Microsoft and Nokia to complete merger on April 25

Mark the date. Microsoft has just announced the exact date when it will complete its acquisition of Nokia’s (or should we say Microsoft Mobile?) devices and services business. According to a blog post by Microsoft’s General Counsel Brad Smith, the merger will take place on April 25, Friday. All legal hurdles are said to be cleared at this time. After the merger, Microsoft will be in charge of Nokia’s website and social media presence for up to a year. Former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will be in charge of the devices division at Microsoft, where he will also report directly to CEO Satya Nadella. 

Source: Engadget

Google Hangouts update creates single thread for text messages and chats from same sender

Google updated its Hangouts app to consolidate your text and chat messages from the same sender into a single thread. Just in case you get confused about what kind of message your contact sent you, Google has color-coded the messages. You can also reply using either method and separate the messages as well. Google has also split your Hangouts and phone contacts list to make it easier to search through them. The company has also updated video call quality and the home screen widget.  

Source: Google+

Waterloo uses BlackBerry tech to mobilize disaster recovery efforts during emergencies

After seeing Toronto’s recent issues with flooding, the City of Waterloo created a better way to centralize communications with the disaster recovery teams (transportation team, parks and forestry teams etc.) on the ground, the mayor, the head of public works and other incident groups. They found communicating via email made communications disjointed and delayed.

Click to read more ...

Review: Hyundai Veloster Turbo 2014

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The sporty compact segment seems to be thriving with various entries from the likes of VW, Mini, Fiat, Volvo, Scion, Mazda and Nissan shooting for the fun yet practical market. Hyundai's Veloster Turbo mixes it up with many longtime veterans, but brings a fresh perspective and degree of utility to the segment while continuing Hyundai's revitalization as a brand.

Click to read more ...