Windows Phone users can now download Facebook Messenger. Already available for iOS and Android devices, the social network’s dedicated chat app is now nestled in the Windows Phone Store. A spinoff of the full Facebook mobile app, Facebook Messenger lets you chat with one or more of your friends, share your location, and perk up …

BlackBerry is attempting to draw a line in the sand when it comes sponsored ads reaching BBM users. In a blog posted Tuesday, BBM product and brand marketing head Jeff Gadway acknowledged that BBM Channel creators will be able to send sponsored posts and invites to their subscribers, but such content won’t seep into the actual chats. The sponsored content …

X10.com Fueled by a 127 percent surged in worldwide sales, Android tablets collectively overtook the iPad last year, research firm Gartner said Monday. Android tablet sales jumped to 120.9 million in 2013 to snag a global market share of 61.9 percent, up from sales of 53.3 million and a 45.8 percent share in 2012. Over the same time, iPad sales …

Windows Phone could be the only major mobile OS to see a gain in market share in the next few years. Released Wednesday, IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker forecasts a rise in Windows Phone’s global market share from 3.9 percent this year to 7 percent in 2018. That may not seem like a huge leap, but such growth will …

BlackBerry Messenger will expand its reach in the coming months. In a blog posted Monday, BBM product and marketing chief Jeff Gadway revealed that the Messenger app will debut for Windows Phone users sometime this summer. The app will also travel to the newly-announced Android-powered Nokia X platform, though Gadway didn’t reveal an ETA for that rollout. BBM already supports …

All Windows 8.1 users will soon be able to tap into Nokia’s free mapping and navigation app. Currently limited to Nokia’s Lumia 2520 tablet, Here Maps for Windows 8.1 will land in Microsoft’s online Windows Store over the coming days, Nokia said on Friday. Starting its new journey in North America and Europe, the app will be free to download …

More subway stations in New York City will get Wi-Fi and mobile service this year. Wireless hardware provider Transit Wireless has unveiled the start of Phase Two of its wireless rollout project with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The new phase will start by setting up wireless service for 11 stations in midtown Manhattan, including Grand Central Terminal, 34th St. Herald …

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S5 phone could try to compete on price as well as features. Following “encouragement” from at least one wireless carrier, Samsung may sell the new S5 for less than previous S phones, a “person familiar with the matter” told Bloomberg. The goal would be to compete against not just Apple and HTC but also lesser-known rivals who …

A tweeted ad for Nokia’s reported Android smartphone seems to confirm that it will be dubbed the Nokia X. Tweeted by usually reliable leaker @evleaks on Monday, the promo shows the name above a series of images of phones headed directly toward you. The tweet doesn’t reveal anything further, but the promo looks like one Nokia might use to tout …

President Obama may have to contend with budget crises, economic woes, health care snafus, and international conflicts. But those are nothing compared to the greatest threat now facing the world — the demise of Flappy Bird. The popular game met an early expiration date on Sunday when its developer pulled the plug over worries that it was too addictive. Some …