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Hide and unhide apps from your iPhone's purchased list in iOS 6

Turns out, I've been giving you bad advice. Or at least outdated advice. In my post on this topic from last year (in the heady days of iOS 5), I showed you how you could simply swipe on an app on your purchased list right on your iPhone to hide it. For no good reason at all (at least any that I can see), iOS 6 did away with this functionality. Perhaps iOS 7 will bring back the ability to cull your purchased list from your phone, but for now, it requires a trip to iTunes. *sad trombone*

Open … Read more

How to clear all your Android app caches with App Cache Cleaner

The apps on your Android device typically use a cache to improve performance. Over time, the cache for certain apps can grow quite large. Clearing the app cache can free up precious space and sometimes resolve problems you might be having with the app.

To clear the cache, you normally go to the Android app manager, click on the app from the list, then tap on "Clear cache." If you want to clear the cache for all your apps, you have to repeat this procedure for every single app, unless you use a cache cleaner like App Cache … Read more

Steve Jobs initially didn't want an iBookstore, Eddy Cue says

NEW YORK -- Apple is in hot water over its digital bookstore, but late-CEO Steve Jobs initially didn't even want to enter that market, a high-level Apple executive said Thursday.

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, on Thursday testified in district court in lower Manhattan that he had to convince Jobs to let him pursue an e-bookstore. Even before the iPad launched, Cue was certain Apple should have a bookstore for its iPhone and Macs, but Jobs believed those products weren't ideal for reading.

"What happened was when I got my … Read more

Six smartphone trends that failed miserably

Some smartphones are born to do great things, while others face a crash-and-burn future. What determines which smartphones soar and which sink? In the gallery below, CNET phone reviewer Jessica Dolcourt takes a look at six smartphone trends that went clunk.

Remember Microsoft's embarrassingly short-lived Kin One? Discontinued after just eight weeks, it committed two of the fatal sins listed in our roundup. But it's far from the only offender. … Read more

Vouchr makes it easy to brighten up a friend's day

There are times you want to treat a friend to a scoop of ice cream, but quickly getting a gift card into his possession isn't always possible. And you don't always know if your gift was actually used, since there's no alert mechanism to notify you when a gift card has been redeemed.

A free iOS app, called Vouchr, will allow you to create a gift certificate (of sorts) and let any of your Facebook friends claim it when they visit a location you've specified. Originally launched in a small beta just in Canada, it's … Read more

Amazon to slash price of HTC One to $99 on June 14

Those of you eyeing the HTC One can score the phone for half off the usual price, courtesy of a one-day sale at Amazon.

On Friday, the retail giant will sell the HTC One for $99.99, a hefty discount off the usual $199.99 price tag. Buyers will be able to find the phone through Amazon's Cell Phones & Accessories page. But you'll need to be quick -- the sale itself will last just for the day.

The $99 offer is good for all AT&T or Sprint subscribers eligible for an upgrade. New customers can … Read more

Nokia readies major smartphone camera reveal July 11

Nokia fans, prepare yourself for...something. On Thursday, the Finnish maker of Windows Phone devices invited press to a New York launch event on July 11, promising that the phone maker would "reinvent zoom."

Although the invite teases nothing about a camera, I'm putting my money on another Lumia smartphone, this time, perhaps with the PureView camera zoom lens we've all been waiting for since Nokia first wowed us two years ago with its 41-megapixel monster.

Recent rumors point to a phone code-named Eos that includes a zooming camera lens, though some point out that the … Read more

HTC Butterfly S smartphone images leaked online

HTC's Butterfly S seems to be spreading its wings courtesy of a few images and other details posted online by VR-Zone.

A follow-up to HTC's current Butterfly, aka Droid DNA, the upcoming S edition will sprout a pair of front-facing speakers, according to VR-Zone. The audio will also get some oomph from HTC's new BoomSound technology, which keeps distortion low even when pumping up the volume at full blast.

The new Butterfly will sport the same 5-inch 1920x1080 pixel display as its predecessor, VR-Zone added. But it will come with HTC's Sense 5, a new interface … Read more