Old article left for reference

As you might know, WhatsApp Web works only on Google Chrome... or that what they want us to believe! I don't know if they put such a limitation after some "money incentive" from Google, or just because they don't have enough funds to do testing on Firefox (I can understand this, they were valued just 20 billion dollars).

The truth is that on Firefox it will work very well, this is how to enable it:

First of all, download UAControl.

Install it and restart Firefox. Then search "chrome user agent" on Google and click on the first result. Copy the user agent (which is a browser identifying string). Then go to UAControl and add Chrome user agent for the address "web.whatsapp.com"

Voilà! Magically, now WhatsApp Web works also on Firefox!

After pairing:

Notifications are working also:

What's weird is that if I go to see on my BlackBerry Z10, WhatsApp says that's connected to Firefox!!!

A few days ago in Google Play appeared iMessage for Android.

It's not a fake app, it actually works: the problem is how it works.

Since Apple doesn't allow chat between other brands' devices, messages are sent to a Mac Mini located in China, and then sent to the final destination.

The app is free and doesn't show any ads. They don't have a way to make money from this app, yet this "Daniel Zweigart" pays at least $100/month to house his Mac Mini in an internet datacenter: how he could pay for it?

There are two ways:

1. he is a philantropist and does it for the glory
2. it's a smart way to steal your Apple ID

Now, if your Apple ID, is "fake" like mine, registered without a credit card just for downloading the free single of the week from iTunes, there are no problems.

If your Apple ID is real, stealing the password leads to problems like those:

• They can buy apps for thousands of dollars, especially if those apps are made by their "friends"
• They can see all your iPhone photos
• They can block your iPhone just for fun, making a nice $600 decoration for your shelf
• They can reset your iPhone, losing all your data
• They can delete all your data from your Mac, as happened to that Wired journalist who lost years of personal photos
• They can see your passwords if you were crazy enough to sync the keychain on the cloud
• They can see your iWork documents, if you saved on the cloud
• They can send spam to your iMessage friends
• They can impersonate yourself and scam your iMessage friends
• and so on...

Ps: works perfectly on BlackBerry 10, but it's not available on BlackBerry World. If you want to download it, connect your Google Play account on barinstall.com

The advertising is a scam: when you click it, a new windows will open and will ask to subscribe to a very expensive ringtone service. Once done that, we get the instructions page: the famous "Whatsapp per PC" it's just, an Android emulator.

In this way, you get a new emulated Android phone on your PC: you can chat with Whatsapp, but the app on your phone will be disabled! (fonte)

There is another way to get Whatsapp on a PC?

If your account is old, there is, it's Wassapp, it's an unofficial client made by Waninoko, an (ex) Wii hacker.

Do you know your username? It's your phone number; the password is the wifi MAC address if you use an iPhone or the IMEI code if you use  an Android smartphone. (If your account is new, the password is randomly generated)

Now, this is the main reason to stop using Whatsapp: the username is your phone number, everybody knows it. The password is the IMEI, easy to find by dialing *#06#. This means if you lend the phone to your friend, he could find your Whatsapp credentials and be able to read and send message in your name, easily, from his home PC!!!

Just after seven minutes I got an email! With much excitement I open it:

It comes from "g.....a.g.....n.....e...r.......ademan...d....e@gmail.com" (uhm... what's this address? On gmail dots are ignored, it has been edited this way to avoid searching on Google, the real address is gagnerademande@gmail.com) and it says "I am interested to that phone, it's still on sale?"

I answer from my disposable email account: "Of course it's still on sale, I posted it less than 10 minutes ago"

I get immediately a response (from a different email, gagnerademande1@outlook.fr) he says he is an Italian but for work reasons he is temporarily located in Abidjan, and he needs my Z10 so badly to happily pay 100 euro more than my asking price, if I can send it immediately via ITALIAN POSTAL SERVICE.

This is the proof that the guy isn't an Italian, otherwise he would have NEVER asked to rely on the ITALIAN POSTAL SERVICE to deliver such an expensive and fragile item!

However, I answer "sure, send money to this email, and I will send the phone immediately"

Just a few seconds later I get a phishing email from paypal-assistenza@ymail.com (I guess PayPal is cutting on budget, can't afford professional email, must use the free yahoo mail) written in bad Italian: money is arrived, if I click and insert my PayPal password, I will receive the money.

