Android software

Sprint's Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets Android 4.2 update

The Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has begun receiving the Android 4.2 software update, according to various reports surfacing this week.

The 98MB file can be manually downloaded and installed, but the carrier has yet to make any formal announcements.

CNET has contacted Sprint for comment and will update the article with any response.

Sprint may have been months behind Verizon releasing the Galaxy Nexus, but the smaller carrier has been much more active in offering updates. The Verizon model, for its part, is still running Jelly Bean 4.1.1.

While this isn't the worst … Read more

Shaq Versus Evil Mutant Zombies

Are you tired of the whole zombie craze yet? What if those zombies happen to be mutants in a post-apocalyptic wasteland? What if the hero protagonist in all this mess was, oh, I don't know, 7'1'', 325-lb former NBA Superstar Shaquille O'Neal?

Yes, someone on this earth not only conceived of this, but managed to produce it, even going so far as getting the man of steel himself to lend his voice.

ShaqDown (Android, iOS) is One Spear Entertainment's first outing. Their business model apparently consists of building mobile games around celebrities, and we'll see … Read more

Avoid zombies (and dystentery) on the Organ Trail

Oregon Trail is a classic educational PC game from the 1970s (revamped in the 1990s) that still haunts those students who tried to make it from Independence, Missouri to Oregon's Willamette Valley, hunting bison and bear and losing party members to cholera . Some say Pong or Tetris launched video gaming into the mainstream--but neither Pong nor Tetris had you struggling to control an internal tantrum in the middle of math class when you lose your wagon while fording a river.

Originally a Flash game and Facebook app, Organ Trail garnered so many positive reviews that the developers launched a … Read more

How to disable face tags on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2

Face tags on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note 2 are neat features of the Gallery app. When you take photos of people, the app places yellow boxes over their faces, then allows you to tag them by tapping on the yellow boxes. However, if you're not interested in using face tags, the yellow boxes can be distracting when viewing your photos. Disabling face tags prevents the yellow boxes from appearing. Here's how to disable them:

Step 1: Launch the Gallery app and select a photo to view.

Step 2: Tap the Menu key and select "Face … Read more

Software makes a showing at CES 2013, but underwhelms

LAS VEGAS--While the presence of software and apps at CES has certainly grown over the past few years, the fact remains that downloads still sit in the shadows of home theater components, gaming equipment, mobile devices, and other hardware at the annual show. At this point, we're beginning to think that software may never take center stage at CES. From an economic standpoint, it might not make much sense for a company to double down on an expensive booth to showcase a straightforward, downloadable app when the show continues to gravitate toward colorful plastics and shiny metals.

Rather, we … Read more

Math wins the Mobile App Showdown at CES 2013

LAS VEGAS--Every year at CES, the Mobile Apps Showdown pits dozens of downloads against one another to see which mobile app emerges as the best. This year's event was the biggest yet, and based on the excitement we saw there, we think it will only continue to grow.

Here's how it works: a panel of judges first narrows the pool of entrants down to 10 finalists. The developers of the finalists are then invited to present their apps to a live audience at the Mobile Apps Showdown here in Las Vegas, and the app that receives the loudest … Read more

The Insta-Zombie Workout Plan

Like most folks, I've made "enthusiastic" commitments to be more resolute in staying healthy this year. Such crazy claims include getting off the buttocks and working out, eating healthy, and other life-changing nonsense. Recently, one of my friends started this diet called the TAO Diet, which stands for Ten and One. The premise is simple: You eat 10 salads and one meal of whatever you please. Then rinse and repeat.

I've come to realize that I'm an attention-seeking and easily distracted geek with a healthy track record of...falling off track. But rather than giving … Read more

Firefox 19 betas: Built-in PDF viewing, broader Android reach

Adobe Systems' Flash Player plug-in has been under attack in Web development circles for years, but now Adobe's Reader software is becoming more of a target in the war against plug-ins.

Mozilla released the with its own built-in PDF reader, called PDF.js, which uses the browser's own JavaScript engine to decode the Adobe-created but industry-standard document format.

The Portable Document Format for years was an awkward part of the Web, often ambushing the unwary with long page-load times as the Adobe Reader plug-in loaded. But PDFs have become more common, exposed in Google search results and used … Read more

Google revs Chrome for Android with new beta release

Android users who want to live an edgier life now can try a beta version of Chrome.

Google yesterday released the Chrome 25 beta for Android 4.x for smartphones and tablets, a version number in sync with the release for personal computers. Previously, the only option was the stable version of Chrome for Android, which is still way back at version 18.

The Chrome for Android beta is available on the Google Play app store, but only by following that link -- it's not visible in Google Play's search, Google said. The beta version can be installed … Read more