Although BlackBerry has been rumored to bring its BBM messaging platform to iOS and other devices before, today the company has made things official announcing at its event that support for both iOS and Android will be arriving in the coming months. The service, which BlackBerry says currently has about 60 million monthly active users, will come to devices running iOS 6 and Android 4.0 or above when it’s launched as a free app sometime this summer in the App Store and Google Play.
The company said that it would be bringing messaging and groups functionality to new platforms first but also has plans to introduce voice features, screen sharing, and its just announced ”social engagement platform” dubbed ‘Channels’ in future releases. BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said the company is “committed to making the BBM experience on other platforms as fully featured” as possible: Read more
Almost 60,000 apps have been removed from Google Play, reports TechCrunch, in a move believed to be in response to the number of apps falling foul of the store’s anti-spam policies. Read more
Earlier today, during Sony’s PS4 reveal keynote, one of the game developers Evolution Studios promised its new driving game Drive Club will have a “second screen” option for Android tablets. Users would be able to play games and socialize with other players all from their tablet. It was uncertain whether the feature would expand to other games and mobile platforms or if it was just a Drive Club exclusive. Just a mere four hours after today’s keynote, Sony hopes to mitigate the exclusivity rumors with the announcement of “Playstation App”. Explained in the press release below, the Playstation app will allow iPhones, iPads, Android tablets, and phones to become a “second screen” controller. Users will also be able to download games to their PS4 on the go, so they’ll be ready to play once they arrive home.
It’s currently unknown at the moment whether the app will be similar to Microsofts Xbox app that allows users to view other friends’ stats and manage and edit your profile or if it will solely be used as a second screen to games like the Wii U. There’s no released date pegged for the app, but expect it to launch sometime around this holiday season (the same time the PS4 is expected to launch).
Google just updated the Google Drive app for Android and iOS.
The app’s most noteworthy new feature is the ability to edit spreadsheets, just like Google Docs. The Drive Team elaborated on the latest update via the official Google Drive blog:
From the Drive app on your iPhone, iPad or Android device, you can create a new spreadsheet or edit an existing one. You can switch fonts, resize columns, sort data, and more. And just like on your computer, you’ll be able to see other people’s edits in real time as they’re made.
The newest version also boasts improved text formatting when pasting, while Android users can exclusively edit text within tables in documents and add a homescreen shortcut to any file in Drive.
The full changelog (on Google Play):
Edit Google spreadsheets in new native editor
Edit contents of tables in Google Docs editor
Formatting is maintained when copy/pasting within Google Docs
Single tap to enter edit mode in Google Docs editor
Add a shortcut to Drive files/folders to your homescreen for quick access
After many requests from paying subscribers, the folks over at Spotify introduced a completely overhauled Android app this morning. It features an all new user interface, speed boost, and support for Android 4.0. The app formerly lacked features that the iOS app has, but now it is updated to be on par with the app on the App Store. Spotify for Android allows users to listen to unlimited music and build playlists to their liking for only $10 a month. We are huge fans, especially since Android does not have an iTunes-like solution. Unlimited music anytime, on any device — what’s not to love.
The app adds full support for Ice Cream Sandwich, allowing the latest devices in the Android ecosystem to enjoy the platform. Without ICS support, users were not able to enjoy Spotify on the latest and greatest version of Android. Now that the app is working on the latest generation of Android devices, it is a huge bonus and frankly something that should have been already included.
As you can tell in the screenshots below, the big story here is that Spotify for Android has been given a huge overhaul compared to the old version of the app. Users can use the all-new slide-out navigation, view their friends’ Facebook profiles and playlists right on the app, and view album art in high-resolution. The app also features an overall speed enhancement that is very noticeable when you fire up the app.
Spotify plans to add folders and Last.fm scrobbling to the app before it goes live on the Play Store, but it was not included in the pre-release software that we tested.
Overall, Spotify has made some great changes that allow Android users to enjoy its service. Spotify has done a great job with this app, and it is now on-par, if not surpassing, the iPhone app. Spotify plans to launch the app very soon, and we will keep you updated when the app hits the Play Store. Now we just need to hear some more information on that rumored iPad app.
If you are an Android user, but are missing some of the features of the BlackBerry handsets, weep no longer. According to TechnoBuffalo, RIM’s popular BlackBerry Messenger service is set to launch for Android and iOS sometime later this year. Buffalo’s sources were able to provide a shot of the app running in an Android code debugger. Looks cool, huh? Check out another shot of BBM running after the jump. Read more