Super cool! In this way the scammer gets my phone for free and at the same time he steals my PayPal password, for having a free shopping spree!

So, I click the fake link in the fake email, and I get a fake site where, inserting my fake email with a fake password like "omgimdumb", I see that the fake payment has been credited on my fake account, cool!

I answer "Whoa, that's a fast payment! I send it quickly via italian postal service, it will arrive very fast, I'm sure about it."

Not understanding my irony, he answers me "Thank you! Send it to:

Name: CHANTAL  KOUAKOU
Address: COCODY RUE DES PRINCES LOTTO:748
ZIP code:12 BP 2479
City: ABIDJAN
Country: Ivory Coast
TEL: +225 66751492

I answer him: Wait for it impatiently, will arrive very soon

In the long run the problem will be "fixed", since on BB10 apps can be programmed using almost any programming language, giving "easy life" to app developers, but in the short run we can feel something missing, what to do?

Luckily, inside the operating system there is an Android 2.3 simulator (it will be updated to "Jelly Bean" in a few months)

Can we install an app we like on it?

Of course!

There are some limitations, there are some kinds of apps that wont work, as for example:

• Apps that access to Google account without asking a password (e.g: Gmail, Google+, apps that check your Google Play account for anti-piracy purposes)
• Apps that manage phonebook and/or SMS
• Launchers (you can install them, but, if you do that, you will lose the wonderful BB10 multitasking on Android apps)
• Widget and live wallpapers (because without a launcher are useless)
• Apps that manage network and APNs
• Apps that contain more thans one app (for example the latest versions of Google Maps, contain 4 apps)
• Apps that embeds a Google Maps view (unless you install Google Maps)
• Apps that install or uninstall other apps
• Apps that use the direct audio access (Skype, Shazam, Videogames)

An average app will work, for games the compatibility is low, but you can try, it's free

First: find the APK of the Android app

If you have a phone/tablet with Android you can use ES File Explorer to get it. Or you can use BlueStacks, there are dozens of ways, we can discuss them on the forum.

Second: convert the Android APK in a BlackBerry 10 BAR

For converting your app you can follow the long path, register as a developer, install a boatload of commandline programs and swear for a whole weekend, or you can just use the automatic service offered by  apk2bar.unker.net.

Yes, just upload your APK on http://apk2bar.unker.net/ and in a few minutes you will have a BAR, ready to be installed

Third: enable developing mode
 

Open settings and select "Security and privacy"

Now, select "Development Mode"

Enable "Use Developing Mode"

Now you will be forced to set a password for your deice: in fact, when the developing mode is enabled, you can add, launch, terminate, "spy" the app, the browser, and, in some cases, change their behaviour: if it would be possible to enable it without a password, it would be dangerous.

Fourth: install your BAR

Once you enabled the development mode, you can install all the apps you want.

Install this Chrome extension, write the IP address of your device in the options (if you don't know it, follow this guide) then access it by browsing to the address https://ip.address/  (remember to write the S after http)

Write your password, now you can install all the BARs you want!

If I wasn't clear enough, let's discuss it on the forum.

Do you know that you can automatically sync the passwords database with your computer via Dropbox?

How to do that?

You need:

1. KPD, it's a slightly edited version of KeePassDroid (GPL source here)
2. OI File Manager, it's a file manager that integrates with many Android apps like KPD/KeePassDroid
3. A BlackBerry 10 smartphone

And then it's a piece of cake!

1. Put your KeePass database in a Dropbox folder
2. Open KPD and tap the "open folder" icon
3. OI File Manager will open
4. Now, click on the top, on the "home" icon, on the left of the SD card icon
5. Browse to ACCOUNTS, then 1000, and then SHARED
6. Inside there is our Dropbox folder: the system-level integration will download the file when needed, uploading edits, if needed.
7. If you want to have offline access to the database, you just have to open the BlackBerry file manager, select the database in the Dropbox folder, long-press it, and "star" it: in this way it will be automatically synced in the background, over Wi-Fi and also via 3G, if you enabled it in the settings.

Launcher8 it's great, free and it perfectly merges with Android, its live wallpapers and widgets, I find it much more intuitive. It already has themed icons and you can customize in every way:

On the left there is the battery stats from Battery Eta. If you don't count Sunday ("Domenica" - I went to the beach and I left the phone charging the whole day), the average duration is disappointing... 12 hours. It means that if during lunch break I forget to charge my phone, after dinner the phone is dead.

