App Attack

Facebook got the message loud and clear after it wrote a $19bn (€13.8bn) cheque for WHATSAPP. This messaging app lets you send texts and photos – inviting friends, or accepting invites from friends – for the pleasure. The app is free for the first year, then costs around 75c for each subsequent annum. WhatsApp claims it’s registering one million new users every day, so Mark Zuckerberg is a step closer to becoming inter-galactic ruler.

Whatsapp might be top of the tech gossip list, but since privacy and Facebook are about as compatible as contraception and Catholicism, it may not be the most secure. Some messengers are favouring TELEGRAM. This free app lets iPhone and Android users send encrypted messages, photos, videos and documents.

KIK, another messaging app, has a whiff of familiarity. Like WhatsApp, it lets you take part in group chats and send pics. It has the added bonus of downloadable South Park emoticons, and lets you create and send memes, SnapChat style.

Tech News

Name that tune
Warner Music Group has struck a deal with Shazam, which allows it to access the app’s music data. Shazam is used to identify around 16 million songs every day. It has a reference database of over 35 million songs, and adds one million songs every day. Warner will be able to see how many times the app identifies a specific song, where in the world it was tagged, and at what time of day. “By partnering with Shazam, a brand synonymous with music discovery for fans, we have forged a potent proposition the first crowd-sourced, big data record label,” said Warner chief operating officer Rob Wiesenthal.

Wrist in peace
Samsung is gearing up for the imminent release of two new smartwatches. Gear 2 devices (Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo) will turn you into a cross between a Power Ranger and Captain Kirk from Star Trek, as you ogle your wrist to view texts and emails. Like the Galaxy Gear, Gear 2 will connect to Samsung phones and tablets. The smartwatches have two-megapixel cameras – of particular appeal to James Bond fans – and 720p HD video. An inbuilt app lets you change channels on smart televisions. Will it take off? Watch this space.

Another brick in the wall
A new music discovery tool lets musicians showcase music, collaborate on tunes in the cloud, and reach huge audiences through social media. The Wall of Sound music discovery tool, created by Dublin startup Emeraz.com, offers music creators the chance to upload to the New Wall, progress to the Trending Wall, before hopefully reaching the hallowed grounds of the Hot Wall. Since Wall of Sound began beta testing in January, it has attracted almost two million page views.