Mobile software

Edgar Allan Poe's deliciously creepy storybook app

Forget Stephen King; if you like the macabre, you gotta go Poe.

iPoe for iOS brings to creepy, illustrated life four of Edgar Allan Poe's works.

As with Alice for iPad and other famous literary works given the app treatment, iPoe transforms the author's text into lavishly illustrated pages enhanced with music, animation, and interactive touches.

The app comes with four tales: "Annabel Lee," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Oval Portrait," and "The Tell-Tale Heart." You also get a brief biography of the author.… Read more

Instagrille 2.0 puts Instagram on your desktop

One of the biggest gripes about megapopular photo social-networking service Instagram is that you can't use it on desktops. Well, with Instagrille, you can get pretty close. Instagrille is an Instagram viewer for Windows, and it's available through Pokki's desktop apps platform. Sure, there are several third-party, Web-based Instagram viewers out there, but Instagrille is unique because it's an actual downloadable desktop app.

For those who don't know, Pokki is an app store for your Windows computer. You can download and install apps in one click (just as you would on your phone), and it … Read more

The near future of smartphones (Smartphones Unlocked)

High-flying skydive stunts! Steering-wheel voice commands! Predictive search that knows your life! That was June for us, one big sneak peek of the mobile platform future, a flurry of OS features and software specs that Apple, Google, Microsoft, and RIM lobbed at us from San Francisco area events all in the same month. It was so busy around here, we CNETers dubbed the month "Junesanity."

The specs that emerged from these four events are a peek at the near future of mobile phones. In addition, the flashy presentations were designed to win developers and consumers to each company'… Read more

Liquid physics games for iOS

I often write about action games in my collections, and it's no secret I'm a fan of the racing-game genre as well. But another genre I like to play while on my commute is mind-twisting puzzle games. A new game was released a few days ago that has jumped to the top of the charts at iTunes App Store and it has all the bells and whistles to remain a hit.

Though puzzle games come in a lot of different forms, one of my favorite types is those that use realistic physics. Some of the best I have come across use liquid physics and require you to experiment in order to solve each puzzle.… Read more

Apps crashing? Apple's App Store to blame, says developer

Apple's App Store might be causing some trouble for application users.

Marco Arment, the creator of Instapaper, reported yesterday that he was "deluged" earlier this week by users who had downloaded Instapaper 4.2.3 and found that upon opening it, the application "crashed immediately." The issue even occurred after users removed the application from their devices and reinstalled it with a clean version.

After inspecting the issue, Arment found that the problem was due to what he said was a corrupt update Apple distributed through its App Store. According to Arment, the update he … Read more

Google working on software patch to avoid Galaxy Nexus sales ban

Within hours of a federal judge denying Samsung's request to delay a ban on U.S. sales of its Galaxy Nexus phone rooted in a patent tussle with Apple, Google says it is already working on pushing out a patch to address the issue.

The company behind the software on the Android OS reference device told All Things D that the software patch is meant to avoid infringing on an Apple patent for universal search, which District Court Judge Lucy Koh ruled on Friday was a valid reason to halt sales of the favored Ice Cream Sandwich and now … Read more

Ice Cream Sandwich now on one in 10 Android devices

Ice Cream Sandwich is now installed on more than 10 percent of Android devices, according to Google.

Data collected by the search-turned-mobile giant during the 14-day period that ended yesterday shows that version 4.0 of Google's mobile operating system is now present on 10.9 percent of all devices. The data was collected from Android devices that accessed Google Play, the Android application store, during the two-week period.

The latest stats, which come less than a week after Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was announced at Google I/O, show a significant jump for Ice Cream Sandwich: a week ago, the OS was around the 7 percent mark.… Read more

Add apps to Foursquare for more info at check-in

Foursquare has added a new feature to its app and Web site called Connected Apps. Basically, it's a showcase of apps that got a head-start on using the Foursquare API. In the choices you'll see apps such as: The Weather Channel, Instagram, and Eat This, Not That!

When you check in to a location, you'll see the Connected Apps information right below Foursquare tips from other users. Ready to add some to your Foursquare and check them out? Here's how:

Mobile apps (Android and iOS):

Step 1: Open the Foursquare app and head to the Me … Read more

5 years in: The evolution of the iPhone OS

On the fifth anniversary for the iPhone and as we draw closer to the release of iOS 6 this fall (read our First Take from WWDC here), I can't help but think of how far Apple's iOS has come since the day the first iPhone was unveiled.

If you remember, that first iPhone was announced by Steve Jobs and Apple on January 9, 2007, and was more about the touch-screen interface than any extras, but it wasn't until June of that year the iPhone was released to the public. That first iOS wasn't even called iOS (… Read more