Facebook to acquire WhatsApp for $16 billion

Company to continue to run independently, CEO to take seat on Facebook board of directors

Facebook has announced that it will buy cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp for a total of $16 billion, split between cash and stock. The deal was announced today by Facebook as a definitive agreement, with the messaging service receiving $4 billion in cash and aonther $12 billion in Facebook stock, with the option for another $3 billion in restricted stock units also available to be vested in four years. If for some reason the deal is cancelled due to regulatory issues, Facebook will pay a breakup fee of $2 billion split between cash and stock to Whatsapp.

WhatsApp, which has over 450 million monthly active users, is one of the biggest players in the messaging wars today. Facebook quotes some statistics, stating that WhatsApp is adding one million users to its service every day, with a total message volume on the network approaching that of global SMS traffic.

As was the case with Instagram, WhatsApp will continue to operate as a separate company and keep its branding in tact. Co-founder and CEO Jan Koum will remain at the company, but will also take a seat on the Facebook board of directors. In a post on its company blog, WhatsApp reiterates that nothing will change from a user perspective after the buyout, and the word "partnership" is being regularly thrown around from both companies.

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TestFlight beta testing platform killing Android support Mar. 21

At least two popular beta testing platforms still available for all

Not too much to report here, really — app beta testing service TestFlight will shutter Android support on March 21st, 2014. If you're not familiar with TestFlight, it is a free platform for developers and teams to deploy early versions of their apps for testing among users, collect feedback and iterate on apps more fluidly. "No user will be able to upload any Android builds to TestFlight" after that date, but there isn't any indication of how long you'll still receive analytics and feedback from participants of previous builds.

We're not entirely sure if this is a response to Google Play having proper beta testing support or another reason, but the end result is the same. We now have one fewer beta testing platform — alternatives such as HockeyApp and of course Google Play exist, so we expect those to pick up the slack with ease.

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LG G2 Mini specs

LG ahead of Mobile World Congress has released the LG G2 Mini specs. They are:

• Chipset: 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Quad-Core MSM8926 (LTE) / MSM8226 (3G); 1.7GHz Nvidia Quad Core Tegra 4i (LATAM LTE version)
• Display: 4.7-inch qHD IPS (960 x 540)
• Memory: 8GB eMMC / 1GB RAM / SD Card Slot
• Camera: Rear 8.0MP / 13.0MP (LATAM LTE version) / Front 1.3MP
• Battery: 2,440mAh (removable)
• Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat
• Size: 129.6 x 66.0 x 9.8mm
• Weight: 121g
• Network: Cat. 4 & VoLTE / Cat. 3(LATAM), HSPA+ 21Mbps (3G)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n), A-GPS, NFC (4G LTE version only)
• Colors: Titan Black, Lunar White, Red, Gold (depending on region)
• Other: Plug & Pop, Guest Mode, Clip Tray, Quick Window, etc.

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