It's the battery? No, it always behaved like that. Tthis phone (T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide), when is not in a good reception area (see the screenshot, I only have one bar), increases the transmission power to a ludicrous level, eating battery like hot cakes.

In optimal conditions it lasts about 48 hours, but I would have to move in a new house, so it's not a good solution.

I could disable the Gmail push mail, but at that point I could carry a cheap dumbphone with infinite battery.

How long does the battery last to you? I'm curious to know if I'm just an isolated case or it's normal that nowadays a phone have to last just half day.

For promoting it, they placed on the official website this image (already replaced):

I don't know what you think about it, but I find it very hilarious!

Have you ever seen a company that places their own phone with competitors phones, keeping it in a corner, half hidden, maybe too shy for a direct match, with the competitor names written in a BIG WHITE font, and their "Windows Phone 7" in grey, much smaller, as a remind to its lesser success??

Of course, after that someone let them know the problem, they switched the image with an inverted one, but it's still a big gaffe.

I'll continue to criticize: when the Nokia Lumia 900 was launched, there were rumours about the upgrade path to Windows Phone 8. Current devices won't be upgradable, the rumor said.

Of course if it was true, the sales of the Nokia Lumia would have been hurted a lot, so, Microsoft promptly denied the rumour, promising the upgrade.

What happened last week? Windows Phone 8 was announced and the upgrade won't be available.

A great way to thank faithful customers, right?

(Tweet says: Who has a BlackBerry? There's an app for you!)

(Tweet says: BlackBerry? Nobody ^_~)

The app is not available on App World, due to some bugs, it's in private beta, just contact me to have it.

Fun facts:

• It was working on BB OS 6, crashed on BB OS 5
• Edited to work BB OS 5, crashes on BB OS 6
• The back button does not work (possible fix)
• Japanese words had to be romanized because BlackBerry OS does not support asian characters...
• I used an "iPhoney" style for the user interface, because the default one looks so 2006...

But, to sell more units, manufacturers are making low-end devices for a cheaper price, maybe too chep to have a decent experience. What to take in account to choose a device that won't disappoint us? Here is my experience:

T-Mobile G1

• Release date: October 2008 - the first Android-based mobile
• CPU: 528 Mhz - just the minimum, not fast, not too slow.
• RAM: 192 MB - it's impossible to have more than two apps opened at the same time. Open the browser and the home will close. Close the browser and you have to wait 5 seconds to load the home. Open contacts and wait other 5 seconds. Extremely frustrating. With cyanogenmod it's possible to add some cache, but it does not make a miracle...
• Internal memory: 256 MB - but just 50MB can be used. The browser takes 15 MB, Google Maps takes 10, Gmail 5, just install THREE apps from the Market and you've got full memory!
• User experience: awful - slow and unresponsive, a little better with cyanogenmod and various hacks

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide

• Release date: June 2010
• CPU: 600 Mhz - Whoa, much better than the G1! This is next-gen, with integrated GPU. You can really feel the difference!
• RAM: 512 MB - Yay!!! You can open dozens of apps, and you'll never run out of memory! Just a few minutes and my G1 is forgotten in a drawer.
• Internal memory: 512 MB - but just 150MB can be used... you have to hack the system and repartition if you want to install more than 20 apps.
• User experience: much better! Maybe a little slow in some cases, but it's ok.

HP Touchpad

• Release date: June 2011 - the first webOS-based tablet (+ Android 4 in dual boot)
• CPU: Dual core 1.2 Ghz - wow!!! Extremely fast!!!
• RAM: 1 GB - If with 512 MB was impossible to run out of memory, think what you can do with the double!
• Internal memory: 3 GB! You can install hundreds of apps!
• User experience: Awesome!

So, from my experience, those are the minimum requirements to have a decent experience:

• CPU: 600 Mhz - does not matter THAT much, it's better to have more RAM - once the app it's loaded, it's fast
• RAM: at least 320 MB
• Internal memory: at least 256 MB accessible to the user

If one of this requirement is not met, I can guarantee you that you will be disappointed from your Android mobile. (unless you use the phone just to make calls and send text - but you can just use a dumbphone for that)

Reading this story makes me wonder: what is the point to use a special connector instead of using the micro usb, (which can also bring HDMI signals, with MHL) that it's a standard, it's cheaper, it's used by the rest of the world, and it's required to use in the European community??

