News Byte

BlackBerry’s BBM Chat Software to Come Preloaded on Some LG Phones

Struggling phone maker BlackBerry said on Wednesday that its BBM instant messaging software will soon come preloaded on a phone from Korea’s LG Electronics. BlackBerry, which recently made BBM freely available for iOS and Android, said that the software will also come preinstalled on the LG G Pro Lite phone in various markets around the world.

Russia’s Mail.ru Hopes to Crack U.S. Market With Mobile Chat and Email Programs

Sure it is a crowded market. But, says Mail.ru CEO Dmitry Grishin: “We can learn a lot and compete with the best companies.”

Quip Is Great for Collaborating, but Still a Word-Processing Work in Progress

Quip is a new cloud-based word-processing app for the mobile age. Can it replace more mature products?
Quip Desktop

New Hangouts App Conflicts With Google Voice Feature; Fix Coming

Tough luck for Google Voice loyalists, as the new Hangouts messaging product denigrates a key function of Voice. Change is coming, but it could be a while.

With Revamped Hangouts, Google Aims to Unify Messaging

Google’s new take on messaging is finally here.

Facebook Engineering Director Josh Wiseman Departs for EIR Gig

Wiseman played a key role in launching some of Facebook’s pivotal products over the past six years.

Former MySpace and NFL Digital Exec Jeff Berman Tapped as President of Hollywood’s BermanBraun

Is content poised to take off online?

Voices

Samsung’s Chat Service Faces Uphill Battle

Samsung Electronics Co. released an upgraded version of its proprietary chat platform for mobile devices this week, but the company has a long way to go before it can increase its presence in the smartphone applications market.

TelyHD Adds AirPlay, Remote Control App

TelyHD, a device that enables video chat on your TV, is morphing into a multipurpose gadget.

Exclusive: Apple iPad 2 Event Set for March 2