Since it has been announced I written articles entitled whatsapp vs bbm and First look at BBM for Android. Now that BBM for Android and iOS is official its apparent that I was very wrong. My exact statement was "I can't help but think it may be to late for Blackberry and BBM". Since its release, BBM was downloaded an astounding 10 Millions times in the first 24 hours and is the #1 Free app in the App Store and is in the Top 3 free for Google Play.

 “This has been an incredible launch for BBM across Android and iPhone devices. The mobile messaging market is full of opportunity for BBM. We intend to be the leading private social network for everyone who needs the immediate communication and collaboration of instant messaging combined with the privacy, control and reliability delivered through BBM,” said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, BBM at BlackBerry. 

This is definitely a great turn around for Blackberry after its financial lost financial lost and possible sale. After all BBM was a pioneer in the messaging industry and based on the buzz it has received, its back!
It may be to early to say if BBM will put WhatsApp down or not but by the looks for it, they'll surely give them a run for their money... or not. (They're free) 

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The most alluring feature of the new iPhone is the by far the Touch ID feature. While the idea itself maybe real cool. The new feature may not be as secure as it may seem. 

Your initial thought may be "well how can someone hack my device and only i have my finger print. The thing about finger prints are they are unique to you and you alone, but can be very easy to get a hold of. Look at it this way, how many criminals have gone to jail because of their prints being left behind? How many surfaces do you touch per day? Do you even take the time to wipe down your phone? Chances are you don't. Your finger print is everywhere and with enough time and a few good tutorials it can be cracked. In the average iPhone user's case, who is going to that extreme for a few pictures and messages. We're not talking about hacking someones bank account to withdraw funds, we're talking about a cell phone. 

In my opinion if you have a secure pass code to protect against the everyday prying person, stick with it. If your pass code is simple and is just a cross pattern, change it to something unique or upgrade to a password; include some letters to make it much more difficult. Further more with your phone data backed up (if its not it should be), if your phone is stolen or missing you simply can remotely wipe it and restore whenever you're ready. Again that is just my personal recommendation. Apple has released the 7.0.2 update to correct the issue of bypass all security features. This issue seems to be resolved.

The overall idea of replacing the four digit code with just a touch ID is trendsetting. While this isn't the first attempt of a Touch ID feature, with apple's stand alone iPhone and the immense popularity behind the name, consumers will have no choice but to take notice of the feature. Apple is trying to provide security with convenience and with the brand being what it is, they are almost destined to succeed.

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Finally, the day all the apple heads have been waiting for has come. Today Apple officially announced their latest phones. Yes those ones we've been hearing so many rumours about, they're here!

With the newest releases, the highlight of the iPhone 5S is definitely what they're calling Touch ID. Apple has implemented a finger print sensor on the home button which can be used to unlock the phone and to make purchases from the app store. It's really an efficient solution for securing you personal information if your phone is stolen. Their is also truth behind the coloured rumours of the 5S. It will be available in Black, Silver and Gold aluminium housings. Other than that and the iOS7 operating system. Not much else has changed.

The sceptic that everyone has been waiting to confirm... has been confirmed. Apple is releasing a cheaper version of the iphone called the 5C. The C is suppose to stand for colour due to it being available in a variety coloured plastic housings. Yellow, blue, red and white and green are your choice of colours.

Although it is said to be cheaper, some may beg to differ. The 5C is rumoured to cost $450.00, just one hundred dollars under the 5S coming out at $550.00 for a 16gb version. When said to be cheap persons expected more around the affordable $350.00 range. Non-the-less I'm sure Apple will still flourish from its 2 new flagships set to release in the US, UK, China, Australia and Canada on September 20th, 2013

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The Infamous Instagram recently rolled out a new update for iOS. They've added a straighten function to "make it easier to take beautiful photos." Instagram now takes advantage of the sensor that determines the orientation and tilt of your device, and uses it to straighten the photo. This means the auto straighten function can only work with an in-app photo. Have no fear though, the update also includes a slider so you can rotate and adjust any photo including those imported from your photo library.

With rotation comes zooming. Instagram stated that "we need to zoom a little." Simply because when you rotate the photo their would be empty regions in the corners. So naturally the photo is zoomed in a little to fill the edges.

iOS users you can also rotate your photos with common gestures. That is two finger rotation and even one finger rotation. For android... well nothing was mentioned in the instagram blog post of android or even when it will be receiving the update. I don't think "if" has to even be questioned thought. Its probably just a matter of time.

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The argument can be made that the Samsung brand may produce the 'best' smart phones in the market. I know that many people have a different opinion other than this. It is quite clear however, that Samsung is now establishing it's self as the most popular of the bunch.
Zach Esptien of www.bgr.com says Apple was crushed by Samsung in the second quarter. Apple moved 31.2 million units while Samsung flooded the world with 71 million units. 

The new flagship for Samsung is the Galaxy S4. It was released globally April 2013 and with only two months in sold 23 million units as at the end of Q2.

Then of course their is the iPhone 5 which comes with its sensational retina display, and voice control (siri) and a sleek sexy design.

Behind the top dogs are some exceptionally great phones. Lets look at the Motorola Moto X has been in the buzz for sometime now and is recognized for being highly customizable. On top of that design is pretty plush considering the 4.7 gorgeous screen. Its overall a very fast, sleek, fun smartphone.

Lumia 1020 is a remarkable phone by Nokia that offers the best camera of them all. With a 41 mega-pixel cam, photo's have never been so crisp phone a smart phone. We can't forget a 1.5 dual core snapdragon processor. (That means its realllyy fast). The OS is Windows Phone 8, which in my personal opinion is a very clean and smooth n pretty interface. Its just taking the OS some time to catch up to the competition.

The HTC One is an awakening giant. It's 1.7 Quad Core Snapdragon and its candy-bar touch screen form wrapped in an aluminium shell makes its so attractive. 

Personally I'm begging to really like Lumia and the windows phone 8 platform? What do you'll like?

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If you haven't heard already, Apple is getting set to release its latest versions (yes that was with an s) of the ever popular iPhone. They're the 5s and the speculated 5c. 
The official announcement is set for September 10, 2013. Only then will we know for sure exactly what it is apple has in store with these new versions. However, we do have "rumoured" info. ;)

If we look at Apple's pattern they seem to always tweak the original version a little and add a 's' on the name e.g. 3g, 3gs, 4, 4s, 5, and now of course the 5s. It looks as if nothing has changed with the overall design but it is rumoured that the 5s will have colour options for the back. This is definitely bringing some flavour to their line up.The storage capacity has jumped, 5s is said to be available with up to 128gb of storage and they're also rolling out with a 12 mega-pixel camera and even possibly iOS7. The 5s looks to be very well polished and will more than likely be another hit!

The new kid on the block will be the 5c (if its released that is). Apple's VP Schiller has dismissed the rumours of the cheaper, budget version of the 5 saying "Some manufactures use cheap smartphones as a replacement for feature phones, but this is not Apple's product development direction". With that being said, more and more information and photos seem to be popping up raising speculation. If it is released, its said that it will come with a plastic covering and will come in colours. It will have mainly all the specs of the 5 but will be cheaper because of its plastic covering.

Image via appleinside.com


In my personal opinion if the 5c does drop apple may get a big jump in users simply because more people can afford the mega mogul that is iPhone.  I do think that the true members will not buy into it. Maybe they're #TeamIphoneCheap Who knows, like I said its all rumoured and until September 10th, the world may never know.

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