Is this BlackBerry's attempt at an Android smartphone?

BlackBerry is in the news for reportedly getting ready to release a device that's not powered by its own super secure and messaging focused BlackBerry but with rival Google's Android OS. Yes, BlackBerry can already run some sideloaded Android apps on its devices which helps fill the huge app gap the platform has been suffering from but if reports are to be trusted, John Chen and Co. are becoming just another OEM player for Google's OS, at least for this one model.

The new device, codenamed 'Venice,' is said to feature a 5.4-inch screen, 18MP rear camera and 1.8GHz Hexa-core CPU. It is reportedly coming first to AT&T customers in the US. BlackBerry has been collaborating with Samsung on various technologies and there's currently now QWERTY-enabled Androi handset. Since BBM is now cross platform, maybe BlackBerry sees an opening in the Android market. Stay tuned.

Source: Evan Blass (Twitter)

Yahoo and Google try out search partnership

After revising its 10-year partnership with Microsoft, Yahoo is testing the waters with Google search ads in some of its desktop and mobile queries. Google and Yahoo won’t talk about the specifics of its arrangement but according to Yahoo they work with other search providers from time to time to “create the absolute best experiences for Yahoo users.”

The revised deal of Yahoo and Microsoft allows them to get help from other providers for up to 49 percent of its search results. Google wanted to provide Yahoo with search ads back in 2008 but the plan was axed by U.S.’s Justice Department because it could deny “consumers the benefits of competition.” It hasn’t been made clear if the companies have cleared things with the agency yet.

Source: Engadget

Google Photos still offers unlimited storage

A bug has left users wondering if Google was capping storage capacity for its new Photos app. Some users who had larger libraries were sharing how they had a hard time uploading photos onto the app, thus, leaving people to assume that they were capping storage allowance. It’s fortunately far from the truth. A member of XDA Developers forum got in touch with someone at Google, who assured that the issue was because of a bug. Google seems to have remedied the issue and you can got back to uploading multiple photos of your baby once again.

Source: XDA Developers | Via: Cult of Android

Prince pulls music from streaming sites Spotify and Rdio

Prince has had this love-hate relationship with the Internet and its services. He seems to empathize and agree with Taylor Swift’s criticism of freemium streaming services. So, what does he do? He pulls his music catalogue from the likes of Spotify and Rdio. If you want to hear his music online, right now you can see it on Tidal, SoundCloud, Deezer, and Google Play. There’s no word yet if Google plans to pull out his catalogue. We’re not sure if he’s coming to Apple Music. But for now, you’ll have a limited number of services to gain access to his funk-heavy tunes.

Source: MacWorld

Update on Saturday, July 4, 2015 at 7:04PM by Nicole Batac

Prince still has his catalogue on Deezer. Original article has been edited to reflect changes.