Hasta La Gadget!

There is no shortage of cross-platform instant messaging applications. There’s market leader WhatsApp with over 350 million users and then there are other strong players such as Viber, Line, Kik etc all of which have seen substantial growth in recent years. Even BlackBerry Messenger saw a surge in its user base once it was finally opened up to iOS and Android. Kik has achieved a major milestone, CEO Ted Livingston announced today that the service has crossed 100 million users and it is substantially growing as over 200,000 new users are added every single day.

Kik sees greater penetration in the U.S. because according to the CEO, over fifty percent of its entire user base lives in the U.S. Referencing recent numbers released by app analytics firm Distimo, Livingston also said that Kik now gets more downloads in the U.S. than WhatsApp. He believes one of the reason why Kik is becoming so popular is because users don’t have to sign up with their phone numbers. So if they want to add someone on Kik they don’t have to reveal their number. It is the exact same premise that BlackBerry promoted when it made BBM cross-platform, funny thing is, Livingston pitched the idea of taking BBM cross-platform to company executives when he worked at BlackBerry but he was shot down. He launched Kik instead, and the rest as they say is history.

Kik Reaches 100 Million Users, Adds 200,000 Each Day original content from Ubergizmo.

The Federal Communications Commission and U.S. wireless carriers are said to be working on the final details of a new cellphone unlocking policy. The new policy will make it easier for subscribers who want to switch from one carrier to another. According to industry sources cited by Reuters, the policy would require that carriers notify subscribers about the eligibility of their phones for unlocking through mediums such as text messages, it is expected that some prepaid phones might be covered as well.

Carriers would be required to process or deny unlocking requests within two business days, the policy will finally implement this FCC guidance that the commission had previously issued. The points that are still being debated upon by FCC and wireless carriers are said to be the timeline for the roll out of the new policy, handling of prepaid phones and methods for keeping unlocked phones off of the black markets. The policy aims to simplify the various procedures that carriers have in place to unlock subscribers’ devices after their conventional two-year service contracts end. Despite deliberations between the FCC and U.S. wireless carriers being in the final stages, it is still not known for sure right now when the new policy will go in effect.

FCC And U.S. Carriers Nearing New Cellphone Unlocking Policy original content from Ubergizmo.

If you happen to be rocking to a Moto X from Motorola and are a subscriber of Sprint, then here is some good news – your smartphone would now be on the receiving end of the Android 4.4 KitKat update. Sprint has recently updated its Moto X support site, ensuring that the Android 4.4 KitKat update will roll out today, in order to keep up with the pace set by the remaining Moto X variants. Having said that, do expect to be on the receiving end of an improved phone dialer app, a better camera focus and exposure experience among others.

Some of Sprint’s changelog include various enhancements that range from a restyled status and navigation bars to a brand new full-screen mode, color emoji support, improved closed captioning support, stronger security, smarter power use, and more tools and capabilities for better app development. There is also the inclusion of NFC Host Card Emulation support so that one can enjoy experiences like contactless payments, loyalty plans, transit passes, and card access among others. Haven’t received the Android 4.4 KitKat update yet on the Moto X? Just check the update manually by heading into Settings > About Phone > System Updates, and you should be able to see your Moto X’s software version get bumped to 13.11.3Q2.X-69-3-8 once you’re done. [Support Page]

Sprint Moto X To Receive Android 4.4 KitKat Update original content from Ubergizmo.

The Zagat survey started out back in 1979 with the idea being to collect ratings of restaurants by diners. New York City was the first location that was tracked in the survey. By 2005, Zagat was tracking over 70 cities and rated not only restaurants, but hotels, airlines, golf courses, nightlife venues and much more. Google purchased the company in 2011 and the following year ratings and reviews from Zagat were tightly integrated with Google’s services. The company did reduce the number of locations being tracked, but it opened up the service through its website and waived membership fees. An updated app has been rolled out today which brings a whole new user interface for Android tablets, it also brings Street View integration and tracks even more locations.

The update now lets users access ratings and reviews straight from the home screen. Additional locations being tracked include Miami, Houston, Long Island and New Jersey. Street View integration allows users to see panoramas of the inside of establishments listed on the survey, so not only will users be able to hear from people who have went to a particular place, but they will also be able to see the inside without actually having to go there in the first place. Zagat for Android is available now for download from the Google Play Store.

Zagat Update Brings New Tablet UI And More original content from Ubergizmo.

Google has started rolling out the updated Google Maps app for iOS and Android, apart from the usual tweaks, bug fixes and performance improvements, the update also brings a number of new features. The biggest feature is Gmail integration, which means that users will be able to access their hotel, flight and restaurant reservations from within the Maps app. Even flight reservations will be displayed when users open up a relevant location in the app. The information is only displayed to the user, they’ll first need to sign into the Gmail account to gain access. Without account authentication, the app won’t show any personal information such as reservations.

This particular feature is reminiscent of the “private” search results that the company displays for Google Search users who are signed into their Google accounts. However through Search, users are also able to track packages, look up information about contacts, see Calendar entries and much more. The updated Google Maps application is being rolled out in stages, so it might take some time before the app becomes available in your region. Google Maps app for iOS and Android are both available as free downloads from the App Store and the Google Play Store, respectively.

Google Maps iOS And Android Apps Updated With Gmail Integration original content from Ubergizmo.