Would you replace your phone’s native text messaging service for something a little more Facebook-powered? That’s what the social media giant is banking on, with the announcement that a new Messenger app is in the works – one that wouldn’t require an account.

Image via frydolin

It’s all part of Facebook’s hopes to expand into developing markets, namely India, Indonesia, Australia, Argentina, Venezuela and South Africa. No ads are involved, but as Peter Deng, Facebook’s director of communications, says: “It could lead to other parts of the Facebook product — post a status message or share an album.” With Facebook accounts in developed markets already reaching their peak, it’s clear that forging new markets will be imperative to keep investors in the now publicly-traded company happy; after all, Facebook’s problems with privacy and the discomfort some internet users have had with its data mining practices are a giant stumbling block to overcome in its traditional markets.

However, it might be time to give an old service a new facelift. As Deng also mentioned during the press conference: “The SMS protocol has been around for 20 years. It’s designed for old phones, and it doesn’t take advantage of location or rich features like picture talking. We want to let people connect to each other.” Blackberry’s home grown messaging service did well for itself in catching the interest of the teenage mobile user category, at least until it became associated with the London Riots as well as its issue with blackouts. For espectially heavy users, the chance to bypass texting charges can be tempting, plus the extra features a Facebook platform would bring might also be tempting in a post-Tumblr reaction-gif kind of landscape. Also, the original Facebook Messenger managed to soundly replace the old IM programmes of the early 2000s despite its many technical issues.

But the main question behind all the hoopla is: will the revamp actually work in driving new accounts? Facebook’s mobile apps have been a bit of a running joke since they were released with their lack of functionality compared to other similar apps. Without the carrot of already having a Facebook account luring the public to use this particular app, it may be somewhat harder to get people to give the program a try. After all, it’s clear that if Facebook want to take on something so engrained in mobile culture as text messaging, the app is going to probably need to be immaculate off the bat. After all, in the tech world, second chances can sometimes be hard to come by.

Are you planning on trying out the revamped Messenger when it’s out?

The first text message was sent on this day in 1992. It was sent by Neil Papworth who used his computer to wish “Merry Christmas” to Richard Jarvis, of Vodafone, on his Orbitel 901 mobile phone. Sadly Papworth didn’t get a reply as there was no mobile texting yet, that arrived in 1993 with the first phone from Nokia.

Use of the humble text message has rocketed, year on year there has been growth of the number of people using text messaging to stay in contact with each other. It has even coined its own language with many abbreviations driving parents up the wall by making their way into everyday use. There is concern that the text message may have seen its glory days and will slowly begin to lose out to its smartphone counterparts such as WhatsApp and the BlackBerry messaging services which are free and do basically the same job.

Camera. Phone. (Photo credit: tompagenet)

When text messages were first released they were free as companies had not figured out how to charge for them. Sadly this did not last for long as the number of people texting rapidly grew and companies began charging for texts. By 2001 the UK was sending around one billion texts a month, which would bring in around £100 million a month. When put into perspective this seems like a ludicrous amount of money, the amount of data in a text message is tiny, 128 bytes, if you were to charge the same amount for a 650MB music CD you would be looking at around £60,000 per CD. Text messages were an obvious money maker for the phone companies.

Throughout the years text messages have been in the news for good and bad reasons. In some cases text messages have saved lives and allowed people to communicate in difficult political situations. There have also been many a scandal picked up by tabloids due to text messages being exchanged, with many professional footballer sweating about texting kiss and tell girls. In addition many politicians have been caught out through simple text messages.

Although text messaging may be in decline it will not be dying out any time soon. It is still expected to bring in huge amounts of money and as people move towards much more data based services many of the phone companies will simply adjust there prices for data transfer making text a viable option. So there may be a decline but in developing countries like those in Africa, text messaging will remain as the main way in which people stay in touch and also conduct business and banking.

So here is to another twenty years of simple messages getting people in trouble, making phone companies lots of money and keeping the rest of us highly amused.

It’s the 18th, are you in the Halloween spirit yet? If not, here are a few top apps and accessories to take advantage of the one season where you won’t get side-eyed for having an Exorcist ringtone:

5. Scary Sounds App

Remember the age-old cassette tapes of spooky sounds that were a staple of pretty much every school hosted haunted house? Now you can bring the magic to your house even if you’re a bit more high tech than a tape deck. iTunes’ Scary Sounds app puts all the sounds right where you need them, and for free.

Image via iTunes

4. Quarkie

Your old headphones just aren’t going to cut it for the spookiest time of the year. Instead, pick up a pair of rusty bolt headphones from Quarkie. Alternatively, make the people standing around you very uncomfortable with a set of their eye headphones.

