Facebook to acquire WhatsApp mobile chat app

By JOHN Peterson
December 04' 2012

It is speculated that social giant Facebook is to take over WhatsApp, a well known cross-platform mobile chat programme. The original source of this news comes from TechCrunch.

However, the site has no information about the acquisition price range and at what level the talks have been reached so far.

The WhatsApp app was launched in 2009 by California-based firm Santa Clara. The app is compatible with Android, Windows Phone, iOS, BlackBerry and Symbian platforms. It delivers text messages, as well as photos, video and audio contents.

The ad-free version of the app gets 100 million users every day and is available in 250 countries across the world, claims Santa Clara.

Last year in October the company revealed its chat app serves 1 billion text messages per day, which is around 41,666,667 text messages per hour, 694,444 per minute and 11,574 per second.

In a blog post then the company stated, "it was a small step closer towards our goal: providing a great mobile messaging system for a global market, regardless of your handset."

The WhatsApp Messenger app has also received amount of criticism very recently from security and mobile researchers. It is alleged the authentication process of the app is a bit risky in terms of security. Several bloggers have also called the process as a "security nightmare".

A recent research file says local data base storage encryption could be decoded.

Have you used WhatsApp? Do share your experience with it and whether you felt any security threat.

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December 04, 2012 | 0 comments

Grand Theft Auto III Releasing On iOS, Android Devices Celebrating 10th Anniversary

By STAFF Writer
December 07, 2011

GTA III NEWS - Open world action computer and video game Grand Theft Auto III steps into its 10th year, and publisher Rockstar Games is now taking another giant leap in releasing it on iOS and Android devices.

Grand Theft Auto III is coming on iPhone, iPad, LG Optimus 2X, Motorola Photon 4G, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and many more devices on December 15th.

First released in October 2001 for PlayStation 2, Grand Theft Auto III became the first 3D title in the GTA series. It hit the Microsoft Windows in May 2002, and Xbox in November 2003. Last year in November the game was made available for Mac OS X. This year on August 8 the game was put on the Mac App Store shelves.

Grand Theft Auto III was top selling video game of 2010 and was called the landmark in video games.

Grand Theft Auto III for iOS Devices

• iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S
• iPad 1 and iPad 2
• iPod touch 4th Generation.

Grand Theft Auto III for Android Phones

• LG Optimus 2x
• HTC Rezound
• Motorola Atrix 4G
• Motorola Droid X2
• Motorola Photon 4G
• T-Mobile G2x
• Samsung Galaxy R

Grand Theft Auto III for Android Tablets

• Asus Eee Pad Transformer
• Acer Iconia
• Dell Streak 7
• Motorola Xoom
• LG Optimus Pad
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1
• Toshiba Thrive
• Sony Tablet S

GTA III screenshot

GTA III screenshot

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December 07, 2011 | 0 comments

Google Unveils Android Music Store, Boosts Apple iTunes Rivalry

By STAFF Writer
November 17, 2011

TECHNOLOGY NEWS - After Google Plus against Facebook, now Google steps into music market with Android music store to give a blow of competition to the Apple iTunes.

In the corporate battle between Google and Apple, the music offered by Google Music is priced same as rival iTunes for the US-based Android users.

All Android users in the US now can access the Google Music. However, outside the US the service is not available currently as the negotiations with Warner Music record labels is still on the half way to allow selling songs elsewhere.

The songs on the music store of search engine giant are available in MP3 format encoded at 320Kbps at a price ranging between 69c to 99c and $1.29.

Currently there are about 13 million songs on the platform and about 20,000 songs can be stored on the Google Music accounts.

Google Music is compatible on Android devices 2.2 or above. As an introductory offer, Google said of allowing its consumers downloading of one song every day for free.

The search giant also has plans of boosting its newly launched social networking site, Google+, in the US by offering the ability of sharing songs directly to other people.

More to this, Google is to make the music platform feasible for artists to distribute their work.

T-Mobile users gets additional benefit. They can purchase the songs without credit cards. The price will be added to their monthly phone bill.

Google Android Music Store Launch Event

Google Music Graphic

Google Music Graphic

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November 17, 2011 | 0 comments

Inertia: Escape Velocity to Launch on Mobile Devices in December

PRESS RELEASE


Physics-based platformer brings unique mechanics and console-quality gameplay to iPhone, Android

GAMING NEWS - Independent developer Red Fly Studio has today announced that Inertia: Escape Velocity, the studio’s first mobile offering, will launch on the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace on December 1. In this gravity-defying physics-based platformer, players will use the game’s unique gameplay mechanic to manipulate gravity in order to float and glide through each level, navigating around force fields, barriers, and other obstacles, while collecting space debris for points.

Inertia: Escape Velocity is the spiritual successor to Inertia, a student project out of Southern Methodist University’s game development program (known as the SMU Guildhall), which was awarded the Grand Prize for non-commercial games in the 2011 Indie Game Challenge this past February. With the creators of the original Inertia now part of the development team at Red Fly Studio, a percentage of proceeds from the sale of Inertia: Escape Velocity will be donated to an SMU Guildhall scholarship fund.

Highlights of Inertia: Escape Velocity include:

• Physics-based platformer: employ a unique anti-gravity element to float, glide, and bounce around deep space environments to collect space junk for ship repair and to unlock new planets.
• Console gameplay on mobile devices: with high-quality graphics, intense and challenging levels, and a unique gameplay mechanic, core gamers will appreciate a console gaming experience on a portable platform.
• Control settings: the game uses on-screen controls for movement, jumping, and gravity control, but players can also opt to use challenging “tilt” controls that turn the entire device into the controller.
• Inferno levels: for even more of a challenge, players can try their hand at these high-difficulty versions of each level.

Inertia: Escape Velocity will be available on the Apple App Store and Android Marketplace December 1, 2011.

For more about Inertia: Escape Velocity, visit www.inertiagame.com

Inertia: Escape Velocity

Inertia: Escape Velocity

Inertia: Escape Velocity

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November 15, 2011 | 0 comments