Option A: in this way they can sell for 20 bucks the data cable (real price: $1)

Option B: in this way they can sell for 30 bucks the plastic dock with no electronic parts inside and which still requires the $20 data cable to work (probably the beautiful box it's more expensive to make than the dock)

Option C: in this way they can make millions with the "made per iPhone" certified accessories, like radios and so on

Option D: in this way they can make millions selling another adapter to who already owns the dock connector accessories

Option E: all the other options

I must say that, compared to the previous versions, despite the new fancy graphics, it seems much more responsive, whereas the emulator is much slower compared to a mobile phone.

Defects? I found several, here's a summary:

1. Until now you could put in silent mode from the lockscreen. Now that function has been replaced with a button to take a picture, just like in iOS 5. I understand that if Apple did it, it's probably a good idea to copy, but silent mode is much more useful than taking a picture. And that "take picture" button that is available in almost all cell phones has a reason to be, right?
2. "Add Widgets" screen in the drawer. Well, this was definitely "inspired" by GO Launcher, but it is quite useless! There is already an add widget menu by holding down the finger on the desktop, why replicate this function? They could replace it with a list of running programs
3. Applications in drawer will no longer flow in "Android style", but have an "iPhone style" with a black background as seen on iPhone OS 3. Why return to the past by copying from the competitor?
4. The background does not scroll between screens with that parallax effect typical of Android, but it is a simple static background as with the iPhone. How nice...
5. In all screens there is a search bar with Google as if the search button that they put on all the phones is useless. The bar is as wide as the entire screen. Why just don't put, a small icon in the corner for start a new search?
6. The interface is very dark. Probably with a Super AMOLED screen is awesome, but with a normal screen like mine, it will be unreadable in the sun.

Of course there are also other advantages:

1. 3G data counter is well integrated with the system. Farewell 3G Watchdog 
2. Settings are more intuitive and accessible from the notification bar
3. The wireless networks menu is nicer
4. Better management of photos (although in 70% of cases, the manufacturer provides a different program to manage your photos, because the default one is too rough)
5. You can disable apps. Once an app is disabled, it will be made invisible and will not be executed. Hurray! Finally, I can turn off some ass-programmed apps like Facebook and Skype, which are executed even if I do not use them!

WOW!

Microsoft, on their blog, has written that, with the upcoming Windows Phone 7 version, you will be able to - hold up on the chair - choose a custom ringtone!!!

That's a shocking innovation!

And this is not the end of the shocking announcements: they will include nine new default ringtones!

That's awesome, that's the future, custom ringtones, who would have think that 10 years ago?

Wow!!!! I love the future!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

However, iType (what an original name!), is very easy to use, just slide the iPhone in, and use it anywhere, at school, on the bus, in the car while driving, and everywhere you'd like to improve your texting abilities, thanks to its small size:

Oh no! A little bit big!

Anyway, i see a great thing on the background, a musical keyboard for the iPhone! Oh! It would be great to compose and play songs on it! Great for musicians! It is the iDiscover, here is a detailed picture:

According to Engadget, this keyboard can also be used as a MIDI peripheral, to be used to compose music on Mac and PCs! 

The price? Still unknown... (but i suppose that it will be hundreds of dollars, like the majority of "premium" addons for the iPhone )

Uhm... where i saw this design? It looks so similar... to a mobile on sale from some time... let's try to merge the drawings:

Creative Zii in red, Apple iPhone in blue

So cool! The Zii is almost compatible with iPhone covers! What a smart move! It's a pity that they placed the camera in the wrong place... it's a matter of millimeters, otherwise they could write on the box: "New! Compatible with Apple iPhone covers!"

Also, the logo looks similar to another logo... and the name also is similar; Zii... Zii... it resembles another name, become famous 2-3 years ago:

Wow, Creative has been so... creative!

A Memory Stick is ABSOLUTELY more expensive. Here is a comparison on a 16 GB card, from the same manufacturer (Sandisk):

Paying 24 euro more for essentially the same product! Who will pay a "36% Sony tax"??

So, the great idea to lock Sony users with the Memory Sticks, has proven to be not so good: it renders the product less appealing!

Recently, on new cellphones, and on expensive cameras, Sony chose to use "standard" formats. (microSD for mobiles, compact flash for D-SLRs). Now they confirmed it!

The next step? As Engadget says, they could kill the UMD. Oops, they already did it