CES 2012: Software and Apps

Not that many years ago, nearly every computing product on the CES exhibit floor ran Windows. This year, that was not the case. Sure, the new "ultrabooks" are Windows-powered, but Android is everywhere else: in tablets, in phones, and in TVs.

Even though Microsoft Windows still dominates the PC and laptop markets, Microsoft itself is no longer the leader in consumer tech innovation. It's sad but appropriate that the company will no longer be kicking off the leading consumer electronics trade show.

After Apple, Google is leading the charge in consumer electronics. Apple doesn't officially participate … Read more

Software is becoming a bigger part of CES, which is a bit ironic since Microsoft has begun to pull back its presence. CES 2012 saw the rise of familiar software names powering your living room TV, augmented-reality apps that created a new way to interact with the world around you, a stone-cold assassination attempt on the QWERTY keyboard, and a deft program that ports Android apps into Windows 8.

Let's start with BlueStacks for Windows 8, our Best of CES Award winner in the Software and Apps category. We first looked at a rough version of BlueStacks last year. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Israel's Snapkeys doesn't want to just be an alternative to the traditional QWERTY keyboard. It wants to kill it off for good.

The company's Ryan Ghassabian taps out sentences on his tablet with all the speed and precision of a phonetic hitman as he demos Snapkeys for me at a small booth in the far back side of the Las Vegas Convention Center here at CES.

Snapkeys is an invisible keyboard that uses 2i technology and predictive typing to eliminate the need to actually look where you're typing on touch-screen devices. For most of you, that sentence will be total nonsense, like it was to me when I first heard about Snapkeys, so here's how it actually works. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Magisto took home the top prize in this year's CES Mobile Apps Showdown.

Amid a minefield of technical difficulties at the show, magical one-touch video editor Magisto and its well-rehearsed app demonstration emerged from today's CES Mobile Apps Showdown victorious.

The Mobile Apps Showdown featured 10 finalists, whittled down from dozens of total submissions. At the show, each developer had 4 minutes to pitch his app to the packed LVCC Conference room, and were ultimately judged by a good old-fashioned applause-o-meter.

Attendees were treated to presentations with flashy costumes, acted-out skits, and even a bit of … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Initially launched as a desktop browser experience in September of last year, ground-breaking one-click video editor Magisto has just made its way onto iPhones.

With Magisto on your mobile device, it becomes easier than ever to cobble together polished videos that are ready to share on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networks.

Simply record a few minutes of video through the Magisto app or choose from any existing videos already on your phone, then let Magisto do all of the work for you. And I do mean ALL of the work. Magisto adds the music (of your choice), … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Moscow-based game developer ZeptoLab has today announced Cut the Rope HD for BlackBerry PlayBook.

Om Nom came out swinging here at CES with a demo of the new HTML5 version of the game for IE, followed by the announcement of a licensing division to bring Cut the Rope plush toys to the consumer market. And now, at the tail end of the week, fans of the popular physics-based puzzler get yet another juicy bit of news.

Cut the Rope HD is now available for download in BlackBerry App World for $2.99.

LAS VEGAS--There's no huge Facebook stage or anticipated Facebook keynote at CES, but the social network is still all over this electronics show.

Mercedes-Benz announced here that Facebook would be one of the apps in its new telematics system. Kodak revealed more Facebook integration in its new cameras, even as the legacy company is reportedly nearing a bankruptcy filing. Yahoo's IntoNow is using Facebook to connect friends via its social TV-watching experience for special Spike TV coverage of everything happening at CES.

In short, there's seemingly nowhere Facebook's many tentacles won't spread.

Much of this business is the domain of Justin Osofsky, who heads up partnerships for Facebook. He's young, well-spoken, unassuming, Harvard-educated, and a Louisiana native who actually considers each question directed at him--you don't get that a lot at CES with so many talking points constantly being hurled at you. For a guy whose job is to grow the platform reach of such a huge social cephalopod, he himself is totally lacking any squid-like qualities.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Verizon Wireless and The Daily have just announced an agreement to bring the popular subscription-based iPad news app to select Android tablets.

Beginning this month, The Daily will come preinstalled on Verizon's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and will be available for the Galaxy Tab 7.7 at a later date. According to both Verizon and The Daily, more tablet support is in the works. If you're lucky enough to have one of these select devices, then your subscription fees can be conveniently charged directly to your Verizon Wireless bill.

A top-seller like The Daily making its … Read more