users), it will indeed come for a price. Hence, those who wish to make use of these newly added stickers will have to purchase them via the BBM Shop.

Apart from that, BlackBerry has also announced that it has now kicked off a limited external beta for stickers at the BBM Shop, although it still remains unclear whether everyone can access it or the user will have to be accepted into the beta. For all the Android and iOS users, who didn't have access to BBM-based stickers as of now since it was only limited to users running devices with BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry Stickers is a separate application for BB 10 OS devices that allows BBM users to spice up their chats with friends by adding stickers.

And as things stand, BlackBerry will surely do the same for Android and iOS users and will be aiming to release separate applications for stickers. However, a confirmation related to the same is yet to be passed on by the Canadian company. 
As of now, there are 35 different stickers that are available for BlackBerry 10. Out of these 35, 20 are animated and will have to be purchased, whereas the rest 15 are static and are currently available for free.

Browse The Web For Free With Opera’s Web Pass

Everyone hates ads! Pre Internet era, ads used to nag us between TV and Radio programmes. However, Opera has a plan that can make you hate ads less. How? Well, the Norweigian company introduced this ingenious idea where a mobile user gets to surf the Internet for free (via Opera Mini of course) in exchange for watching ads. The ads basically pay for your web-browsing fees to your operator.

This is very similar to the free web browsing plans that cell phone operators in India use giving free access to Twitter and Facebook pages via customised versions of browsers or the portal. An ad is played either at intervals or will be played at the beginning of the pass access period giving users plenty of browsing time in between. Once the free-browsing period ends, the user is lead to a soft landing page, which will either ask the user to pay for browsing or simply engage with another free-browsing session powered by ads.

Opera’s Sponsored Web Pass is currently not available in India, but it would be great to see a platform that benefits the advertiser as well as the user.

BlackBerry has just announced that starting today, all EA titles in BlackBerry World are free to download. This of course varies by your region and device, but you should be able to snag at least a few items at no charge. You have between now and February 28th to get in on the fun. 

The discount should be reflected very soon for most users, and then you can grab up all the EA goodies you can handle at no charge. Including Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, Tetris, Boggle, Battleship, Monopoly, Dead Space, Need for Speed Undercover and more.

Hit up the link below to check them out, and if you are seeing the free goods, be sure to let us know what region you're in.

Check out the free EA Titles in BlackBerry World

Facebook buys WhatsApp instant messaging: $19 billion

Facebook Inc's purchase of fast-growing messaging startup WhatsApp for an eye-popping $19 billion largely won approval from analysts, who said the deal made strategic sense as it will solidify the social network's position as a leader in mobile.

Facebook shares closed up 2.3 percent at $69.63 after falling as much as 3 percent in early trading as investors got over the initial sticker shock of the deal value.

At least two brokerages downgraded their recommendations on Facebook to "hold" but the overwhelming majority of analysts remain positive on the stock.

Facebook is paying more than double its annual revenue for a chat program that has little revenue. The purchase price is slightly more than the market value of Sony Corp.

But analysts noted that WhatsApp has over 450 million users and boasts a higher level of engagement than Facebook.

"Facebook is the leading global social-sharing utility. Now, it has a significant opportunity to be the leading global communications utility," RBC Capital Markets said in a note.

WhatsApp is much stronger than Facebook Messenger in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Australia and has attracted users at a time when it appears that young people are turning away from Facebook.

Analysts said the price tag for WhatsApp, founded in 2009 by former Yahoo Inc employees Jan Koum and Brian Acton, seemed reasonable from the point of view of value per user.

Facebook is paying $42 per user, compared with a market value per user of $170 for Facebook and $212 for Twitter, Deutsche Bank's Ross Sandler said.

WhatsApp's user base is less than half that of Facebook's 1.2 billion but the chat program's users are more active. On any given day, 70 percent of WhatsApp users are active, compared with 62 percent for Facebook. WhatsApp's users are expected to reach 1 billion by 2015, according to many analysts.

"Looking past the sticker shock of $19 billion ... We view (the deal) as an offensive move to gain additional share of the consumer's time spent," Credit Suisse analysts said, noting that Facebook was paying about 11 percent of its market value to gain a 30 percent rise in engagement.

