Facebook Messenger heads for Windows Phone

Facebook Messenger app will be delivered with a completely new user interface unique to Windows Phone.

Microsoft revealed at a press event ahead of Mobile World Congress that Facebook Messenger will be arriving on Windows Phone in the next few weeks.

Microsoft Vice President and Manager for Windows Phone, Joe Belfiore, was speaking at a press event in Barcelona ahead of Mobile World Congress when he confirmed its arrival. 

“We’ve been working with Facebook testing out their implementation for a while,” Belfiore said. ”It’s looking good and we will have it for our customers soon.”

The Facebook Messenger app will be delivered with a completely new user interface that’s unique to Windows Phone.

It will be separate from the main Facebook app and will work independently.

Last year, Windows Phone vendors shipped 33.4 million devices globally, giving the operating system a market share of 3.3 percent.

That's up from Windows Phone's share of 2.4 percent in 2012, and marks a near doubling of the growth rate for the overall smartphone market.

Although Windows Phone is looking to further expand its app market as still sits behind iPhone and Android phone sales.

“There’s a number of more great apps coming soon,” Belfiore added. “Stay tuned as you hear about more compelling demanded user apps coming for Windows Phone.”

There are now some 200,000+ apps on the Windows Phone store, according to Belfiore, with app downloads totalling 4 billion.

Samsung debuts top-end smartphone, with wearables on the side

(Reuters) - Samsung Electronics unveiled a new smart watch and fitness band along with the latest version of its flagship Galaxy smartphone on Monday, demonstrating how the battleground for innovation is shifting from the hand to the wrist.

The world's biggest smartphone maker set a trend less than six months ago for wearable devices that link to mobile handsets with its Galaxy Gear watch, which has seen rivals like Sony and Huawei follow in its wake.

Samsung's Gear 2, which runs on the Tizen operating system rather than Google's Android software, can monitor the wearer's heart rate, a function used in increasingly popular health and fitness apps, or individual programmes.

The Samsung Gear Fit, also targeting the fitness sector, has a curved screen and features including a pedometer and heart rate monitor, Samsung said.

The Galaxy S5 itself, which will be available in April, includes a slightly bigger screen than its predecessor, at 5.1 inches against 5 inches, improved camera technology and better protection against water and dust, Samsung said.

It also has a fingerprint scanner on the home button, it said, which can unlock the device and provide security credentials in a swipe.

It will enter a market that has seen slowing demand at the top-end, where Samsung is already in fierce competition from Apple Inc and Chinese vendors.

WhatsApp to add voice calls after Facebook acquisition

BY LEILA ABBOUD AND ERIC AUCHARD

(Reuters) - WhatsApp will add free voice-call services for its 450 million customers later this year, laying down a new challenge to telecom network operators just days after Facebook Inc scooped it up for $19 billion.

The text-based messaging service aims to let users make calls by the second quarter, expanding its appeal to help it hit a billion users, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday.

Buying WhatsApp has cemented Facebook's involvement in messaging, which for many people is their earliest experience with the mobile Internet. Adding voice services moves the social network into another core function on a smartphone.

On Monday, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg defended the price paid for a messaging service with negligible revenue. He argued that rival services such as South Korea's KakaoTalk and Naver's LINE are already "monetizing" at a rate of $2 to $3 in revenue per user per year, despite being in the early stages of growth.

Media reports put WhatsApp's revenue at about $20 million in 2013.

"I actually think that by itself it's worth more than 19 billion," Zuckerberg told the Mobile World Congress. "Even just independently, I think it's a good bet."

"By being a part of Facebook, it makes it so they can focus for the next five years or so purely on adding more people."

WhatsApp's move into voice calls is unlikely to sit well with telecoms carriers.

WhatsApp and its rivals, like KakaoTalk, China's WeChat, and Viber, have won over telecom operators' customers in recent years by offering a free option to text messaging. Telecom providers globally generated revenue of about $120 billion from text messaging last year, according to market researcher Ovum.

Adding free calls threatens another telecom revenue source, which has been declining anyway as carriers' tweak tariffs to focus on mobile data instead of calls.

WITH, NOT AGAINST

Since the advent a decade ago of Skype's voice over Internet service, which Microsoft Corp has acquired, and the rise of Internet service providers like Google Inc, telecom bosses have gotten used to facing challengers whose services piggyback on their networks. But carriers complain that the rivals are not subject to the same national regulations.

Mats Granryd, the CEO of Swedish mobile operator Tele2, said he was happy to partner with the likes of WhatsApp because of the additional data traffic they generate. But he shared the concerns of other network operators that they must operate under strict national regulations that Internet companies are not subject to.

"They (Internet firms) need to be regulated a little bit more and we need to be regulated a little bit less," said Jo Lunder, who heads Russian mobile network operator VimpelCom.

Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao said he did not understand how such an important acquisition as the Facebook-WhatsApp deal could go unchallenged at a time when European network operators were facing intense regulatory scrutiny.

"These types of deal are a clear indication that the world is changing and the regulations don't fit anymore," Colao said on the sidelines of the conference.

Both Facebook and WhatsApp CEOs have cast themselves as partners to telecoms network operators.

On Monday, Koum also announced a partnership with E-Plus, the German subsidiary of Dutch group KPN, under which it will launch a WhatsApp-branded mobile service in Germany.

The European Parliament is set to vote on Monday night on a package of proposed telecoms market reforms which among other provisions would restrict the ability of carriers to charge internet companies like Facebook to give them an enhanced service in handling their network traffic.

Fashionable Creoir Ibis smartwatch unveiled at MWC

The Creoir Ibis smartwatch is perhaps one of the most stylish wearables unveiled at MWC.

