After months of waiting and some not so good fortune for it's parent company, the Blackberry messenger app, or more commonly known as BBM has arrived for iOS and Android. I don't know about you but that was one of my favorite features on the Blackberry, and now I don't have to have one to use it. It is quite frankly a really good chat app, too bad Blackberry didn't take on that innovation before the smartphone onslaught from Android and iPhone. The app was released on Monday and has already reached an upwards of over 7 million downloads, those are pretty impressive numbers. The BBM app has a nice fluid functionality and I've always liked the fact that it allows you to chat with people without giving out your number, just connect using your PIN (which is still generates in the app by the way). The actual download was supposed to give first priority to those who signed up for the email alert, if you didn't sign up then you would get the message you had to wait prior to using the app. But if you download the app, launch it, then shut down the app and reopen you can get around this. The app makes you feel a little nostalgic thinking about when having a Blackberry was the cool device to have. But if you get a chance download it, it's pretty cool. Blackberry

Photo credit: AdvoWire Attention bloggers, tweeters and social media mavens! Do you know that you can get paid for doing what you already do for free? AdvoWire is crowd source marketing for brands and businesses. AdvoWire is a product of HireInfluence. It allows you to generate buzz through Advocates on Twitter. So you connect with people with an already large or growing following, and allow them to market your brand! Simple right? You can set up the campaign via AdvoWire's self service platform, right down to the hashtag that advocates are going to use, then it's off and running. You can also review the performance of your advocates, manage the budget. This is super easy especially if you are looking for other ways to get your brand out there and aren't working with a Hollywood or Fortune 500 company budget! Check it out here: AdvoWire

Here Ye, Here Ye Muggles and humans alike, you can now actually attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Nope and I don't just mean in your heads. The site is completely free and for those of us who were just not ready to leave Hogwarts at the end of the books this site if for you.You enroll in the school, and you get to select the house you want to belong to sign up for classes, go to your dorm, and so much more! You even get an acceptance letter! Sooo are you going to attend Hogwarts? Check it out here: www.hogwartsishere.com ~ChicDivaGeek

Screenshot courtesy of ChicDivaGeek Ever wanted to send a message like James Bond "This message will self destruct in..." Well then here is the new CoverMe app. This app boast that it can provide you with secure text messaging, secure calls, and even a vault to protect your documents from those that would want to pry into your phone. You can send text messages that "self destruct" once they've been read, this is done by embedded code. You can even recall and remotely wipe messages, so that message you accidentally sent to your mom instead of your significant other doesn't have to burn mom's retinas. The app is available for both Android and iPhone; it's also a free download. There are some in-app purchases but majority of the features are included in the free. *update* the secure messaging feature only works if the person you are sending to is using the app as well CoverMe ~ChicDivaGeek

Screenshot from Logitech homepage Everyone knows I am an iPhone enthusiast, but a IT Geek and tech lover first. As with most IT people, I play games, and like most smartphone users, I play apps/games on my device. So when I came across this PowerShell controller from Logitech, I was excited to put it mildly. I don't know one person who has a smartphone, iPhones in particular, that doesn't play games on it. But let's be honest, sometimes even though the games available from the App Store are great, that touch screen D-Pad doesn't always make playing the game easy or all that comfortable. But the PowerShell controller changes all of that! It's a case that gives you the familiarity of a regular console controller. Did I also mention that there is an intergrated 1500 MAH battery so you don't have to worry about the controller and the game using up all your battery life on your iPhone. It is currently compatible with iPhone 5/5s and 5th generation iPod Touch devices. Not all iOS games are controller compatible, but check here for a list of compatible games. The controller doesn't add too much in the way of bulk to your phone which is a huge plus for me, most cases that don't do half of this are huge and take away from the appeal of the device. It has a headphone adapter, and also makes sure you can still access your volume, power, and ring buttons. The PowerShell controller is retailing for $99.99 and includes free shipping. PowerShell ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo credit: BeatsMusic twitter Yesterday while most of us were taking refuge from the snow storm, the Beats Music app launched. This is a music streaming service, that of course is from the company that brought us, Beats Audio, and quite frankly this is a natural extension. The company's speaker/audio technology spans from it's flagship "Beats by Dre" headphones to audio systems in cars and even smartphones. The service is similar to Spotify, but of course it appears to have a much larger music catalog. One of the features I find really unique about this music service is that it does genuinely try to tailor the music to the preferences that you've given it. When you first sign up it will ask you to pick genres of music you like, followed by a few artists then it generates playlist based off what you've chosen. But the coolest feature by far is "The sentence" feature, where you string together a sentence such as "I feel like starting a riot with zombies to The 80s"; the app then generates a playlist off the sentence! How cool is that? Here are a few of the songs I got from that playlist: Screenshot from ChicDivaGeek Screenshot from ChicDivaGeek The service however doesn't offer a offer a free option like Spotify or like Pandora Internet Radio. The service free for $9.99/month and some AT&T subscribers can get up to 90 days free if they are on a family plan, then it will be $14.99/month, this is offered through AT&T. It's free for 7 days if you want to try it. But this service is being marketed as a premium streaming service, so it doesn't look as if they plan on developing a free option anytime soon if at all. The app is available for iOS (iPhone/iPod), Android and Windows phones. ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo credit: Facebook Facebook launched a new mobile app that is meant to well, help you get the latest news and stories based on your interests. It also allows for you to create your own stories. Paper merges together your news feed as well as stories of interest from well know publishers/news outlets. You can play videos from directly within the app, and articles have fully detailed covers to help you spot the stories that interest you. So it looks like Facebook's answer to the news reader, and it doesn't look half bad. The app will be available for iOS on February 3rd. Will you be downloading it? Check out the tour of the app here: Facebook Paper ~ChicDivaGeek

Photo credit: Todd Hamilton There have been tons of ideas swirling about the what the new iWatch will look like, and although Apple has remained mum and nothing has leaked, this has to be one of the best concepts we've seen, courtesy of Todd Hamilton. I sure hope they take notice of this one! ~ChicDivaGeek

How many of you remember the digital pet era, I know when I was in high school, almost everyone had a virtual pet of some kind on their key chain or in their pocket. Look what I found in the AppStore this weekend! The Tamagotchi L.I.F.E app So of course I downloaded it right away, and have been trying to keep the poor thing alive ever since (forgot how much attention these things need) I had to reset it after the first day. This takes me back and of course my son's question is "what is that thing?" The app is free and available in the Apple AppStore and on Google Play. Check it out! Tamagotchi L.I.F.E app ~ChicDivaGeek