TECH POP-UPS

BlackBerry launched its popular BBM service for Android and iOS last year and ever since it went official, Gingerbread users have been demanding a version of the application that is compatible with the platform. And now we hear that an app for this operating system is on its way into the Google Play store.

The company itself spilled the beans regarding the new version of the instant messenger through a post on its official blog. It says that the app will be compatible with devices running Gingerbread version 2.3.3 or later and the beta version can be expected to be released sometime in February. The previously released BBM for Android application was compliant with gadgets based on Ice Cream Sandwich or higher platforms.


The developers at BlackBerry have been busy designing the application for a few months now and it goes without saying that the version will make the instant messenger available to more than a few million people around the globe. Even though Google has already released the KitKat OS, Gingerbread continues to have a 21 percent share in the Android territory.

You may already know that BlackBerry Messenger or BBM, an instant messaging service, recently went cross platform. Additionally, there are reports doing the rounds of the web that the Android and iOS versions are up for an update that will tag along support for voice calls and messages as well as BBM Channels.

Rumor has it that Nexus device will no longer be named that way, for Google is apparently pondering over abandoning the said line of stock Android phones. Instead, it is said to be thinking of launching Google Play Editions of popular handsets, and these devices are even set for a rebranding.

For those unaware, Nexus products are devices which are infused with pure and unaltered versions of the Android OS, and they are manufactured by other OEMs as ordered by Google. They are subsidized products, and hence are available in the market at comparatively affordable prices.



Google Play Editions on the other hand, are flagship devices of bigwig companies which are given the stock Android treatment. Since Nexus devices eat up a chunk of the market share, major OEMs like Samsung, LG, HTC and others find their flagships often lagging behind.

Apparently, these companies could also be compelling Google to do away with the Nexus line owing to this reason. The tweet which is the backbone of this whole speculation comes from renowned leakster Eldar Murtazin, and points out that the Nexus line will be eliminated in 2015, and be replaced by the Google Play Edition line in a rebranded form.

Fans of the Nexus lineup would be extremely unhappy with this move, but it seems market pressure and a number of other things are forcing Google to go with the decision. Their saving grace could turn out to be Google-owned Motorola which is doling out attractive nearly-stock Android devices right now.

Samsung was early to market with a smartwatch in the Galaxy Gear, and now it looks like it might be one of the first in the mix with a glasses-based computing device. A new report from the Korea Times (via Verge) suggests that Samsung is currently developing a Google Glass competitor, which is in fact provisionally named “Galaxy Glass,” set for launch in September at the annual IFA tech conference.

Google has yet to put a firm timeline on the consumer launch of its own Google Glass wearable computer, which is available to developers and early adopters via Google’s ‘Explorer’ program. Some reports had suggested a general launch for late 2013, but then later information from Google revised the release timeline to sometime in 2014. Samsung could conceivably beat Google to the punch, but as we saw with the Galaxy Gear, that’s not necessarily a good thing.

The Gear was likewise telegraphed before its actual launch, with Samsung coming right out and admitting the device was on the way at IFA. This time around, there’s no named source discussing the device, but the Korea Times does quote a Samsung official as saying that the potential in the market is huge, and that Samsung is very interested in getting a first-mover advantage in the space.

As for what Samsung Glass would do, it sounds like it would essentially provide a basic heads-up display for your smartphone on your face, pushing notifications, music playback information and basic controls to the lens of a head-mounted display.

Samsung getting in among the early crop of device-makers hoping to ride this trend is in keeping with its recent strategy, which seems to be one of putting everything they can out as a shipping product. It’s a plan that gets them lots of props as a company eager to pursue innovation and drive new product development, but the first-mover advantage has only questionable use value if these first generation products keep failing to impress.

Both the smartwatch and the eyeware-based computing models are interesting because OEMs seem to be pursuing them fairly aggressively without any evidence that this is a direction consumers necessarily are interested in. We’ll apparently see in September if Samsung has managed to build a face computer that moves the tech forward, however.

The recent chatter regarding Google’s acquisition-driven moves to become the world leader in artificial intelligence will likely increase now that the company has reportedly acquired DeepMind for $400 million.

According to a report from Re/code, Google has confirmed the acquisition of the London-based artificial intelligence firm, but would not offer any further details.

Very little has been publicly shared regarding exactly what DeepMind does, adding to the mystery surrounding Google’s artificial intelligence aspirations.

On the DeepMind website, the company says its mission is to combine “the best techniques from machine learning and systems neuroscience to build powerful general-purpose learning algorithms.”

This latest acquisition builds on other recent robotics and artificial intelligence-oriented buys by Google including DNNresearch, Wavii and Boston Dynamics.

The country's Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) announced Wednesday that it would invest 1.6 trillion won ($1.5 billion) to develop 5G technology that will be 1,000 times faster than 4G LTE and quick enough to allow users to download full-length films (usually an 800-megabyte file) in one second.


MEST plans to roll out a trial 5G service by 2017 and have a commercial service available by 2020. In addition to developing the 5G network itself, MEST will prioritize developing new, key features for 5G, including Ultra-HD streaming, hologram transmission and upgraded social networking services.

South Korea's government estimates that projected sales for related industries that would use the 5G infrastructure could reach up to 331 trillion won ($310 billion) from 2020 to 2026. MEST wants to implement the plan with cooperation from operators like SK Telecom and Korea Telecom as well as Samsung and LG.

Samsung announced the results of its own early 5G tests last May. The company claimed that it managed to produce a 1.056 Gigabit per second signal to a distance of up to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) and has similar plans to have the service commercially available by 2020.

The company's tests used 64 antennas to get around the problems with the high frequencies needed to transfer data at higher speeds by rapidly switching between which transmitter and receiver beams carried data depending on which could get the clearest signal.

Despite the company's claims regarding using 5G as a potential network, the lack of published confirmation has drawn skepticism from some in the tech industry.

Just after Samsung made its announcement, Forbes denounced Samsung's claims as "hyperbole," taking issue with the technology Samsung claimed it used, especially the vague details surrounding the 64 antennas used in Samsung's tests.

Though some may write off talk of 5G as being little more than a marketing gimmick, other regions are also looking into developing the next-generation network. According to the Digital Agenda for Europe, the EU has their sights set on 5G and also hopes to be ready to support the increase in traffic expected in 2020.

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