Image via Quarkie

3. Ghost Radar

Whether or not you’re a fan of the ghost hunting genre of TV shows, you have to admit that having a Ghost Radar on hand would make trick or treating just that much more interesting. Plus, it’s free!

Image via Google Play

2. Digital Dudz

Ok, not everyone is into spending at least three months coming up with the best warrior zombie costume ever. And that’s just fine, because with a t-shirt from Digital Dudz, a smartphone, an app and some duct tape, you too can have a costume that does stuff. Their new iWound in particular combines the powers of latex and phones to create the groadiest flesh wound ever- check it out on Youtube.

1. 13 Spooky Apps

On the 19th, iTunes is launching its 13 Spooky Apps  (apparently “the biggest, best, and the most chilling of Halloween apps on the market!”) for the iPhone again. With new stuff to discover every day, it’s not a bad way to get kids hyped for the season.

What’s your favourite spooky app? Share it below!

The iPhone 5 isn’t due out until Friday, but American news outlets are already feeling the hype.

While covering the scintillating story of people waiting in a line for a new phone, Fox 5 in New York City showed an awesomely high-tech video of what to expect from the upcoming iPhone 5, including some features we hadn’t been spoiled for yet…

Laser keyboard and holograms? Sign me up.

Don’t go shaking your phone around to make the laser keyboard pop out yet, though. Hilariously enough, the video Fox had chosen to use was merely a year old piece of concept art from Aatma Studio, see receipts:

All questions about fact checking a that particular Fox station aside, the blunder does raise some questions. Given that someone on the editorial team actually thought we’d be getting handheld affordable holograms, is the general public beginning to have stratospheric expectations of what to expect from each new iteration of the iPhone? And if they are, will Apple be able to keep up with expectations on their pace of progress? We’ll find out on the 21st when the first reactions to the latest iPhone start rolling in.

Have the tweaked features on the iPhone 5 made you consider being an early adopter? Share your thoughts with us below.

Nokia were once the be all and end all of mobile phones; this was until the jump to smart phones where they were comprehensively beaten down by competitors such as Apple. However, Nokia are about to release their latest phone, the Lumia 920, in November, and it looks like it is a return to form for the company.

This new model boasts many exciting features that Nokia hope will entice people away from the upcoming iPhone 5. One feature that struck me as being a major development is wireless charging. This will work through a combination of Bluetooth and NFC to pair up and stream. There is also a charging pillow that you can purchase; when you lay your lumia down on it will begin charging. Definitely something that we haven’t seen being done well before.

The camera is also a bit special as the lens assembly actually floats so it stabilises itself. This leads to better photos in low light and less shaky videos. The camera also has Cinemagram built in which allows you to create stunning gifs on your phone. The video below shows that balancing technology in action, with Nokia on the right hand side.

The phone is also running Windows Phone 8 which is exciting as there are a lot of interesting things that you can do with the program. However, the Windows Phone was also running this operating system and it never quite worked out as well as everyone had hoped it would. Furthermore, there has to be the support of the development community behind it to ensure that people who choose to go for this phone are not missing out on apps that everyone else takes for granted.

Overall, I think that the phone looks great and I really hope that there is the support behind it to make it a real competitor to the iPhone. It won’t be cheap, sadly, as reports have mentioned the phone costing around 600 Euros with a lower model retailing at 450 Euros. Whether it is an iPhone killer or not, it is definitely a step in the right direction for Nokia. This could be the start of a resurgence for the company.

While there are a ton of running apps on both the App store and Google Play, there are few that motivate you to actually lace up your trainers and go. Introducing Zombies, Run!, a game/app that does exactly that. It’s a really interesting concept that rewards you the longer you run.

Develop your base to grow your population (Picture from Zombies, Run! Facebook)

I won’t reveal too much of the story, but the aim is to collect items to help rebuild your town; all the while avoiding those dreaded zombies! For anyone who likes games which involve building a civilisation, you’ll love this. There are a series of missions you play through, but once they end you can continue to pick up items.

As you play the missions, the story unravels a little bit more as to how the apocalypse happened. It’s not an audiobook by any means. You can choose a playlist from your music player app and the story will be resumed after each song. Every now and again, you’ll pick up essential items such as water and food to special items which reveal more of the plot.

There’s also an option for zombie chases (sprint training) where the zombies really get up close and personal. And don’t think you can move into second gear to escape the zombies. I made this mistake on the first run and subsequently dropped an item to distract them from chasing me! Turning this feature off means you can still collect items on your walk to work etc. which is great so this isn’t just for runners.

