Hasta La Gadget!

The Tamagotchi you had 16 years ago isn’t a zombie coming back to haunt you. The virtual pet’s riding that 90s nostalgia wave, and it’s been resurrected in the form of an Android app. More »

We’re sure that many of you guys use the WhatsApp messenger on your Android device, but if you have felt that WhatsApp’s interface on your Android device is starting to get a bit stale, you might be pleased to learn that an update could be heading your way soon. Google+ user Jose Luis de la Torre has managed to snag some screenshots of the updated WhatsApp which appears to have been redesigned to be more in line with the Android Holo UI, and as you can see in the comparison screenshots above, it is looking pretty good! Unfortunately the update is not yet available officially via the Google Play store, which means you will have to download the beta APK yourself via WhatsApp’s website. Its supposedly in beta although according to reports of those who have tried it, it seems relatively stable enough and it should be usable for your daily needs. If you’d rather not download the APK, we guess you will just have to wait for the official update, but considering that the beta seems relatively stable, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the update to hit Google Play!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony Xperia Z Available for Preorder on Vodafone UK, Android And iOS Capture 91.1% Global Market Share,

There are probably a few Windows Phone users who are bummed that Instagram is missing on their phones. The good news is that if you absolutely must take grunge-y photos of your meals, perhaps an Instagram competitor might be worth taking a look at. App Molome has been confirmed by its founder (via WPCentral) to be arriving on Windows Phone 8 devices, although there is no word on when it will be available. For Symbian, Android and Blackberry users, Molome is an app you’ve probably heard of, but since there is Instagram for Android, Molome could be a welcome addition for Windows Phone users. We expect that its features will be fairly similar to its Symbian, Android and Blackberry counterpart, or it could even be better – who knows? The app is currently being developed for Windows Phone 8, but fret not Windows Phone 7.x users as the app will eventually make its way onto your phone. The reason behind this is because of technical reasons that made Molome want to develop for Windows Phone 8 first. We have to wonder if this move by Molome will make Instagram release a native app for Windows Phone devices?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung To Build 100M Galaxy S4 Handsets [Analyst], Samsung Rex Handsets Skip The Android Bandwagon,

Valentine’s Day—that cherished celebration of love and its joyful bounty—is just around the corner. But for the lonely-hearts littered across the country, seeing couples enjoying all the love and the happiness and the not-being-perpetually-alone-for-eternity can, perhaps, pour a little salt on a long-standing wound. More »

The Apple TV could finally be getting a developer SDK that would allow third-party apps to appear on the platform, according to an analyst note from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek today. The note cites channel checks as the source of the info that Apple will hold an Apple TV-related event in March, at which time it may introduce an SDK for “iTV” development.

Misek also predicts that there will be an actual hardware Apple television set launching later in the year, around September or October, meaning Gene Munster isn’t the only analyst singing that particular tune. But so-called iTV or no, the possibility that Apple will finally open up its set-top box to developers the way it has done with the iPhone and iPad is exciting.

But we’ve been here before. The Apple TV has always seemed ripe for a third-party developer SDK, ever since it originally launched back in 2007, and especially once the second generation model came out in 201o. It was even running a version of iOS when the little black model debuted, which seemed like a guaranteed sign that it was only a matter of time before we’d see Apple do the same thing they’d done with the iPhone: unlock the potential of the platform with an SDK and developer program.

Instead, what we actually saw was Apple roll out third-party apps with various updates, one or a few at a time, carefully gating access to the platform. As to why it would do that, there are a few reasons, but I’d guess that at least part of it has to do with Apple’s ongoing efforts to negotiate content deals with major providers including networks and film studios. Move too quickly to unlock the platform, and you risk incurring the enmity of content distributors who want to have a say in who has access to a channel. Those old media giants probably aren’t too comfortable with a Wild West App Store-type vibe making its way to the living room, especially when it has the popularity and install base of Apple’s iOS users.

In a roundabout way, there are already apps on the Apple TV, and not just the native ones Apple has given golden approval. AirPlay means most apps can mirror their content from an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to the big screen, and do so with a high degree of fidelity, for the most part. But the difference is akin to when Apple originally said that third-party developers can build apps for iPhone, but they’d have to use the web browser to do it. There’s a lot you can accomplish, but it’s not the same as if the apps were operating natively on Apple TV itself.

So how likely is it that this time we’ll actually see Apple open things up? If it is planning a full television launch, an App Store ready to go and populated with content ahead of time would help it greatly, but that depends on Misek’s sources being right on both counts. Misek has been hit or miss when it comes to Apple rumors in the past, but he did get pretty close on iPhone 4S details ahead of its launch back in 2012.