The much-awaited Vine for Windows Phone platform has finally launched and you can now capture and share moments in short video clips from your WP powered smartphone.

The popular service, which is owned by Twitter, allows you to create looped videos by just tapping and holding your finger against the screen of your WP device. Read more »

Popular keyboard app for Android SwiftKey has released an update that allows you to change the size and layout of the keyboard in many ways. First of all, you can now select from five different sizes for the keyboard to one that suits the size of your phone or tablet’s display the best.

Secondly, you can also alter the layout of the keyboard. You can have the traditional layout, split layout where the keys are split from the middle to make typing on easier on larger devices and a compact, one-sided layout, such as the one first seen on the Note II, that lets you type singlehandedly without having to stretch your thumb. Read more »

Google has updated the Android version of the Hangouts application with several new features. As we have seen on the Nexus 5, the Hangouts app now supports SMS and MMS, which means you can send and receive text messages from within Hangouts and they will appear along with your Hangouts chats. Unlike the Nexus 5, however, you can disable the SMS/MMS functionality if you want and continue using the stock messaging app on your phone.

Another addition is the ability to set your mood. You can now choose from one of the Hangouts emoji as your mood that gets displayed to anyone who messages you. You can also choose to announce the device type you are messaging from (phone or PC) or whether you’re in a call. Lastly, you can now also insert your location and animated GIFs in a chat. Read more »

Google Now for iOS got treated to a major update today. The latest version of the app got a host of new features which brought its functionality in line with that of its Android sibling.

The most notable new feature which the app update brings to iOS is the ability to receive notifications. Read more »

Flipboard has updated the iOS version of their apps with several minor changes. First of all, the app has been given a new look for iOS 7, with some parallax scrolling effects and a flatter UI. The app has also improved performance and just works smoother and faster on all devices.

Another addition is on-screen alerts. Now the app will show alerts on the homescreen when you have updates for your feed so you don’t miss anything. The app also shows additional tiles on the larger display of the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s compared to older iPhones. Lastly, you can now change text size within the app. Read more »

Sony does more than make Android devices, it’s a giant in the entertainment business too – games, films and music. The company is using this position to give some free goodies to owners of its Xperia flagship products – the Xperia Z1 phone, Xperia Z Ultra phablet and the Xperia Tablet Z slate.

Using the pre-installed Xperia Privilege app (also available for download at the Play Store), owners of these devices get access to 10 free games. Read more »

Google officially announced its newest Android OS – the 4.4 KitKat. The latest version of the Android will debut on the Nexus 5 and as tradition dictates, the upgrades for the other Nexus devices will come shortly after that.

However, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be missing on the Android 4.4 KitKat fun. The Galaxy Nexus was first launched about two years ago and the devices falls outside of the 18-month update window that is followed by Google and other manufacturers to upgrade their smartphones. Read more »

Qualcomm has updated its BatteryGuru app that is designed exclusively for Snapdragon-powered smartphones. The chip maker’s native app enhances the battery performance, without damaging the overall experience with its optimizations.

The newest version of the BatteryGuru now comes with the improved battery management and the version 2.0 brings the all new intelligent charging recommendations. Read more »

You have probably heard of this LeBron James fella. The professional basketball player adorned with four Most Valuable Player awards, two NBA Finals MVPs and today starts the new season as defending champion looking for a three-peat (three consecutive titles).

According to Samsung, a part of that success was down to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and a rainbow assembly of Galaxy Gear smartwatches the star uses. The latest video ad aired at the start of the new NBA season shows how LeBron goes about his pre-season summer break with a lot of Sammy toys around him. Read more »

Samsung Galaxy Gear is surely a cool gadget, but it comes with lots of annoying limitations. Samsung is promising it will explore further the Galaxy Gear capabilities and will deliver more features later on.

Meanwhile an XDA Developers member has made a very useful app that will show full notifications on your Galaxy Gear for all apps, not just messages and emails as it is by default. Read more »

In a world filled with free communication apps like Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook (and Messenger), Google Hangouts and iMessage, BlackBerry Messenger was able to carve a serious user base for itself it just a week.

Since the BBM rollout on iOS and Android resumed 7 days ago, BBM has gathered 20 million new users. Read more »

Nokia undertook an extensive campaign to get Instagram on Windows Phone. The popular photo sharing social network has over 150 million users, so you can see why it’s a big deal to have a native app on your mainstay OS.

Now that Instagram is officially coming to WP8, Nokia takes some time to revel in its success and to thank all the people who used the #2InstaWithLove app to shower Instagram with hashtag-based desire. Read more »

The new camera app Samsung introduced with the Galaxy Note 3 has its fair share of nifty features, and now you can enjoy them on the Galaxy S4 as well.

Galaxy S4 owners who want the latest and greatest from Samsung’s camera department can get just that, thanks to the folks over at xda-developers. Read more »

Sony Xperia Z1 recently got a firmware update that brings improved camera algorithm for better all-round performance. Sony has also improved the Smart Social Camera platform that boosts the performance of features such as Burst Mode, Superior Auto, AR Effect and Sweep Panorama.

The new update is already seeding to the Xperia Z1 units worldwide and the first samples showing the improvements are now online. Read more »

Nokia is going to launch the Nokia Black update (previously known as Bittersweet Shimmer) with the Windows Phone 8.1 (GDR3) firmware early next year. The update will be compatible with all WP8-running Lumia phones, but 1020 will benefit the most.

The oversampling algorithm in the Lumia 1020 was altered compared to the 808 PureView phone resulting in oversaturated colors and noisier images. Well, Nokia is bringing back the old algorithms with the Nokia Black update. Read more »