I’ve been on three runs so far using the app and can say it’s not only made running fun, but I’m also running for a little longer after the mission has finished just to pick up a few more extra things (sad I know).

Elsewhere, the app works like any other running app; it calculates speed, distance, calories burned, routes run etc. so even the most serious of runners will still get the vital stats they crave.

Overall it’s a fantastic app. While some may see the £5.49 price tag as a little steep, I think it’s a worthwhile investment that makes running a little more interesting. And who’s never wondered what it would be like to be in a zombie apocalypse?!

What do you think of Zombies, Run!? Tell us in the comments section below.

After a sea of rumours, the official launch date of the iPhone 5 has been announced as the 12 of September. This launch date is also rumoured to be the announcement date for the iPad mini, new iPod nano and Apple’s newest mobile operating system, iOS 6.

There is speculation as to what the new iPhone will look like, some suggest it will be longer and thinner than the previous models, others dictate a larger screen, a more centralised FaceTime camera and a metallic backing plate.

Here are some images of what iPhone fans and fanatics suspect the 5th model will look like. What are your thoughts?

iPhone Pro, just better

Source: b4phone.com via Sebastian on Pinterest

iPhone 4S, just with black and white this time

Source: sunshineonsite.com via Frank on Pinterest

 

iPhone 5, just curvier

Source: oficinadanet.com.br via Renato on Pinterest

iPhone 5, just a little unrealistic

Source: mashable.com via Dario on Pinterest

 

iPhone 5, possibly real?

The final image seems the most realistic and takes a number of attributes from the iPhone 4S model. It also incorporates a lot of the current rumours; longer, thinner and with a ‘liquid metal’ case. Only time will tell what the official iPhone 5 will look like. Until then, we’ll just have to keep guessing.

What would you expect to see from the new iPhone 5? A better camera? A more functional Siri? Let us know in the comment section below. 

Camera apps are great for getting the most out of your smartphone’s photo-taking features! Here are five of the best to try out:

1. Instagram

Perhaps one of the most popular photo app for your phone, now also available on the Android platform. The app allows you to pick from several different custom designed filters and borders as well as use different effect to blur your photos or make them more vibrant.

There is an option to share your photos instantly on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Foursquare (and Flicker very soon). Through ‘likes’ and comments you can also easily interact with your friends!

Most importantly the app is free, fast, pleasingly designed and has an intuitive interface. 

Find out more about the app here.

2. Pudding Camera

The app is highly customisable – there are several films and camera options available.

Users can also play with the exposure time, timer feature and Triplex camera, available with the update. The interface is easy enough, though it might take a few moments to find your way around this app. Some also complained about issues with the resolution as being inadequate with the picture quality.

It is very easy to share your photos on Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter as well as the developer’s own platform called pudding.to. The app is free and available for iPhone and Android.

Find out more about the app here.

3. Line Camera

Line Camera makes it simple to decorate your pictures with animal and cartoon stamps. You can choose from over a hundred frames and stamps and embed them into to the photo. You can create your own stamps with the ‘Brush and Text’ option, which makes this app very customisable. Similarly with other apps there are several filters to choose from and even the smallest detail can be adjusted.

Line Camera is fast and easy to use and definitely recommended to all anime fans. The app is available free for iPhone and Android.

4. Hipstamatic

This fantastic app gives you a chance to change your lens, film or flash with a swipe of the finger. Recommended for anyone wanting their digital photos to be looking ‘analogue’.  There are many options to choose from which means plenty of fun! The newest update allows you to save your favourite lenses and films, making it easy to navigate.

There is also a community feel to the app. Users can submit their work to the Big Hipstematic Show and win prizes. You could also become an ambassador and help the brand in creating the buzz around the product. It might also be the only app allowing its users to order prints.

Hipstamatic is unfortunately only available for iPhone. Find out more about the app here.

5. easyTITLER

This fantastic app allows you to place text on top of the photo, making it perfect for some of the Tumblr fans. The app has a very nice design and lets you choose from a number of different fonts. It also gives you great flexibly when it comes to placing the text.

Some issues need fixing though, especially as it doesn’t come free.  The app likes to crash a lot and when saving the final result, the text might moves slightly. The app is only available on iTunes.

Find out more about the app here.

Do you have a favourite camera app? Share below!

Mobile games centred on the beautiful game may be plentiful, but very few are worth downloading. A couple of honourable mentions go to the free Fifa alternative Real Football 2012 and Football Kicks, the free kick game. New Star Soccer is a must for any footy fan with a smartphone.

