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The BlackBerry Q10 is available on numerous Canadian carriers (Rogers, Bell, TELUS, Fido, SaskTel) and this iconic QWERTY was apparently the device loyal users were waiting for. On launch day we reached out to the carriers for feedback on sales numbers, but most replied back with the usual “response has been well received” and “customer demand is high.”

Now 3-weeks after launch, analyst Brian Modoff from Deutsche Bank is reporting the Q10 on Canadian soil is meeting expectations. Madoff contacted 30 stores in the UK and 30 retail stores (Rogers, Bell, TELUS) and report stated that the “BlackBerry has done a better job in Canada.” While no specific sales numbers, only that it’s “selling well,” “sold out” or stores having “limited stock.” The quick study suggested that Canadians are deeply committed to the brand and “it was almost a foregone conclusion that handsets would sell well in this geography.”

We’ve been long time fans of USTWO, the UK-based design and app firm that brought one of the most addictive and subsequently contentious mobile games to Android and iOS last year. Whale Trail went from being a fun, basic paid game to a freemium one, seemingly along with the rest of the industry. While the new game was free, it limited the player far too much at the beginning, emphasizing the need to spend real money to move ahead in the game.

Blip Blup is the company’s newest game offering, after coming out with Rando, a cross-platform image-sharing application that, surprisingly, didn’t turn into Chat Roulette or Snapchat. The game, like the best puzzlers, appears simple at first — you tap on a square that radiates or pulses in all possible directions — but its difficult ramps up quikly. You have a certain number of turns to clear the stage. The aesthetic reminds us of Betaworks’ Dots, which is currently only available for iOS.

Blip Blup, with its funny name, is available for free on iOS and Android, with an optional $1.99 ad-free version that opens up a number of new levels. It’s great to pass a few minutes, with a charm and challenge that is worth the couple-dollar investment.

The last few weeks have been painful for Windows Phone users, whose patronage to Microsoft have left them with an uncertain future for Google’s services.

Google issued a cease and desist letter to the Redmond-based company, explaining that its redesigned (and excellent) YouTube app violated a number of criteria for using its extensible API. The lack of pre-roll ads, combined with the ability to download content to their devices, were in contempt of the streaming video service’s API terms of service. Google gave Microsoft until May 22nd to comply with the API or remove the app; Microsoft has done neither, so far. Instead, it removed the ability to download apps and implemented Google’s copyright partner flag for disallowing viewing based on device (mobile, tablet) or location, but it did not implement pre-roll ads.

Microsoft stated that it was unable to do so without gaining access to a version of the YouTube API that is only open to certain partners. Google announced today that it will be working with Microsoft to fix all the outstanding back-end issues with YouTube for Windows Phone, bringing it into compliance with the API and allowing its further development to go unimpeded.

While this will be a relief to beleaguered Windows Phone users, who lack the same number and quality of apps as Android and iOS, it only gives the impression of a detente between the two companies. Google still refuses to release many of its most-desired apps for the Microsoft platform, and likely doesn’t plan to do so until it gains momentum in the industry. Nokia has been attempting to fill those gaps — HERE Maps and HERE Drive come to mind — but it may be a long time until we see an official Google Maps or Gmail app.

Source: The Verge

There’s the black and white versions of the BlackBerry Q10, plus last week a 24ct. gold model was unveiled for $2,500. If these options are simply not upscale enough for you and dream of something with more class and bling, then Alexander Amosu has a product for you. The luxury designer has pimped out the Q10 in 18 carat white gold and encrusted the iconic smartphone with over 700 VVS1 diamonds (approximately 4.7cts). There’s also a customized option that gives you the flexibility to pick either 18ct yellow, rose, silver and platinum with matching diamonds.

This limited edition Q10 will only see 25 of these beauties being produced, so you best be getting your order in. The price: £20,000, which is about $31,000 (CDN).

Source: Alexander Amosu
Via: N4BB

Just bought a shiny new Galaxy S4? Showing off your sleek new HTC One? Holding it down with a BlackBerry Z10? Tapping away on a new Q10? Bucking the trend with a Sony Xperia ZL?

