Twinkle has been updated to version 5.4 in BlackBerry World. This update adds support for the BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry Classic, sets a custom theme color for users on OS 10.3, and fixes a date releated bug.
About Twinkle
Twinkle is an app that allows you to set and keep track of upcoming and past events. Twinkle will tell you how far away an event is, and share it with a friends through social networks. The app includes an number of options for sorting or filtering your views in order to allow you to easily be able to manage and share a large number of different events. Additionally the app is a share target, so you can share calendar events direct with the app.
Version 1.9 of the Starbeams game has been released in both BlackBerry World and the Windows 8 app store. This version adds ten brand new levels. Also the Windows 8 version of the game has now been optimized for Windows 8.1 and the BlackBerry version of the game, now backs up game progress to your BlackBerryID.
About Starbeams
The object of the game is to assign colors to each star in order to ensure that none of the stars are connected to another star of the same color. The game starts off easy, but quickly gets more complex, adding more colors and seven pointed stars that can not be changed.
Since the launch of BlackBerry 10 almost two years ago, there has been only slow changes among the population of BlackBerry users that continue to use the classic BlackBerry operating system. Still some progress has been made in getting users working towards (slightly) newer OS versions.
The month of October saw 55.7% of users running OS 7 and 78.7% of users on OS 6 or higher.
This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free BlackBerry strategy game Pixelated. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of October 2013 through the end of October 2014, and does not include BlackBerry 10 or PlayBook devices.
The new Buffalo Metro Rail app shows the departure times for trains along Buffalo’s Metro route. The app automatically selects the proper schedule for the day, allows for sorting options, and also shows a map of the full light rail line. Additionally the app only needs to be synced once a month, and can otherwise be used without an active internet connection.
A look at the most popular wireless carriers for BlackBerry 10 users generally mirror the popularity of these companies on a whole. One exception is Sprint, whose decision not to be a BlackBerry 10 launch partner continues to leave it underrepresented. In Canada there are far more users on smaller carriers, but less so than there were 18 months ago.
This data was taken from downloads of the free BlackBerry strategy game Pixelated. Data shown on the chart is from the the month of October 2014, and only includes BlackBerry 10 phones.
While the BlackBerry Z10 continues to hold on to slightly over half of all devices (at 50.1%), it is down significantly from October 2013 where it was 68.5% of the market. The BlackBerry Passport has gotten off to a decent start at 4.1% of the market.
The month of October saw 39.5% of users having a physical keyboard, which is the largest this percentage has ever been since the launch of BlackBerry 10.
All of these statistics are based off of the data collected by BlackBerry World in the month of October for downloads of the free check-list app Stuff I Need (which is also available for Windows Phone and Android users).
October once again saw the majority of BlackBerry 10 users running OS 10.2.1 on their phones. This is mainly due to BlackBerry not officially releasing OS 10.3.0 for any users besides those on the Passport. While the percentage of users on the newest OS (4.3% on Pixelated and 15.1% on Stuff I Need) is higher than the percentage of Passport users, most people (including myself) seem to be waiting for an official update from BlackBerry.
This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free strategy game Pixelated and the free checklist app Stuff I Need. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of October 2013 through the end of October 2014.
The Runaway Trains game has been updated to version 2.8 in BlackBerry World and the Google Play Store. This update adds ten new levels, and ensures that the BlackBerry version of the game is now compatible OS 10.3.1 which is expected to be released within the next month.
About Runaway Trains
Runaway Trains is a colorful strategy game for all ages where you must route the trains to the proper station. Each level progresses in difficulty and presents an unique puzzle which you must solve by finding a way to guide the coloured trains causing a collision or running out of track.
This is done by touching the intersections to toggle the open path of the tracks. If at any time the trains crash or end up at the wrong station, you will have lost and have to try again.
Version 5.0 of Xploding Boxes adds new levels and new features and can be downloaded for BlackBerry, Android, Nook, and Windows 8. This is the first major revision of this app in over two years, and includes a ground-up rewrite of the BlackBerry 10 version of the app, newly added support for the Amazon Fire TV, and ten brand new levels.
About Xploding Boxes
Xploding Boxes is a strategy game where the goal is to start a chain reaction that will explode all of the boxes on the screen. Each level presents a different look and number of touches, requiring a different strategy to solve.
The game itself, and the first 25 levels are available for free, while a one time in-app purchase can be used to access the rest of the levels for just $2.99 while still maintaining your progress from the free levels.
New for BlackBerry 10
The app has received a complete rewrite for BlackBerry 10 phones, and is now a fully native app written in BlackBerry Cascades. Meanwhile the gameplay screen has been redone in OpenGL to maintain a resolution independent experience that looks great on high-resolution phones such as the BlackBerry Passport. In addition to the Passport, this new version of the game also supports the newly available P’9983 and the soon to be launched BlackBerry Classic.
Xploding Boxes version 5 also automatically syncs all of your game progress to your BlackBerryID so that going forward you can switch to a new BlackBerry or reinstall the app without having to worry about backups.
New for Windows 8.1
In addition to the new levels, users of the app on Windows 8.1 will find the game to be reoptimized for their OS, with greatly improved support for split screen views.
Xploding Boxes on Amazon Fire TV
In addition to the phones and tablets, Xploding Boxes is also now available on the Amazon Fire TV where it can be played with the remote.
Unlike the quick adoption seen on BlackBerry 10, classic BBOS distribution remained unchanged for another month. Just over half (53.8%) of users were running OS 7 on their phones.
This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free BlackBerry strategy game Pixelated. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of September 2013 through the end of September 2014, and does not include BlackBerry 10 or PlayBook devices.
A bit over a year ago, I wrote that the smart watch wouldn’t take off. At the heart of the argument was the idea that the smartphone has come to dominate by being the one device that does everything, and that a watch would be fighting against this trend.
September saw a decent increase in the use of the newest versions of BlackBerry 10. 94.5% of Stuff I Need users, and 94.4% of Pixelated users were running OS 10.2.1 or higher.
With the release of the BlackBerry Passport at the end of the month, OS 10.3.0 was officially released. This was too late in the month to make too much of a difference, although the majority of 10.3 users are actually not even Passport users, but are running leaked versions of the OS on older phones. With in-market devices not getting upgraded until the release of OS 10.3.1 this November, the uptake of 10.3 is likely to be minimal in October as well.
This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free strategy game Pixelated and the free checklist app Stuff I Need. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of September 2013 through the end of September 2014.
The Jack-O-Lantern app has been updated to version 2.1 with a few new faces, higher resolution images, and support for the BlackBerry Passport. This update also includes a 47% reduction in the app’s file size.
About the Jack-O-Lantern App
This application is designed to turn your phone into a virtual Jack-O-Lantern in order to help you celebrate Halloween. You can change the Jack-O-Lantern’s face by swiping in different designs from the left and right for the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can also change the back light colour of the design by tapping on the screen.
I am not a huge expert in Ruby, but I attended the event last year and found that the majority of the talks are actually non-technical and more about the industry of developing software than specifically about ruby.
Twinkle has been updated to version 5.4 in BlackBerry World. This update adds support for the BlackBerry Passport and BlackBerry Classic, sets a custom theme color for users on OS 10.3, and fixes a date releated bug.
