Kik Interactive, the company behind the popular cross platform mobile IM client, Kik Messenger, announced via their blog yesterday that the company has received $8 million in series A funding from various VCs and has added new features to Kik Messenger. Android and iOS users now have to the ability to do group chats and use pictures in Kik Messenger.
Kik Messenger’s group chat feature has a twist… It doesn’t actually require you to create groups, but, allows you to instantaneously add contacts to a chat allowing conversations to expand and contract naturally, just like they do in real life. Pictures are really cool as well because they show up right in the the chat window when they are received.
In case your weren’t aware, RIMarkable has a Facebook page. We’ve actually had it for some time know but haven’t done a whole lot to promote it. We want to see if we can get to 400 people who like us today, so, if you use Facebook and are a fan of RIMarkable, head over to www.facebook.com/RIMarkable and click the Like button at the top of the page.
Tether for BlackBerry, for a limited time, is on sale for $24.99, 50% off the regular price of $49.99. Tether is, by far, the best solution for getting your laptop, PC or Mac, onto the internet via your BlackBerry devices wireless broadband connection.
Tether for BlackBerry features include:
Internet Anywhere: You can use Tether anywhere you can make phone calls.
Easy Setup: Download our software to your BlackBerry and another for your laptop… Then surf the web and email just like you would with any Internet connection.
Fast Speeds: Download speeds that are impressive. Our users download at speeds up to 1,800 kbps.
No Tethering Fees: Tether uses your phone’s data plan and we do not charge tethering fees. (refer to our Terms of Service) (Note that significant charges may apply for data usage if not on an unlimited data plan. Please check with your carrier.)
All BlackBerries: Tether is compatible with all BlackBerries.
All Carriers: Tether has been used by carriers all over the world. Some carriers do require APN settings, though. It appears our product does not work on the iDen Network.
Unlike with BlackBerry 6 and the release of the BlackBerry Torch, Research in Motion has just ensured that, at least a few apps are available for the BlackBerry PlayBook once the device is released. We told you yesterday that RIM would be at Adobe Max 2010 in a big way… Well, they are making big news while there. RIM co-CEO, Mike Lazaridus, has announced that every developer that gets an Adobe Air for Playbook App accepted into BlackBerry App World will get a free BlackBerry PlayBook!
For you developers that just became interested (literally) in developing for the BlackBerry PlayBook, can download the BlackBerry PlayBook SDK and simulators via the links below…
Download the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK Beta for Adobe® AIR: SDK for Windows®
Download the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK Beta for Adobe® AIR: SDK for Mac
If you are one of those BlackBerry users that actually connects your device to your computer, we’ve got some great news for you. You can now purchase and install BlackBerry applications directly via the BlackBerry App World website. Research in Motion doesn’t seem to be making a big deal about this, however, if you head over to the BlackBerry App World download page, you will see a download link for BlackBerry App World from the web…
Like with official BlackBerry OS updates, App World is requiring an Active X control, thus, Internet Explorer is required… At least from what we can tell. None the less, being able to purchase and install an app from the web is pretty slick.
In case you haven’t already heard the news, Research in Motion and Sprint have officially announced the BlackBerry Style 9670, RIM’s first BlackBerry Flip Phone with a full QWERTY Keyboard. One thing that you can say about the Style is that it is a polarizing device. Most people fall into the love it or hate it it with a passion category without much in between. Comments here on RIMarkable have been fairly negative towards the Style, but, I concede that more people are likely to comment when they don’t like something compared to when they do.
We figured that we would try to get a better sampling of people’s opinion of the BlackBerry Style, and, what better way to do that than with a poll…
Research in Motion and Sprint have officially announced the BlackBerry Style 9670, RIM’s first full QWERTY clamshell device.
BlackBerry Style features include:
BlackBerry 6
624 MHz processor
5 megapixel camera
GPS
Wi-Fi b/g/n
As rumored before, the BlackBerry Style will be available on Sprint starting October 31st and will cost $99 after a $100 mail-in rebate on a 2 year service plan. See the full press release after the jump…
Kik Messenger’s group chat feature has a twist… It doesn’t actually require you to create groups, but, allows you to instantaneously add contacts to a chat allowing conversations to expand and contract naturally, just like they do in real life. Pictures are really cool as well because they show up right in the the chat window when they are received.