 MONEY FACTOR

Of the 44 analysts who cover Facebook, 37 have a "buy" or a "strong buy" rating on the stock

Analysts have commended Facebook's ability to make money from its mobile app. Now they will want to see how it will earn money from the chat app's huge number of users.

While we don't expect messaging to be a meaningful near-term or even long-term revenue driver, the real value could be the evolution of the platform to incorporate new functionality such as payments, app distribution, social features ...," Macquarie Equities Research analyst Ben Schachter said.

Facebook has fallen behind in mobile phone messaging apps in emerging markets, where many are accessing the Internet on fast-growing 3G mobile networks for the first time on smartphones.

Asian rivals such as Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat, Naver Corp's Line and Rakuten Inc's Viber are well ahead of Facebook messenger across much of Asia.

Facebook has been buying apps with large numbers of young users as part of Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's strategy of helping users share any kind of content with anyone.

The company's $1 billion deal to buy photo-sharing application Instagram in 2012 and its recent $3 billion failed overture to buy SnapChat - used by teenagers to send texts and photos that disappear after a few seconds - followed unsuccessful attempts to develop rival apps.

"Large-scale networks like WhatsApp are rare and provide (a) significant monetization opportunity (i.e. YouTube) justifying valuation over time," SunTrust Robinson Humphrey's Robert Peck said in a note.

Analysts estimate WhatsApp users share 19 billion messages, 600 million photos, 200 million voice messages, and 100 million video messages per day.

Still, some analysts said Facebook was paying a high price to keep WhatsApp from being snapped up by a rival such as Google Inc.

Facebook shares would have been pressured by more than single-digit percentages in after-market trading if Google had purchased WhatsApp instead," Stifel analyst Jordan Rohan said in a note.

Pivotal Research's Brian Wieser, who downgraded his rating on Facebook shares to "hold" from "buy," said he expects Facebook shares to face pressure in the near-term as investors come to terms with the risk of future acquisitions.

What does this mean to BlackBerry

Facebook Inc's $19 billion bid for fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp sent shares of BlackBerry Ltd higher before the opening bell on Thursday as investors placed bets that the smartphone maker's own messaging platform has been undervalued.

BlackBerry shares were up as much as 9 percent in trading after the bell on Wednesday as the deal boosts valuation metrics around the company's own BlackBerry Messaging service.

BlackBerry Messaging, or BBM, was a pioneering mobile-messaging service, but its user base has failed to keep pace with that of WhatsApp and other upstarts, in part because BlackBerry had long refused to open the service to users on other platforms.

WhatsApp, with a user base of about 450 million, has grown rapidly. Its service works on Apple Inc's iOS platform, Google Inc's market-dominating Android operating system and with devices powered by both the Windows and BlackBerry operating systems.

BBM remains popular, even though BlackBerry devices have waned in popularity. Late last year, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company finally opened the messaging platform to users of iPhones and Android devices, and the number of the service's active users has grown to more than 80 million.

However, investors have attributed little value to the asset within the company. In a note to clients on Tuesday, Raymond James analyst Steven Li broke out a sum-of-parts valuation of BlackBerry and pegged the value of BBM at merely $240 million, or $3 per user.

Facebook's valuation of WhatsApp translates into roughly $42 per user, and that could lead investors and analysts to rethink their valuation of the asset within BlackBerry.

BlackBerry has given no indication of interest in selling the asset. While there has been some speculation that the company might try to carve out the unit, or even sell it, new Chief Executive John Chen has so far hinted that BBM remains a core asset.

Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um said the Facebook-WhatsApp deal presents potential upside to his own valuation of BBM.

"However, unless management plans to sell the unit, it is, in our opinion, difficult to add the incremental value given the unit is likely loss-making and will require investments," Um said in a note to clients on Thursday.

Facebook's acquisition prompted TD Securities analyst Scott Penner to boost his own valuation on BBM to $800 million, or $10 per user, from $400 million, or $5 per user.

"Engagement metrics of BBM stack up well with WhatsApp," Penner said in a note to clients. "And this deal does highlight the value of messaging platforms."