SourceCode: BlackBerry gives away BBM to iPhone and Android, what are the implications?

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The bombshell of today's BlackBerry Live keynote in Orlando was the announcement that BlackBerry would be giving away its Crown Jewels. BBM or BlackBerry messenger is coming free to IOS and Android sometime Summer. BBM has long been the Ace  of the BlackBerry OS, a key differentiating feature that's kept users loyal and something that competing platforms have had no real answer for, and now they will have it. For free.

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BlackBerry intros Q5 smartphone for emerging markets

BlackBerry announced their third BB10 handset at BlackBerry Live in Orlando today. The budget friendly Q5 is expected to be their bet on the emerging markets as well as the youthful and fun sector that can't afford the $700 no contract price of the recently released Q10. The Q5 offers a less premium QWERTY keyboard BlackBerry 10 handset  for the rest of us and while it might not have all the features of the flagship Q10, it is certain to be more than enough to replace those ageing BlackBerry Torch and Curve models of yesteryear. No date or pricing for Canada has been announced.  Hit jump for the full PR from BlackBerry.

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BlackBerry OS 10.1, Skype now available for Z10 smartphone

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

BlackBerry Z10 owners get a little love today in the guise of a new 10.1 software update plus the availability of Skype, two features that shipped with the BlackBerry Q10 a few weeks ago. Announced today at the BlackBerry Live keynote in Orlando, BlackBerry 10.1 features a number of tweaks such as an enhanced Hub, personalized notifications, improved camera functionality with HDR and various bug fixes. The Z10 finally catches up with the rest of the smartphone world as it can now run  a preview version of Skype natively. Hit jump for the full press release.

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Converse like a local with ABBYY PhraseBooks for iOS

Want to be a smooth operator in six different languages or at least be able to ask someone where the bathroom is when traveling? ABBYY has released the illustrated digital PhraseBooks app for iOS devices.

It helps tourists communicate in various languages—English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Russian—and learn common phrases they would need on their trips. PhraseBooks divides content into 11 topics with special Useful Words section for each group. You’ll hear the phrases being pronounced by native speakers and view rather amusing visuals that describe the phrases. The ABBYY PhraseBooks is available for $9.99 USD on the App Store and you can learn more information about the app here.