Comparing to other smartwatch designs we’ve been growing used to lately, the Ibis has a more attractive appeal. As technology continues to advance, the masses should expect designs to be quite similar to this one in terms of being more fashion-friendly, and namely, less bulky.

Made from stainless steel and crystal, the smartwatch has a functioning analog on its face, which also holds a touch-enabled OLED display. The Ibis even runs a version of Android.

Additionally, the smartwatch has Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi along with USB.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2 was also revealed at MWC earlier sporting a new design of its predecessor just months after the Gear’s release.

As Google and Apple are reportedly working on their own smartwatch designs, they are expected to add their own touches to the designs. Since Google’s smartwatch will obviously be Android-powered like the Ibis, will it take the likes of the latter’s design?

Microsoft launches Office for iPad

Technology giant Microsoft yesterday announced that their hugely-popular Office suit of productivity tools will be made available for Apple’s iPad tablet.

“Over a billion people on the planet use Microsoft Office to get more done at work and at home. Every day we hear from you how important it is to have a great productivity experience on all the devices you use. We take that very seriously – we know that means you want the authentic experience of Office, made right for the device you’re using,” the company said during a statement.

From today, users will be able to download Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPad from the iStore, which has been specifically built with touch functionality in mind. “The apps have the robust capabilities and familiar look and feel that is unmistakably Office, while offering a fantastic touch experience built from the ground up for iPad.”

Microsoft revealed that the free versions allow users to read Word documents, view Excel data and present with PowerPoint. With an Office 365 subscription, users can edit and create new documents with the iPad.

The company also confirmed that Office Mobile for iPhone and Android devices are now free for everyone.

Microsoft is the publisher of MSN.

Nokia MixRadio now has 30-million tracks

Mobile music streaming service Nokia MixRadio, this week announced the addition of 30 millionth track to its international catalogue. The track, ‘Ma Tegi Hena’ is by Lebanese artist Nancy Ajram and is from the forthcoming album Nancy8. Currently, the South African service boasts an impressive 24 million tracks locally.

“It is very telling that the track that takes MixRadio through this significant milestone comes from an artist from the Middle East, with 9 million Facebook likes and over 180 million video views, yet relatively unknown in a number of markets globally. Introducing music lovers to new songs is a key aspect of MixRadio. Nokia MixRadio tailors this huge catalogue of songs to the unique tastes of each of our listeners, making it the simplest and most personal music experience,” says Dominique Silva, Nokia’s head of entertainment for Africa.

Nokia MixRadio takes people straight to the music with its ‘Play Me’ button, delivering a personalised radio station that is unique to every user. The service encourages user personalisation with a simple ‘thumbs up’, ‘thumbs down’ mechanic and artist ‘favourite’ features that hone the music selections it delivers. The service also offers hundreds of expert and celebrity curated mixes free of adverts, sign ups or subscriptions. Mixes can be saved for offline listening during times without signal such as underground travel, as well as reducing data use and costs.

Nokia MixRadio is available to Nokia Lumia owners in 31 countries, making it the most global personalised streaming service in the world. It can be downloaded on the Windows Phone Store and non-Lumia owners can trial the service by visiting www.mixrad.io.

Returning home: Five Morning Glory crew members including captain reach Pakistan

Express News screengrab of Captain Mirza Nauman Baig.

LAHORE / KARACHI: The captain of Morning Glory, the oil tanker captured by rebels in Libya, reached Pakistan on Saturday at the Lahore airport, Express News reported.

Four other Pakistani crew members - Mohammad Mehdi Shamsi, Syed Asif Hassan, Naik Zada and Mohammad Irshad – returned to Pakistan today as well at the Karachi airport. Shamsi, while speaking to the media at the airport, revealed that 17 bombs were fired at the oil tanker out of which two of them hit it. He added that he had been given a new life as he had escaped death.

The Morning Glory oil tanker, owned by Dubai-based Saud Shipping, had set off to Tunisia on February 25 but its owners had told the crew to move towards Libya. At a Libyan port, the vessel and the crew were taken over by Libyan rebels, who had stolen national oil worth $20 million and loaded it on Morning Glory in a bid to sell it.

Taking the crew hostage, the armed Libyans had forced them to move the ship out of the country’s territory and sail towards Cyprus.

Captain Mirza Nauman Baig, while speaking to the media at the Lahore airport today, refused to disclose details regarding the incident saying that it can jeopardise the safety of the remaining crew members of the oil tanker still in Libya.

He added that till all the crew members do not return to their homes it was his responsibility to ensure their safety.

He further stated that efforts were being made for the release of the other crew members and he also expressed gratitude to the president of Pakistan for his help throughout this situation.

The captain also stated that the chief officer, Ghuffran Marghoob, was yet to be handed over to the Pakistani authorities by the Libyan government as he was assisting the Libyan authorities in offloading the vessel.

Taking action

The Libyan government had appealed to the US to take action against the rebels after which the US Navy Seals conducted a raid, took the rebels into their custody, and brought the crew and the vessel back to Libya.

Distressed families of the hostages had appealed to the president of Pakistan for the crew’s release. Following the appeals from the families, President Mamnoon Hussain had directed the foreign office and Pakistan’s ambassador to Libya to ensure the release and safe return of the Pakistani crew members.

US promise

Captain Baig arrived at his him in Lahore and while speaking to the media at his residence he stated that he assured his crew members that they were safe when the US saved them.

The captain also said that “State Department of America and the US Navy promised that all my crew members will reach their homes safely.”

“I would like to remind them of their promise. Please give some more effort to this so that all my crew members cannot return home safely,” he requested.