Jan 14
Personal banking apps make managing a checking or savings account easy, eschewing the need for a laptop or firing up a browser. Whether they keep your personal data secure is … Continue reading
Jan 14
Covering one of the world’s largest tech shows using only a BlackBerry may sound like an absurd idea. But after six days of using a Z30, Tim Moynihan gained a newfound admiration for the phone.
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Jan 14
At the moment, Android 4.4 KitKat is the latest version of Android at the moment, but at the same time chances are there are probably smartphone users out still running on older builds of Android. There can be a variety of reasons behind this, such as the decision not to change to a newer device because either it costs too much, or they really love their current device at the moment. Either way there are users out there who might be running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread or maybe even older, a possibility that we cannot discount, and it seems that it is a possibility that BlackBerry cannot discount either, especially given that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is still installed on about 21% of Android devices out there.
That also means there is a large audience out there who are unable to use BBM due to Gingerbread not meeting BlackBerry’s requirements, but it looks like BlackBerry is hoping to change that. In an email sent out by BlackBerry, they are currently seeking beta testers who might still have Android devices running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread to help test their BBM app. Of course there’s no telling how this might work out as Gingerbread might simply be too old to provide a good experience for the user, but either way it’s good to know that BlackBerry is trying nonetheless.
BlackBerry Might Be Considering BBM For Android 2.3 Gingerbread Devices original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 14
We know how hard it can be to stop yourself from texting and driving. After all the message could be an important one, or one that you have been waiting for, but ultimately it is dangerous and accidents have happened because of that. Looking to do something for the community and perhaps enact a little CSR, Samsung has announced a new app and campaign called Eyes on the Road which is basically an Android app that prevents drivers from texting while they are driving as statistics have shown that drivers who text are 23 times more likely to get into an accident.
Basically how the app works is that it will use the phone’s sensors and GSM cell towers to determine the speed at which you are moving at, and presumably moving at a faster speed would allow the phone to assume you are in a vehicle. Once it detects that you are, alerts from phone calls, text messages, or social media will be hidden until you arrive at your destination. The app event allows for auto response to text messages informing the sender that you are currently indisposed. Unfortunately the app is currently available only in Singapore, so for our Singaporean readers, go ahead and take it for a spin.
There are drawbacks to the app which is that it is unable to detect if you are the driver or a passenger, but given that you have the option of disabling it, we guess there’s that. Either way it’s still a pretty good idea and if you’d like to see the app in action, check out the video above.
Samsung Launches Eyes On The Road App That Prevents Texting While Driving original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could send BBM messages from your desktop instead of having to keep switching back to your phone? As it stands Apple’s iMessage allows that if you’re using their Mac OS X operating system, and during BlackBerry Jam Asia 2013, BlackBerry demoed something similar as well, although there was no mention if and when such a feature would be arriving. However it seems that BlackBerry is considering that feature very seriously because in the latest survey sent out by BlackBerry for their BlackBerry Link 1.2 software.
Basically what the survey wanted to know is what sort of features both new and existing users of the software should be included in future updates for the PC and Mac platforms, and one of the questions was related to BBM and SMS integration. Of course there’s no telling if BlackBerry will ever incorporate such features, but given that BBM is no longer an exclusive to the BlackBerry platform and has made its way onto iOS and Android, giving these users the option to send messages through their computers and not just their phones could make them more receptive to using BlackBerry’s software.
Of course this does not really benefit BlackBerry financially since BBM is free, although with plans to monetize it in the future, having more users on board will no doubt be a great selling point for future clients looking to advertise through its BBM Channels feature. What do you guys think? BBM for the desktop, yay or nay?
New BlackBerry Survey Gauges Interest Of BBM For Desktop original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
We’re sure there are many of you guys out there who use banking apps on their smartphones or tablets. After all this is a great way to check/manage your finances on the go, as well as paying back friends for a meal in the event that you did not bring cash with you that day. Safe to say it offers a host of inconveniences. However for the most part, these apps aren’t developed by the banks themselves, but outsourced to third party developers, which is often a cheaper and more efficient option. However since these banks to do not actually develop these apps themselves, it also means there might be security flaws in them that the bank might not be aware of, which is what security researchers at IO Active are warning smartphone users about. (more…)
Research Finds Majority Of Bank Apps Are Not Secure original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
Ever heard of Tinder? If you haven’t, Tinder is a dating app designed for iOS and Android devices. Basically what it does is that it matches people up and you can choose if you like or dislike them by swiping to the left or right. What makes Tinder different from other dating apps or services is that it cuts down on spam because only people who have mutually liked each other’s profile are able to send messages to one another, so at the very least the initial attraction is mutual, as opposed to having to fend off unwanted suitors. Now the good news is that Windows Phone owners looking to get in on the Tinder action will soon be able to thanks to 6tindr.