The premise is simple; start at the tender age of 16 and develop your football career as you attempt to become the next Messi. By training hard and increasing your attributes, you rise through the ranks by starting at the bottom of the ladder.

Image via App Store

The games have commentary similar to Football Manager; while you are presented with static in-play situations where you have to pass and shoot your way to victory. Good performances keep your manager, team mates and fans happy. Get too complacent and you’ll find yourself starting on the bench, not getting passed to as often or getting booed by your own fans.

But it’s not just what you do on the field; your off the field antics affect what happens on the pitch too. You can use your money to buy material items such as bling, yachts and sports cars which bolster your happiness rating. You can also buy accommodation, everything from an apartment to a private island which helps you recover faster from the exerts of a match.

The more stuff you buy, the better your chances of attracting sponsors are meaning more money. More material possessions also lead to getting a girlfriend if you choose. But beware, although they provide a boost to your happiness rating, they can cause trouble such as bad publicity which can negatively affect your relationship with the manager.

The games database is good considering it’s only a mobile game. Take the English Premier League for example; you can battle for the Carling Cup, FA Cup, Europa or Champions League and of course the Premiership. Teams also get promoted and relegated throughout the leagues which even include the Hong Kong league where I started my career.

Having to balance everything is a bit more difficult than it sounds which makes the game frustrating, fun and addictive all at the same time. New Soccer Star has merged the best features of Fifa’s Be A Pro mode and Football Manager and added extra twists for good measure to create the best football game currently on the App store and Android market – it’s free to download and £1.99 respectively.

What do you think of New Star Soccer? Tell us in the comments section below.

Image via PictureYouth . on Flickr

In this age of ubiquitous and ever-smarter mobile phones, it is hardly surprising that children are clamouring for their own handset at an increasingly early age. After all, young people are traditionally more adept with technology, and seem to take to gadgets with more intuitive ease than preceding generations.

Having the latest electronic toy is also a status symbol amongst peers, not to mention the first sign of a youngster’s much-longed for independence and maturity. Many of us from a slightly earlier generation remember the thrill of getting our own landline installed in our bedroom, with all the accompanying prospects of a private social life (despite our parents’ ability to listen in from another handset). It’s much the same today – a mobile phone offers the ability to socialise and interact with peers constantly, without requiring parental permission.

To some extent, this has always been an important coming-of-age ritual for children – those first steps away from the nest, toward an independent social life free of constant parental supervision. However, what concerns many people nowadays is the early age at which children are getting their first mobiles. The average age for first mobiles in the UK is eight, and many argue that children this young are simply not mature or aware enough to deal with the responsibilities a mobile phone entails.

There are pros and cons to the question, of course. For instance, many parents feel that their kids are safer with mobile phones. It’s easier to check in with kids to find out where they are at all times, and kids themselves can quickly get in touch with their parents in case of emergency. However, others note that carrying a fancy phone might make children more vulnerable to mugging, and that texting or talking while walking in areas with lots of traffic might distract children and cause them to be involved in accidents. The answer to these qualms, of course, may be to supply kids with very inexpensive, basic-model phones that aren’t worth stealing, and to properly educate youngsters about traffic dangers.

Another argument in favour of providing kids with mobiles is that nowadays a child without their own phone is at a social disadvantage, unable to interact as effectively with their peers and more likely to be left out of social circles. However, it can equally be said that the rise of texting and social media networks mean that people of all ages are increasingly removed from the real world and genuine human interaction. The risk is that a child raised in such a society will never learn how to interact properly with others in a face-to-face environment.

Meanwhile, the growing popularity of smartphones and mobile internet poses similar problems for parents as did the emergence of the internet – chiefly, how to monitor what their children are viewing online, and with whom they’re interacting. Much as the internet (and smartphones) offer brilliant educational opportunities, there are downsides to giving children unlimited access to information. Many schools, for instance, have banned the use of mobiles within their walls not only because they can distract pupils, but also due to their potential to be used for cheating on tests or bullying fellow students.

The realities of modern life mean that kids (and increasingly adults) who aren’t comfortable using the full technological gamut used in the world today will be at a disadvantage in terms of education, career and social life. However, given the speed and relative ease with which children pick up these skills, perhaps it is not necessary that they grow up using these gadgets almost from birth. Or, if parents feel the benefits of having a mobile phone outweigh the dangers in their child’s situation, the best approach may simply be to ensure that children are taught from a young age about not only the immense possibilities of the technology, but also about how to protect themselves from the many pitfalls.

Do you think children should be allowed to have mobile phones? Vote in our poll below!