Andreas' Blog

Social Media App Updates for BlackBerry 10: Facebook and Twitter : I’ve got some awesome news for those of you who just picked up your new BlackBerry Z10 in the US and for you old pros around the globe. Facebook and Twitter have been updated for BlackBerry 10. What I love, is that with each update, we’ve added some new features that make it easier for you to stay connected and do more with social media on your BlackBerry 10 smartphone. Check out each section below for a summary of new features and improvements and be sure to swing by the BlackBerry World storefront where each of these updates are available as a free download . Facebook version 10.0.1 New Features Friends Nearby – Now, Facebook for BlackBerry 10 allows you to discover if your Facebook friends are nearby. You’ll be able to see when they’ve checked in on Facebook to a location that’s close to where you are. Photo Updates – There are new ways of interacting with your Facebook photos. Now you can now eas...

  Windows 8 users who have been actively using the Calendar app of the operating system may be in for a surprise if they have configured the app to sync data with their Google account. A recent update to the Windows Store application, it seems to be rolling out right now so you may not have it yet, terminated the option to sync the app with Google. New and existing users will receive an error message when they try to sync data. The message "Reconnect this account. We can't connect to 'email address' because Google no longer supports ActiveSync. Reconnect to get your email and contacts using a different method. Cancel to save your email drafts and reconnect later" appears and blames Google for dropping ActiveSync. It is true that Google, for whatever reason, decided to terminate Exchange ActiveSync as a product the company is offering. The company wanted to terminate the feature in January 2013 originally but extended the deadline until July 31. So, what W...

BlackBerry Link for Windows updated to v1.0.1.11 : Good news for Windows users - BlackBerry Link for Windows has received a small update that brings one-way sync as well as some other tweaks and fixes. The new version allows Windows users to sync contact and calendar data from Outlook on a PC to a BlackBerry 10 device, but sadly not from the device to the PC. It's a step in the right direction but certainly leaves Outlook users wanting more. Thankfully two-way sync is expected down the road. Some various fixes and UI tweaks included in this build as well. Head to the link below to grab the latest version. Download BlackBerry Link for Windows

Apple releases iOS 6.1.3 with maps updates, lock screen vulnerability fix : Apple ( AAPL ) on Tuesday released iOS 6.1.3 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The update fixes a recent vulnerability that allowed unauthorized users to bypass a device's lockscreen . The update also improves the Apple Maps application in Japan. iOS version 6.1.3 is available immediately as an over-the-air (OTA) update, and it will be available for download shortly in iTunes.

Windows 7 SP1 to start rolling out on Windows Update Starting tomorrow, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) will begin rolling out automatically on Windows Update.  Updating customers to Windows 7 SP1 is part of our ongoing effort to ensure continued support and improved security updates for customers who have not yet installed SP1. Windows 7 SP1 was previously available on Windows Update but required user action to install.  Starting tomorrow, the installation will be fully automatic with no user action required for those who already have Automatic Update enabled.  SP1 will be released gradually over the coming weeks to all customers on the RTM version of Windows 7.  The service pack will take slightly longer to install compared to other updates.  To ensure Service Pack 1 is installed without issue, customers should check for sufficient free disk space and that AC power is present on a laptop.  If additional space needs to be created, we recommend u...

  It has been a long time in coming, and once again, just to prove the fact that good things come to those who wait, Apple has managed to reveal a new operating system update for their OS X platform in the form of the 10.8.3 update, delivering Boot Camp support at long last for the Windows 8 platform from Microsoft. Of course, other than Windows 8 support in Boot Camp, there will be a slew of other enhancements that has been thrown into the mix. Before the 10.8.3 update for OS X, folks who have been trying to make Windows 8 run fine on OS X would have had to settle for a less elegant process, and now that there is something official from Cupertino, it makes perfect sense to grab that update, so that you can now switch between OS X and Windows 8 seamlessly, targeting the crowd that loves to have the option of dual booting their machine. It is said that the 10.8.3 update had undergone testing for approximately 3.5 months before it is deemed ripe and ready for public use...

The official Twitter app for Windows 8 is now available With Twitter limiting third party developer API access, users either have to find an application for their system that has not reached that limit yet, or use one of the official clients that Twitter makes available if they want to use a Twitter program and not Twitter on the official website. Twitter has just released its official application for Windows 8 and while Windows 8 is not showing a single rating for it yet, it boasts an impressed 394 user reviews already. It is the only application that won't run into the 100,000 user limit and while there are not many Twitter clients yet for Windows 8 that come close to that limit, it is certainly one of the things that users should consider when selecting a Twitter client for the operating system. You need to sign in with your Twitter user name and password. Here you can also check a box to stay signed in, and let the Twitter application run in the background. That...

