BlackBerry Messenger Coming to iOS and Android 'Before the End of Summer'

Rumors originally pointed to a June 27 release for the iOS and Android versions of BlackBerry's Messenger software, but CEO Thorsten Heins has confirmed that the long awaited BlackBerry Messenger won't be available until later this year. Heins announced that the cross-platform service will land on both iOS and and Android devices "before the end of this summer," during a quarterly earnings call this morning.

BlackBerry Messenger

BBM will be free to download, but it will only support devices running iOS 6 or higher, and Android 4.0 or higher, according to MobileSyrup.com. The service will also initially be limited to messaging and groups at launch, with plans to add other popular BlackBerry features such as BBM Voice in future updates.

RadioShack to Offer Virgin Mobile iPhone for Only $499

If you are planning to buy an iPhone 5 from Virgin Mobile tomorrow, you may want to check RadioShack first. The Shack is extending its $50 trade-in deal to Virgin Mobile iPhones. This means you could potentially nab an off-contract iPhone 5 for only $450, instead of $500. Virgin Mobile will be selling the 16GB iPhone 5 for $549.99 online and in stores starting June 28th. The 32GB and 64GB models will only be available through VirginMobileUSA.com for $650 and $750, respectively. This includes Virgin's no contract $30/month unlimited plans.

iPhone 5 Radio Shack

RadioShack is also offering deals on the iPhone for AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon customers. A lot of The Shack's iPhone deals are in store only, and the Virgin Mobile deal also only applies to "eligible trade-ins". Also don't forget, a lot of other retailers are currently offering trade-in deals in anticipation of the next-generation iPhone. You may want to shop around, or wait until this fall before locking yourself into any new two-year contracts.

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time Release Date Delayed

Electronic Arts has decided "it's not about time" to release Plants vs. Zombies 2. PopCap originally announced that the sequel entitled Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time would be released on July 18, but EA announced today that it will be available "later in the summer". EA did not give a reason for the delay. Here is the tweet from the official PvsZ Twitter account.

"Plants vs. Zombies 2, originally slated for a July 18th release, will now be released later in the summer. Stay tuned for more details."

Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time

Maybe EA is pulling a Microsoft-like 180, after fans criticized their decision to only release the game for iOS devices. However, the official PvsZ YouTube page still reads: "Plants vs. Zombies will be released summer 2013, exclusively for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch on the App Store." Some fans were also not happy about the game being a freemium release. This means the game will be free to download, but will most likely require in-app purchases to make it more enjoyable to play.

iOS 7 Beta 2 Adds Contact Photos to Group Messages

Apple released iOS 7 beta 2 to developers right on schedule, two weeks after the original dropped at WWDC. Most developers originally thought the upgrade would only bring speed and performance improvements, but a host of new features are already being discovered. One big discovery includes the addition of contact photos in group conversations. This is a feature iOS users have been wanting for a long time, and one of the few perks jailbreakers have been enjoying thanks to tweaks like ChatPic or Copic. You can also now choose to have nicknames enabled so they will appear in group chats instead of the person's actual name.

Contact Photos

Unfortunately, the contact photos only appear in group messages, but hopefully Apple will add them to all messages and texts before iOS 7 is released. The stock Message app also received a few visual tweaks like a larger Send button, and a new send animation. Other tweaks discovered in iOS 7 beta 2 include Siri's new male voice, and a return of the stock Voice Memos app which disappeared in the original beta.

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Facebook Sets its Sights on Flipboard

After taking on Twitter by introducing 15-second video to Instagram, Facebook has set its sights on the popular mobile application Flipboard. According to a recent report from the Wall Street Journal, the social media giant has been working on a new service called "Reader". Facebook Reader will display content from Facebook users and publishers in an aggregated format, much like the popular iOS app Flipboard already does. Evelyn M. Rusli of the WSJ said Facebook has been working on the mobile app for more than a year, and that they are focused on building it for Apple's operating system.

Facebook Reader

Flipboard is a social network reader that allows users to easily collect and flip through content from popular websites. The Flipboard iOS app already offers both Twitter and Facebook support, so it is hard to see why people will want to switch to a Facebook-branded news reader. Especially since Team Zuckerberg's track record with mobile services has not been very good this year. Facebook Home hasn't really taken off, and not to mention, how many Facebook apps does one person really need?

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