Microsoft has released an app that enables you to make backup of all your contacts and messages and store it in your phone’s SD card. Appropriately dubbed contacts+message backup, the app is compatible with Windows Phone 8.1 devices.

After installation, you can access the app by heading to Settings on your phone – it doesn’t appear in your regular list of installed apps. The backup it creates is stored in a folder named backup+restore. Read more »

Less than a week after it was rolled out to iPhone users, the WhatsApp voice calling feature has been officially made available to all BlackBerry 10 users, too. The update is currently live, and is available through BlackBerry World.

The update, which bumps the application to version 2.12.1.2, also includes several other bug fixes and improvements, including the ability to instantly search for individual messages (as well as chats and contacts), improved font scaling, and custom ringtone selection. Read more »

Ever since Apple introduced the personal digital assistant Siri, almost every software company is working on their own version to compete with it. Google armed its Android platform with Google Now and Microsoft is actively working on Cortana for Windows platform.

Now Yahoo has decided to throw its hat into the ring with its own virtual assistant project dubbed Index. Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s CEO, shared the details stating about Yahoo’s intention to join the war between the personal digital assistants for mobiles. Read more »

Today Google has started rolling out a new version of its note-taking app, Keep. The main new feature inside this release is support for Android Wear. So, in other words, you can now use Google Keep on your Android Wear-running smartwatch.

A note-taking app is obviously a good fit for your wrist – not only for quickly creating new notes, but also for viewing the ones you’ve already added from your phone or tablet. If you use Keep for grocery shopping lists, you may find it easier to glance at such information on your watch instead of your smartphone. Read more »

Microsoft appears to be more active in keeping its official apps updated on the Android platform than iOS. The company’s cloud computing service driving OneDrive app for Android has just got a nifty update.

The new update enables Video Streaming in the OneDrive app and one does not have to leave the app to open another one to watch the videos. Read more »

Facebook Home may not have been a success at all, but the social network isn’t ready to give up on the idea of replacing built-in functionality on Android with its own apps. Case in point – today Facebook has launched a new app called Hello. This is basically an alternative dialer app for Android, and it’s already up for grabs in the Google Play Store (though it seems to be geo-restricted, so you may not be able to download it depending on where you are).

Hello combines a dialer with an interface for viewing contacts, along with easy call blocking and seamless search for people and places. The search part feels especially well tailored for queries relating to businesses. You just need to type a few letters of the name, and if that business has a Facebook page you’ll then be able to call it with one tap (if it has a phone number listed on Facebook itself, of course). Read more »

Twitter-owned video social network Vine has updated its iOS app, allowing you to share videos on multiple social networks in one go. “This means you can quickly and easily revine, send posts to your friends via Vine messages (VMs), and share to Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr,” the company said.

So now if you want to share a Vine video with your friends who are scattered across multiple social networks, all you have to do is to go to the new share screen (see image above), mark the services that you want to include, and click the Revine and share button. The feature will soon be available on Android, too. Read more »

The Android version of WhatsApp finally let everyone use the voice call feature at the end of March, and now the same can be said for the app’s iOS iteration.

The latest version of WhatsApp for iPhone, 2.12.1, has just gone live in the iTunes App Store. Once you install it (or update to it), you’ll get the ability to call your WhatsApp contacts. However, the functionality may not be immediately available for you, even if you do use this iteration of the app. Read more »

Like we told you a few days ago, Office universal apps are headed to the Windows 10 for phones preview before the end of April. It looks like they will land as part of a new preview release that’s due to be out soon for members of the Windows Insider program. The new build has the number 12544, and it’s been given a short video preview somewhere in China.

Unfortunately if you don’t speak Chinese you won’t understand the audio, but the video is still very useful because it shows us the upcoming Office universal apps on a working smartphone. Read more »

Twitter has made changes to its direct message (DM) feature, allowing you to receive private messages from other users, even if you don’t follow them. The feature is available in the form of a new setting, which is turned off by default.

“Previously, if you wanted to send a Direct Message to the ice cream shop down the street about how much you love their salted caramel flavor, you’d have to ask them to follow you first,” the microblogging company said in a blog post. “With today’s changes, the ice cream shop can opt to receive Direct Messages from anyone; so you can privately send your appreciation for the salted caramel without any barriers.” Read more »

If you are looking to buy accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, here is some good news: the company has released an app, dubbed Galaxy S6 Accessories, that lets you browse as well as purchase official accessories for the devices.

Items that are currently listed include cases, battery packs, wireless chargers, audio products. as well as several other accessories which have been developed in collaboration with various brands. The app can be downloaded from the Galaxy Apps Store. Read more »

Do you think of getting a Lumia smartphone? Those have always been affordable and yet feature packed and thus the Lumia phones have always been an attractive alternative to budget conscious buyers.

Windows Phone 8 is uncharted territory for many, so in case you get or think of getting a Lumia smartphone, Microsoft has this very quick and easy to remember infographic. The image gives you the basics of Windows Phone 8.1 and will allow you to configure your Lumia in just a few easy steps. Read more »

CM 12.1, the latest version of CyanogenMod, is now available on numerous devices. With the new builds CyanogenMod is dropping the idea of unified ROMs as those turned out impossible to support properly.

The new CM 12.1 build is based on the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop OS, refines the Material design and improves on the CM File manager. Read more »

Samsung has launched its personal health management app – S Health – on Google Play, a move that will allow you of the app to keep it up-to-date without waiting for software upgrades.

The version currently available in the Play Store (hit the Source link below) is reportedly same as the one found on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, which means that users of non-Galaxy S6 devices will now be able to access the app’s new user interface that debuted on Samsung’s latest flagships. Read more »

Microsoft is working on an updated Maps app for Windows 10 and thanks to the Universal App platform, the same app that has been running on Windows 10 Technical Preview for desktops is now available for Insiders testing the phone build of the upcoming OS.

The app is designed to work with both mouse and keyboard as well as touchscreens. This includes pinch zooming and two finger map rotation, both familiar gestures. Read more »