We know you love your phones, otherwise you wouldn’t put up with our blathering all week long. We also know you love talking about your new phones!

After having spent a bunch of time with these new releases, we’ve formed our own opinions, which you can read in our many recent reviews.

The “world’s first professional-grade tablet” might finally be receiving that long-awaited OS update. BlackBerry PlayBook users have been promised an upgrade from the current PlayBook OS to the new BlackBerry 10 OS. Rumours pointed toward Thorsten Heins, BlackBerry’s CEO, to update the masses during their BlackBerry Live developer conference last week, but no such talks occurred.

An astute visitor to the Thailand Mobile Expo noticed something strange and new about a Nexus 4 rigged up to a demonstration panel: it was running Android 4.3.

The long-rumoured new version of Jelly Bean was expected to be announced last week at Google I/O but instead we got a bunch of new developer tools for all versions dating back to Android 2.2. Still, there hasn’t been a new Android version announced since November, so it’s about time for at least a modest refresh.

Despite denying its existence, rumours persist of an HTC One “Google Edition”. During the Google I/O keynote address earlier this month, Google announced it was partnering with Samsung to bring a Galaxy S4 to Google Play that runs vanilla Android. While that particular device will only be available in the United States, it stoked the rumours that other manufacturers such as HTC would be getting in on the “almost-Nexus” game.

During the keynote, one of HTC’s PR mavens intimated that there would be a similar model of the One released with stock Android, presumably a newer version than is currently running on the device. But official channels quashed the rumour, leading to a short cessation of any talk.

In recent days, though, several sites including Geek.com and Android Central have independently confirmed that such a device does exist, and will be announced in the coming weeks. This news comes after a string of negative press, including several executives leaving the company, news of relatively underwhelming sales of the One, and indications that its Facebook phone, the First, has been unceremoniously discontinued.

It’s likely that HTC is going ahead with the project after seeing the positive reaction to the stock Galaxy S4, aware that there is a large market in North America for devices running unblemished Android and, perhaps more importantly, ones that receive updates directly from Google.

One thing to keep in mind about an HTC One “Google Edition” is that it will unlikely be sold in Canada. The same thing is true of the HTC One Developer Edition and the upcoming Play Store Galaxy S4, so you’re going to need a source in the United States to obtain one.

If HTC does release a One running stock Android, would you buy one?

Source: Android Central, Geek

Gmail for Android has been rumoured to receive a redesign for some time, and some thought that it would even arrive during Google I/O last week. Instead, we were issued a number of refreshed Google apps, including Play Music, Play Magazines, Play Books, Google Earth and others. Among all these refreshed apps was a unified look, with a left-side navigation bar that includes three lines at the top left — referred to internally at Google as the “hamburger.”

Android Police was looking through some slides from just-released I/O developer sessions and came across a slide showing a newly-updated Gmail for Android interface with, as you may guess, the same left-side sliding bar.

The new look does away with the bottom access bar, bringing the Compose and Search icons to the top right of the screen. There no drop-down action bar to switch between labels, either, as all the main app navigation has been moved to the slide-in menu.

Gmail for Android, while an advanced and competent email client, hasn’t received a significant redesign since October 2011, when Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich was introduced. Since then, the company has largely unified its design language, both for its own apps and for third-party apps across the ecosystem. This upcoming design refresh may look minor, but it’s a significant step forward in terms of functionality and ease-of-use.

Hopefully it gets released soon. What do you think of the upcoming Gmail redesign?

Source: Android Police

The Huawei Ascend P6 is one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets, having been leaked numerous times before its actual announcement. Today we have the first glimpse of the phone in high-resolution renders thanks to evleaks, and the Chinese OEM looks to be taking a page out of Samsung’s book by releasing the 6.2mm phone in multiple colours.

Seemingly coming in black, white and pink, the Ascend P6 won’t knock anyone over with its specs, but it does promise to be a fairly well-rounded mid-range smartphone. The device, which looks from the sides like a thinner, taller iPhone 4S, could be announced in mid-June, based on reports of a Huawei press conference.