About Michael Li

Michael Li is an amateur rocket scientist, app developer, blogger, YouTuber, CFA Level 2 Candidate and MBA Candidate at McMaster University. His interests include technology, tennis, snowblading and entrepreneurship. Disclaimer: his articles and comments are solely his personal opinion; they are not the opinion of his employer. Check out the YouTube Channel: GadgetMastersVideos
Jun 17

BlackBerry 10 Users Can Pay Less for Apps than Android and iPhone Users

NOVA 3 Google Play

BlackBerry PlayBook users probably recall paying more than Android and iOS users for apps.  In fact, high-quality games were often priced at $6.99, with many apps priced at $2.99 and $1.99.  I paid $6.99 for Spider-Man Total Mayhem HD, before … Continue reading

Jun 12

Apple’s WWDC 2013: A Wounded Vampire Squid Struggles to Stay Relevant

iOS 7 Slider

Apple’s WWDC 2013 Has the Words “Catch Up” Written All Over It At WWDC this week, Apple’s new iOS 7 contains a Control Center that is a copy of BlackBerry 10′s swipe-down menu.  Instead of swiping down to reveal the … Continue reading

Jun 11

Why There Could Be a Massive Short Squeeze in BlackBerry Shares After June 28

newbb

(Updated on June 12, 2013 to include the latest short positions on the Nasdaq) We recently wrote about a financial model submitted by one of our readers, which indicates BlackBerry could report as much as $654 million in net income … Continue reading

Jun 09

Review: The All-New BBM Channels (Beta)

BBM Channels

BBM Channels was announced during BlackBerry Live on May 14th.  It represents one of the biggest changes ever made to BBM.  It adds Facebook and Twitter-like features to BBM, turning it into a full-out social network.  In addition to the … Continue reading

Jun 06

Save the World From Devastation: Modern Combat 4 on BlackBerry 10

Modern Combat 4

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hero is a console-quality first-person shooter from Gameloft.  It is powered by the Havok Engine.  The story is that the President of the United States has been taken hostage in Barcelona by a terrorist group, and … Continue reading

Jun 05

BlackBerry 10 Service Revenue Begins to Take Shape with New M2M Service

Software Update Managment for Automotive

With the launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform, investors have been wondering how BlackBerry will receive service revenues going forward.  For BB 10 smartphones sold to consumers, BlackBerry no longer gets the roughly $4/month per device that it received for … Continue reading

Jun 04

Tower Defence Re-imagined: Pigs in Trees on BlackBerry 10

Pigs in Trees

Pigs in Trees is a fun, relaxing game for casual gamers.  Your character is a pig that is flying a plane, and your objective is to repel birds that attempt to fly to your tree.  It is somewhat like Angry … Continue reading

Jun 03

Why BlackBerry Could Announce Over $650 Million in Net Profit on June 28

BBLive New BlackBerry

In the latest quarter, BlackBerry reported a net profit despite only selling the Z10 for one month in the UK and Canada.  On June 28th, BlackBerry is reporting earnings for the latest quarter ending June 1st.  With the Z10 being … Continue reading

Jun 02

Android-to-BlackBerry App Converter Coming to BlackBerry 10, Removes Need to Sideload Apps

120000 Apps BlackBerry World

BlackBerry 10.2 with Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) support is launching this month.  It will allow users to install the latest version of Android apps like Instagram, Netflix and Flipboard. However, Android developers still need to convert and submit their Android … Continue reading

May 30

Simple yet Addictive: Starbeams on BlackBerry 10

Starbeams

Starbeams is developed by Eric Harty, the BlackBerry developer who created Pixelated and Xploding Boxes.  Like Harty’s previous games, Starbeams is another pleasantly simple, yet surprisingly addictive game.  The user is asked to connect stars, using two different colours for … Continue reading

May 28

BlackBerry 10.2 Beta with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean Launching in June, Gold Release in August

BlackBerry 10.2 with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

BlackBerry 10.1 on the Q10 was launched exactly one month ago, while 10.1 for the Z10 was released just two weeks ago at BlackBerry Live.  Yesterday, at the Monthly Meeting of the Toronto BlackBerry Developer Group, multiple sources with knowledge … Continue reading

May 27

Walkthrough: BlackBerry 10.1 on Z10 with Whatsapp Integration

BBLive BlackBerry 10.1 Phones

BlackBerry 10.1 for the Z10 was announced and released during BlackBerry Live.  We previously did walkthroughs of 10.1 on the Q10.  This time, we go through the major changes in this update for the Z10. Messaging is improved.  Navigating backward … Continue reading

May 25

The Ultimate First-Person Shooter: N.O.V.A. 3 on BlackBerry Z10

NOVA 3 Google Play

N.O.V.A. 3 is a console-quality first-person shooter on the BlackBerry Z10.  For an even more immersive experience, you can play the game after connecting your Z10 to a large-screen TV using a HDMI cable. There is currently a sale in … Continue reading

May 23

BBM Money Exceeds 60,000 Users in 3 Months, Beats Expectations

BBM Money Logo

Since launching on February 26 in Indonesia, BBM Money has reached over 60,000 users.  This is ahead of the service’s goal to reach 200,000 users by Q1 2014.  Users can use BBM Money to transfer money among each other, while … Continue reading

May 23

Newsstand on BlackBerry 10: Read High Resolution Magazines for Free!

Newsstand

Newsstand is one of the core apps that is pre-loaded on the Z10 and Q10.  It allows you to download and read magazines in many different categories – automotive, entertainment, sports, technology and many more.  Examples of magazines I have … Continue reading

May 22

BlackBerry 10 Adds 20,000 Apps in 2 Months, Set to Surpass Windows Phone 8 in App Quantity

120000 Apps BlackBerry World

At BlackBerry Live last week, VP of Developer Relations Alec Saunders announced that there are now 120,000 BB 10 apps in BlackBerry World.  This was a steady increase from the 70,000 apps on January 30th, and the 100,000 apps less … Continue reading

May 21

A Power User’s Best Friend: Hub++ on BlackBerry Z10

Z10

Hub++ is a powerful app that allows you to customize your notifications in many different ways.  You can use it to apply the same settings to all of your notifications (e.g. turning sound, vibrate or message popup on or off). … Continue reading