Google Wallet lets you send money to your contacts using just their number

With Android Pay’s introduction, it would seem the presence of Google Wallet is a bit redundant. To get rid of that redundancy, Google’s marketing it as a means to send money to your contacts. Google’s simplified this by letting you send money to your contacts using just their mobile numbers, before you needed to have their email addresses. When you send money to a number, your recipient will get a text message with a secure link. When they click this link, they just have to enter their debit card to claim the money. It’ll then be credited to their bank account within minutes, according to Google.

Google didn’t indicate though which countries this feature is available in. But it will available for both Android and iOS users in the coming days

Source: Google Commerce Blog | Download: Google Play Store (Free) + Apple App Store (Free)

BBM for Android update lets you like posts, among other enhancements

You may or may not still be using BlackBerry’s BBM service. If you are using it on Android, the app has been updated with a number of new features. You can now like posts that appear on your feed and broadcast messages to different contacts in different categories. You also get the ability to delete chats directly.

Aside from that, you can also search for BBM chats, channels, groups, and contacts. BlackBerry also improved Privacy Control so you can edit messages and photos or retract them.

Source: Android Community | Download: Google Play Store (Free)

Canadian artists and apps get named as part of Apple’s Best of 2015

What do big Canadian artists like Drake, Justin Bieber, and The Weeknd and the apps Lara Croft Go! and Dark Echo have in common? They’re among the best of the best Apple has chosen for the year. While we couldn’t beat Adele’s comeback album “25” in the top spot, the second and third spot in the Top Albums go to Drake’s “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” and Justin Bieber’s “Purpose,” respectively. Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness” clinches the seventh spot.

When it comes to apps, Canadian-made turn-based puzzle game Lara Croft Go is named the iPhone Game of the Year. Its close runner-up interactive fantasy novel Weirdwood Manor hails from Toronto. And even the Most Innovative Game for the iPhone Dark Echo comes out of Vancouver. If you want to get your hands on the best of the best, you can check the full list per category in the following links: Music, Apps, Movies, Podcasts, TV, and Books.

Pocket personalizes your recommendations further, lets you follow story creators

Pocket wants to stop the guessing game and have you get recommendations that matter to you. With version 6.1 of the app, you will get recommendations from Pocket as well as stories from curators and friends you want to follow. The stories that appear in the recommendation tab won’t be chronological though, instead they’ll be ordered according to relevance or what stories are most interesting or what you’re most likely to read. In turn, you can also recommend stories and highlight specific sections you think are interesting. These will show up in your new public profile page. It’s important to note that the stories you save will remain private. Only those you explicitly recommend will appear publicly.

Source: Android Police | Download: Google Play Store (Free) + Apple App Store (Free)