Category: Mobile

Blackberry has updated the feature set of their popular Blackberry Messenger (BBM) service as an attempt to return the company back to profitability. Once the cornerstone of the suite of proprietary services for its own hardware, Blackberry Messenger has since opened up to iPhone and Android smartphone users in an effort to bring the technology company back from the dead.

The latest version of Blackberry Messenger contains a host of changes aimed at making it a standard for messaging on the iOS and Android operating systems. Among these additions and changes include:

BBM Channels — BBM users can utilize channels to have control over discussed topics. Channels will act as live forums on a variety of topics of the users’ choosing, and can be open or marked as private.

BBM Voice — BBM Voice will allow Blackberry Messenger users to make voice calls over either their Wi-Fi or cell phone data connections absolutely free of charge.

Onebox Integration — Existing Onebox integration will be tightened to allow for one-click file sharing with the file sharing service. Not only can data be uploaded to Onebox, but individual BBM users can be authorized to allow for the download of data from Onebox to their specific smartphone(s).

“BBM continues to deliver new functionality as a premier messaging platform that provides a simple and effective way to stay connected. Today’s announcement gives Android and iPhone customers the rich experience of BBM Voice and BBM Channels – two great ways to connect with friends, family and colleagues, to build out communities around shared interests, and to follow your favorite people and brands,” said John Sims, President, Global Enterprise Solutions at BlackBerry. “BBM continues to quickly evolve as a social mobile platform for consumers as well as for business customers through innovative features that give you great new ways to connect and share with each other.”

Electronic Arts has an illustrious history in the video game industry, from long-running sports franchises like the “Madden” football games to the fruitful period about a decade ago when it held licenses for major film properties like James Bond, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. However, the company’s plentiful experience hasn’t helped it to navigate the labyrinth of modern mobile gaming apps. That fact has been made evident by the latest EA game to hit the market – a strategy title called “Dungeon Keeper” – which, according to BBC News, has ignited a fair amount of criticism and controversy among players.

The roots of the fan criticism are twofold. First of all, EA’s mobile version of “Dungeon Keeper” is a modern re-imagining of the 1997 computer game of the same name. The original game, developed by a company called Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts, gave players the power to build, manage, and defend a dungeon. In the late 90s, taking inspiration from other popular strategy games like “Warcraft,” “Starcraft,” “Sim City,” and “Command & Conquer,” the game made quite a splash among players. Upon hearing that Electronic Arts would be bringing the classic “Dungeon Keeper” formula to modern mobile platforms, those players were excited to exercise their nostalgic feelings for the original game by playing a new version.

Unfortunately, many players have been sorely disappointed in the new take on “Dungeon Keeper.” At its heart, the game is still the same as it was 17 years ago, giving players control of small “imp” characters, who dig through dirt and rocks to create a sprawling dungeon. However, numerous reviewers  have noted that the imps work at the speed of the molasses most of the time and only speed up their work if the player has gems to offer. Gems are available via in-app purchase, meaning that a player can speed up the digging process at any time, but only if they are willing to spend real money. Some players have gone as far as to call the game “unplayable” without gems and pay-based upgrades – a fact that is contrary to the game’s advertised “free to play” structure.

For their part, the game developers at EA felt they were staying true to modern mobile game design, which largely encourages users to play games for a few minutes at a time and then wait for resources to replenish. In this case, players wait for imps to dig the dungeon. Still, despite EA’s feeling that “Dungeon Keeper” has a good balance between free play and pay play opportunities, most players haven’t been in agreement. Currently, the title has a “user review” rating of 0.3 out of 10 on Metacritic, while Peter Molyneux – the creator of the original “Dungeon Keeper” – has spoken out publicly against the lengthy wait times and aggressive in-game payment options that now plague the game.

According to Pocket Gamer, EA was also accused of trying to prevent the submission of negative ratings. The app reportedly asks users to rate their experience. Users who select a score other than five out of five stars are directed to a feedback form.

“We’re always looking at new ways to gather player feedback so that we can continue to improve our games,” an  EA spokesperson told Eurogamer about the ratings controversy. “The ‘rate this app’ feature in the Google Play version of Dungeon Keeper was designed to help us collect valuable feedback from players who don’t feel the game is worth a top rating.”

“We wanted to make it easier for more players to send us feedback directly from the game if they weren’t having the best experience,” the spokesperson added. “Players can always continue to leave any rating they want on the Google Play Store.”

Amazon has hatched their latest attempt to broaden their reach and increase sales via use of a new feature for their official iOS app.

“Flow” is a baked in feature to the Amazon App Store offering that allows iPhone users to utilize the device’s camera to scan real-world items around them and then purchase that exact item through the app via amazon.com. After all, why take the time to type and search for a generic version of something when you can literally scan in the precise item you want to Amazon? The online retail giant is betting the convenience and novelty of the new Flow feature will drive more app users and greater sales numbers.

The feature works by enabling users to simply move the iPhone’s camera over an item to scan it as opposed to seeking out the barcode. Additionally, bulk scanning is possible, as users can sweep over multiple items at the same time in order to scan them all into Amazon at once. Once found, items can be saved for later use or immediately added into the shopping cart.

The ability of Flow to scan items without the hassle of dealing with barcodes is seen as a boon, as many phone users have never taken to scanning barcodes due to the additional step of finding it on the product, or because certain items don’t offer any barcode at all. Flow represents a step forward in ease of use in this respect.

There are some current limitations to Flow, however. It “works best” when scanning products such as video games, DVDs, books and packaged groceries, meaning success rates may be quite limited with other product categories and oddball items. Flow is also currently only compatible with iOS 7, so those with older, unsupported iPhones are out of luck.

Flow was previously released by Amazon in 2011 as a standalone application, although its integration into Amazon’s official iOS app should significantly improve its visibility with consumers and give the feature a greater chance of wide adoption. The Flow standalone app for iOS and Android currently remains available, although it is unclear as to how long.

The updated Amazon app with Flow scanning feature is currently available for iOS 7 devices as a free download.

Amidst a sea of announced changes for technology giant Sony comes news today that the Sony Reader store will be shut down in the United States and Canada as of March 20, 2014 at 6PM ET. The Reader Store has been Sony’s channel for distributing eBooks, and its closure follows on the heels of the company’s decision to sell its PC division and dedicate its focus to mobile devices.

Through its Reader Store blog, Sony announced its intentions to transition Reader Store customers to the Kobo Store in March. The Kobo Store is ran by Toronto-based eReading company Kobo, and Sony feels the move will enhance the e-reading experience for its customers. In an effort to ease the transition, current Reader Store users will receive an email in late March instructing them on how to transfer their existing eBook library to Kobo. Existing Reader Store credits will automatically transfer to newly created or existing Kobo Store accounts. However, bookmarks, highlights, annotations, periodical subscriptions, wish lists and related items will not make the transition.

iOS and Android apps are currently planned to remain operational following the Reader Store shutdown.