Microsoft's Upcoming Wearable Might Not Be a Smartwatch

Microsoft is reportedly working on a wrist-mounted wearable that works with your smartphone, and it might not be a smartwatch.

Tech site WinSuperSite reports that Microsoft’s upcoming device is more akin to a fitness tracker like Fitbit and Samsung Gear Fit, citing unnamed Microsoft insiders.

The report mentioned that the Microsoft device will carry all the usual fitness sensors for heart rate, calories burned and steps taken, and matches earlier reports that it could have up to 11 sensors.

If the rumors are true, its major selling point will be its universal compatibility; the device will reportedly be usable with any major smartphone (not just Windows phones, but Android and iOS, too). It's likely that Microsoft's fitness-focused apps such as Bing Health & Fitness and HealthVault will be available with the wearable.

While Apple may launch a smartwatchthis year (rumors peg it as the "iWatch"), nothing has been confirmed so far. Google, on the other hand, showed off Android Wear watches and software last week at the I/O Developer Conference, and has already put some of the hardware up for preorder.

The report indicates that the Microsoft’s device will be available sometime in the fourth quarter of 2014.

What Teens Are Really Into These Days

Turn on the nightly news and you're bound to hear about some absurd new trend popular among the youths of today.

E-cigarettes, Snapchat sexts, bubbling(OK, that last one's fake) — teenagers are living in a whole new emoji-filled world.

In this comic, Mikey Heller of Time Trabble imagines the plight of parents shopping for their teenage kids.

At Long Last, Facebook Messenger Arrives on iPads

Facebook's dedicated chat app, Facebook Messenger, is finally available for theiPad.

The popular chatting app was previously only available on mobile for the iPhone, but the social network pushed out an update on Thursday that includes full native iPad support. In the past, users could use Facebook Messenger on the iPad, but only as an enlarged iPhone app.

Messenger allows users to contact their Facebook friends for free via the tool, forgoing text messaging. Updates to the app include bug fixes and the ability to save videos within the app directly to your phone's camera roll.

Facebook Messenger is now available on iPad for the first time.

The news comes three years after Facebook acquired group messaging app Beluga and later built that technology into Messenger, which became its first mobile app launched beyond its official Facebook app.

Messenger's fate became unclear after Facebook purchased messaging service WhatsApp earlier this year for $16 billion. In April, Facebook confirmed it would force its mobile users to send messages only via the Messenger app, eliminating chat features from the iOS and Android versions of the Facebook app. This indicated that Messenger wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

You download the iPad app from the Apple App Store here.

Disney brings popular Facebook soccer game Bola to iOS

Disney need to be a bit quicker off the mark than this!

With both the U.S. and England now knocked out of the FIFA World Cup, Disney has just now taken the opportunity to release an iOS version of Bola, the hugely popular Facebook soccer game developed by Three Melons and acquired by Playdom back in March 2010.

Now called Disney Bola Soccer (orDisney Bola Football if you live somewhere where football is used to describe a game in which players kick a ball with their feet), the game is a whole lot of fun — utilizing simple swipe and tap gestures — and is well worth checking out.

It offers quick game sessions, plus a longer solo tournament mode that lets you progress through the map, beating other teams, and earning cups along the way. There’s also a multiplayer mode, which allows you to play against other players’ teams to earn team XP, and climb up in the leader boards.

Disney Bola Soccer can be downloaded for free from the App Store, for iOS devices running iOS 7.0 and above.

Source: iTunes