If you’re wondering why it sounds so familiar, it is because we mentioned it previously as being the unofficial Tinder app for Windows Phone. The app is put together by none other than developer Rudy Huyn who has in the past created unofficial apps such as Instagram, and Vine (and original ones as well) for the Windows Phone platform. In any case Huyn has teased the app’s availability on his Twitter account claiming that the app is finally completed and that there are still some last minute tests left before it will make its way into the Windows Phone store where it will be presumably a free download. We expect that Huyn will be making introducing some new features that the official Tinder app does not, as he has done in the past, so be sure to keep an eye out for it!
6tindr For Windows Phone Nears Completion original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 12
When driving it is important to keep your focus on the road and to watch out for other cars or pedestrians, which is why it is considered illegal to talk on the phone as it distracts you. That being said sometimes being focused for long periods of time can be quite draining and that’s where the EnLighten app comes into play. Designed by the folks at Green Drive, the idea behind EnLighten is to help drivers “relax” at traffic lights by alerting them when the light has turned green and it is time to start moving again. We’re not sure how much help this is given that sometimes traffic lights are only red for a minute or two, but we suppose to some, every second counts.
If you’re wondering how EnLighten knows when to alert you, it is because the app uses its own algorithm to calculate how much time the light has left to turn green, and also because it syncs with your city’s traffic light system. This also means that EnLighten will not work all around the world just yet. As it stands, the app will work in cities such as Portland, Oregon; Eugene, Oregon; Pasadena, California; Arcadia, California; San Jose, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; Provo, Utah; Garland, Texas and Las Vegas, with more to be added later on in the year. It sounds like a pretty clever idea and while it is nice to be alerted to when the lights turn green, to be on the safe side you should probably check the lights themselves as well to see if it matches with the app’s alerts.
EnLighten App Will Alert You When The Traffic Light Turns Green original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 10
When I got my first smartphone, the iPhone 3GS, one of the first few games I downloaded was Tap Tap Revenge. After all playing games like Guitar Hero on the PS3 was already so fun, imagine replicating that play style on a mobile device that you can bring with you on the go! Pretty compelling, isn’t it? Unfortunately it looks like all good things must come to an end as the company being Tap Tap Revenge, Tapulous, has announced that they will be officially shutting the franchise down for good and will be pulled from the app store starting from today, and that the game’s servers will be closed at the beginning of February.
According to the company, the reason behind the closure is due to the ever-changing mobile and music markets, which the company believes no longer makes sense for them to maintain the game. The good news is that those who still have the game will be able to keep playing them, but take note that if you were to reset your phone and lose any songs you might have bought/downloaded, you will not be able to restore them. This shutdown will also apply to the Android version of the game, although we guess there will probably be places where you might be able to download the APKs if you were to search hard enough. So, anyone sad to see such a classic iOS game disappear?
Tapulous Bids Adieu To Tap Tap Revenge Franchise original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 10
We’re sure many of you guys have heard of Snapchat by now. If you haven’t, it’s basically an app that allows users to send photos to one another which are deleted automatically after a certain amount of time, making it the perfect app for sexting and for photos you’d rather not have seen by others. Well if you thought that making photos disappear after a short period of time was a good idea, what about disappearing text? That’s where an app called Confide comes in. Launched on Tuesday, some are calling this app the “Snapchat for professionals”, due to the apps ability to automatically delete text messages after they are read.
Sure, one could always manually delete messages and photos but what if you forgot? We guess this is where automation comes in. Put together by Jon Brod, a former AOL exec, and Howard Lerman, CEO of Yext, the duo are hoping that Confide will appeal to business executives who might want to discuss sensitive information, such as upcoming products or services, or financials, without the information being seen by others snooping around their phone. According to Lerman (via Businessweek), “Confide doesn’t store any messages on its servers, it doesn’t have the ability to retrieve them if a company, or the National Security Agency, comes knocking.”
Just like Snapchat, Confide has built in safety procedures preventing screenshots from being taken. Of course we expect that due to its secretive nature, the app will bound to find use outside of business circles. In the meantime to see how the app works, check out the video above.
Confide Is The Snapchat For Business Users original content from Ubergizmo. 
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