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Android And iOS Users Can Now BBM like It’s 2007

Bobby Gill | October 22, 2013

1.) Hallejujah! Windows 8.1 is here!

 

The prayers of Windows 8 users across the world were answered last week: Windows 8.1 is here! Good news folks, life with Windows 8 just became a little more bearable. Start Button? Check! Usable Search? Check! A native Facebook app? Ding! It’s not that Windows 8 was a bad product, rather Microsoft tried to do to much in one release. With an extra year of time to fill in all the holes that Windows 8 shipped with, Microsoft’s second attempt at a tablet operating system is much, much better.

2.) Microsoft to Surface RT Users: Drop Dead

Like the sun in a Seattle winter, the good times didn’t last long in Redmond. After releasing Windows 8.1 to the masses, Microsoft pulled the Windows 8.1 release for the Surface RT on Saturday after users across the globe reported that Microsoft’s free Windows 8.1 update rendered their Surfaces unusable! Yikes! How did that escape QA?! As of Tuesday morning, Microsoft has finally announced a fix for the issue. If you think your week has been tough, imagine all the fun the developers and testers in the Windows organization had this weekend!

3.) Apple’s 5th Generation iPad: Let There be Plastic!

Once again, the tech world quivers with excitement ahead of another Apple announcement. Last month it was the plastic cased iPhone, today the world kegels in anticipation of Apple’s unveiling of the 5th generation, plastic cased iPad! Will Apple announce a retina screen for the iPad Mini?! Could we see a fingerprint sensor on the iPad?! Needless to say, the world has not felt this much excitement since Survivor Palau.

4.) Nokia Lumia Sales Double

The good times keep rolling for Windows Phone 8. According to the WSJ, sales of Nokia’s Windows Phone flagship Lumia have doubled since last year, increasing from 2.9 million to 7.4 million devices! Before anyone gets too excited, Apple sold 9 million new iPhones in the 3 days after the launch of its 5c/5s models! Nevertheless, the candle that is Windows Phone keeps on glowing as its slowly inches up its global marketshare, especially in foreign markets. Could we live to see a Windows Phone crack the 10% global marketshare barrier?!

5.) Nokia’s Breathes Life into Windows RT

 

The soon to be Microsoft protectorate of Nokia is not going silently into the night. Right along side Apple’s iPad announcement, Nokia today is unveiling it’s very first Windows Phone phablet and more shockingly, a Windows RT powered tablet! Nokia’s Lumia 1520 is a 6-inch monster running Windows Phone 8 meant to challenge Samsung’s equally massive Note line of phablets. Don’t be caught with a 4 inch screen in a 6 inch world, size does matter folks.

 

However, the big news coming out of Nokia’s announcement is the introduction of its first tablet running Windows RT! While Dell, Sony and Lenovo have all thrown in the towel on Windows RT, Nokia is jumping right in with its Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet. The Lumia 2520 is the first only legitimate competitor to Microosft’s Surface as it comes with 4G LTE and a 6.7MB camera. The corpse that is Windows RT just twitched. But for how long? It’s rumored that Microsoft plans to discontinue the Nokia and Lumia brands as part of its acquisition of Nokia.

6.) BlackBerry’s BBM Arrives on iOS and Android!

Speaking of twitching, BlackBerry released its long delayed, and mildly anticipated BBM service to iOS and Android! Die hard BlackBerry fans across the world rejoiced at the thought of going back in time and BBM’ing like it was 2007. If you awoke today to a Facebook feed filled with images like this:

Then you too have friends who are ready to relive their BBM glory days. It’s hard to deny the hipster appeal of connecting with your friends with a 9-digit hex string, email addresses and usernames are far too pedestrian.

Bobby Gill
Co-Founder & Chief Architect at BlueLabel | + posts

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