Google Reader , Google's popular RSS application, will be shut down on July 1 of this year. The company has revealed the news in a blog post that spells the end for another batch of Google features and products. The company has cited a decline in users as the main reason for Reader's closure, though admits the service has a "loyal following". While the news may strike some as a shock, this latest round of what Google has called "spring cleaning" is part of a company-wide effort which has been ongoing since 2011, and has seen the loss of other declining products including iGoogle .  This round's casualties also include the Google Building Designer, a software for adding 3D building to Google Maps, and the Google Voice app for BlackBerry which the company hopes to replace with an HTML5 version . Google Reader users looking to export their data can do so using the Google Takeout service , though the many RSS applications that already depend on...

WhatsApp Now Available on BlackBerry 10 : Yes, Team BlackBerry, WhatsApp Messenger has arrived in the BlackBerry World storefront for BlackBerry 10 devices, and we couldn’t be more excited! WhatsApp Messenger is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. WhatsApp Messenger uses the same internet data plan that you use for email and web browsing, so there is no additional cost to message and stay in touch with your friends as long as you stay within your data limits! WhatsApp provides a fantastic experience that leverages the true multi-tasking capabilities of BlackBerry 10. WhatsApp Messenger for BlackBerry 10 gives you an awesome messaging experience, and it looks and feels stunning. Here’s what you can expect from the app: Instant push notifications to alert you when you receive messages- even when the screen is locked. Full integration into BlackBerry Contacts, with automatic contact scanning to help you b...

  Good news today for BlackBerry 5/6/7 users - BlackBerry Messenger ( BBM ) has received a wee update to version 7.0.1.23 and it brings BBM Voice to OS5 users. That may well be an old OS now, but I still see so many people around London talking and texting on their BlackBerry Curve 8520's. Read More » BlackBerry Messenger gets updated for older devices - Brings BBM Voice to OS5 James Richardson Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:38:42 GMT

BlackBerry Z10 getting WhatsApp starting next week : BlackBerry's ( BBRY ) app problem is about to get a little less severe. BlackBerry social media manager Alex Kinsella on Thursday posted an update to his Twitter account "predicting" that BlackBerry Z10 users will "be downloading WhatsApp" within the next week. Having WhatsApp on BlackBerry 10 is an important win for the new BlackBerry platform both because of its popularity in emerging markets and because it may help offset the impending loss of unlimited BlackBerry Messenger services in certain key markets . All that said, BlackBerry still has a long way to go when it comes to attracting top apps to its platform, especially in light of Netflix's ( NFLX ) confirmation this week that it has no plans to make an app for BlackBerry 10 .

  iMore has learned that Apple is planning the release of the iPhone 5S for this summer, currently for August. Next generation iPads, presumably the iPad 5 and potentially the iPad mini 2 , may also debut as soon as this April. Sources familiar with the plans have told iMore that the iPhone 5S does indeed have the same basic design as the iPhone 5 , with a more advanced processor and an improved camera. With the iPhone 5, Apple reduced the thinness of the casing but managed to keep essentially the same, if not slightly better, overall quality. Given the dimensions, or lack-thereof, that in-and-of itself was a feat of engineering. With the iPhone 5S, the aim is to once again raise the bar in terms of iPhone optics, including a much better camera in essentially the same casing. No huge surprises there, given the past history of S-class iPhones. We've also been told an April-ish launch is getting serious consideration for the next-generation iPads, but we're really not sure w...

  Note-taking service Evernote today released a statement announcing that it had discovered suspicious activity on the Evernote network, which prompted it to issue a service-wide password reset . While Evernote says that no content or payment information was accessed, hackers did acquire usernames, email addresses, and encrypted passwords. In our security investigation, we have found no evidence that any of the content you store in Evernote was accessed, changed or lost. We also have no evidence that any payment information for Evernote Premium or Evernote Business customers was accessed. The investigation has shown, however, that the individual(s) responsible were able to gain access to Evernote user information, which includes usernames, email addresses associated with Evernote accounts and encrypted passwords. Even though this information was accessed, the passwords stored by Evernote are protected by one-way encryption. (In technical terms, they are hashed and salted.) All ...