Weekend Wrap-up: New iPads & MacBooks; BBM launches for iOS and Android

Shawn Farner -

Thanks for checking in for this week’s edition of the Weekend Wrap-up, where we catch you up on the biggest tech stories of the week. We don’t have time to waste, so let’s get down to it.

Apple Event Brings New iPads, Macbook Pros, Free Mavericks

Given all the leaks and historical releases from Apple, we suspected that we might be seeing some updated hardware in the form of new iPads and MacBooks, and that’s exactly what we got. Apple showed off the iPad Air, a much skinner, thinner version of its high-end iPad, as well as a Retina-enhanced iPad mini. We also got some updates to the MacBook Pro line and a more firm release date for the Mac Pro.

BlackBerry Brings BBM to iOS and Android

BlackBerry hasn’t had the easiest time these past few years, though the one saving grace for the company has been its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) that some people still swear by. After being exclusive to the BlackBerry platform its entire existence, the company has released apps for both iOS and Android, turning BBM into a cross-platform messenger. Initial downloads were high, but can BlackBerry sustain and perhaps turn BBM into a must-have messaging app? Only time will tell.

Comcast Advertises a Package with Basic Cable, HBO & Internet

Much has been made of the fact that HBO Go can’t be accessed without a cable subscription and HBO. This past week, however, Comcast began advertising a tier of service that includes 25 Mbps Internet service, Comcast’s Basic Cable tier and HBO for a price of $49.99 for the first year. After that first year, the price jumps up to $69.95. Still, if you watch a lot of network TV and need access to your HBO shows, it might be a deal to look into.

T-Mobile Introduces Tablets Un-Leashed, Offers 200 MB of Free Data a Month

T-Mobile hasn’t traditionally been a big player in the tablet game, but a new plan called Tablet Un-Leashed looks to change all that. You can bring a T-Mobile-compatible tablet onto the network and get access to 200 MB of free data per month. Once that runs out, you can choose to wait until next month or sign up for a number of quite reasonable data plans from T-Mobile. We’ll have to see if this new approach attracts some new customers to T-Mobile.