Mobile software

While iOS users were today treated to a huge Facebook app update, Android users got a little something as well.

With the newest update to Facebook for Android, you can now easily create events from the app, share photos faster with a new upload process, and add photos and emoji to messages.

Sure, the Android update is nowhere near as big as the iOS update. But still, it's nice to see Facebook showing support for both platforms.

The newest version of Facebook for Android is available now on Google Play.

Sony Mobile is moving closer to its parent company.

The mobile phone maker announced today that in October, it'll move its headquarters from Lund, Sweden to Tokyo, Japan. And in so doing, it will reduce its global workforce by 1,000 employees, or 15 percent of its staff. Those cuts, which include consultants, should be completed by the end of March 2014.

Sony Mobile's headquarters are in Sweden because the company's former 50 percent owner, Ericsson, is based there. Earlier this year, Sony completed the acquisition of Ericsson's stake in the mobile firm, giving it total … Read more

With its newly designed user interface, Norton Mobile Utilities makes it a bit simpler to manage your Android device's performance. The four main modules are all reorganized, and it's easy to jump into any function, right from the get-go.

But version 2.0 doesn't just come with a prettier face. The updated app now offers a few premium paid features that Android users are sure to find interesting. For the $9.99 upgrade fee, you can get an automatic task killer, customized battery saver profile, data usage tracker, and more.

Norton Mobile Utilities Lite is free to … Read more

Although speed is a major factor in browser choice, many people don't want to know why their favorite browser is fast -- they just care that it is. But the standards and tests used to determine how we measure a browser's speed can be varied, so Google has set out to further define the playing field.

This doesn't appear to be a case of the tech giant stomping all over open standards, though. Octane v1 is a revamp of Google's V8 benchmark and adds five tests to the eight current ones, the company said today in … Read more

When you're mobile, running errands, or even traveling, there may not always be time to write a response to those who contact you. It's easy to forget what you need to do with an e-mail you've already read sitting in your inbox. Maybe a family member sent you something they want feedback on, or maybe a business client needs a question answered. In either case, you want to let the person on the other end of the e-mail know what's going on with you and when you'll be able to devote time to … Read more

Podcast applications have made their way back to iTunes.

When users type "podcast" or "podcasts" into Apple's desktop iTunes application, they'll find a full listing of programs that allow users to subscribe and listen to audio and video podcasts.

Apple's store surprised some searchers yesterday when only the iPhone maker's official Podcasts app was displayed after inputting those queries into the program. Upon searching for the same queries on the iPhone or iPad, all available apps were listed.

It's not immediately clear when the podcasts apps listing was restored or what … Read more

For more than three years, Skype has worked to improve online audio through involvement in a project now called Opus. But perversely, Skype's new owner, Microsoft, is undermining Opus just as a Web standards effort is poised to carry it into the mainstream.

Opus is an audio "codec" -- technology to encode and decode media streams for efficient transmission over the Internet or storage on computing equipment. Opus backers besides Microsoft's Skype division include Google, Opera, and Mozilla.

Opus has a lot of potential to improve online audio, something that's increasingly important as more communications … Read more

On September 5, Microsoft and Nokia will introduce the world to the its first Windows Phone 8 devices. The form of that signature handset remains a mystery for now, but I'll venture a guess that from the outside, the next iteration of Nokia's flagship phone will look very similar to the Nokia Lumia 900 device we know now.

Why do I say such a thing? There are a few reasons. First, the form factor would be more easily produced than creating a new design in a relatively short period. After all, the Lumia 900's look already exists … Read more

Hey, Apple, where did all of the podcast apps go?

Two iOS developers yesterday took to Twitter to report that Apple's iTunes is failing to display third-party iOS apps when users search for "podcasts." Apple's own Podcasts app, however, is being displayed in the results.

In a note to Instapaper creator Marco Arment, iOS developer Shahruz Shaukat noted that "iTunes only shows the Apple's Podcasts app when you search for Podcasts." In response, Arment said he too was only able to access Apple's app upon searching for "podcast" and "… Read more