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Apps that help you get a room (video)

It's always possible to find a room for the night when you're traveling, but if it's last-minute, it'll cost you. Luckily, there are two apps that help you dig up deals for the right price.

Hotel Tonight (for iPhone and Android) focuses its search on the swankier side of accommodations, finding you deals on unsold rooms in hip, stylish, or boutique hotels.

You may have heard of my second choice, too: Airbnb, a peer-to-peer service that facilitates an owner's short-term rental of a space to guests (that's you). Unfortunately, Airbnb has recently been at … Read more

Tap That App: Comics apps from Archie to zombies

Comics apps have been around for a couple of years, but the rise of the tablet has seen a resurgence of interest in digital comic books. Comixology, Graphicly, and the Vintage Comics Droid are three apps that bring superheroes and more to your fingertips.

Android Atlas Weekly 53: Mythical unicorn phone from the future (Podcast)

We get questionably definitive proof that someone at Google listens to the show with Google's roll out of its an app compatibility function for the Android Market, just weeks after we complained about system requirements for Android apps. You can thank us later. Also, we take a look at a free entry-level Android phone, get video proof that the Droid 3 is coming from Motorola, and speculate on what may end up being the unicorn of smartphones, the Nexus 4G---not to be confused with the Nexus S 4G--a phone with specs that you wouldn't believe. But which of … Read more

This Day in Tech: Alleged hackers arrested, Spotify inks U.S. deal

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Friday, June 10.

Pandora ups IPO price to $10 to $12 per share The online music service has bumped the share price up from the previously announced range of $7 to $9 per share. More

Google wading deeper into clean energy Job ads show that the tech giant is bulking up its internal renewable-energy engineering team to advance R&D and make clean energy cheaper. More

iOS 5 beta jailbreak gets broader push Days after initially jailbreaking the new … Read more

SceneTap: On-site cameras find happening bars

Next time you go out to a bar and discover it's totally dead, or the gender mix isn't to your liking, here's an app that could save you the trouble.

SceneTap is designed to give you a preview of your intended watering hole, or suggest nearby options, by providing real-time info about the number of customers, the average age, and the male-female ratio.

Users don't have to check in as with Foursquare. The app tackles its tabulations by using dedicated camera systems in participating establishments that employ face-recognition and people-counting algorithms.

Developers hope to grow this physical infrastructure, which sets SceneTap apart from other bar apps.

The camera footage isn't recorded and patrons are tracked anonymously to protect their privacy, according to a release by the start-up behind it.

Users can also get news on specials and other deals, and post comments and rank bars, as with Le Bar Guide.

SceneTap is free for iPhone and Android devices, and on the Web. Like other iOS apps, it won't tell you how to avoid DUI checks on the way home.

Slated to launch next month, SceneTap has more than 50 participating nightspots in Chicago. There are plans to expand to New York, Boston, Las Vegas, and other cities across the U.S. in the coming months. … Read more

How to get more storage space for Android apps

Having tons of apps to choose from is one of the main perks of having a smartphone. Unfortunately, some apps may be keeping more stuff on your phone than just the core files needed by the app. This "stuff" is the cache for each app, which can be easily cleaned out to offer more space for new apps. Normally, you would need to look at the details for each individual app to see how much cache space it is consuming. However, with the use of one small app you can view their cache sizes all in one place, … Read more

Order & Chaos Online: Tap That App (Video)

A full-fledged MMO on the iPhone? In this week's Tap That App, I take a look at Order & Chaos Online, the massive online multiplayer role-playing game from Gameloft. Featuring a look that very closely resembles Blizzard's World of Warcraft, the game provides a sweeping world in which you'll be able to create a character, choose a class, customize your look, and set off on an adventure.

If you've ever been a fan of online MMOs or just want to see what the fuss is all about, check out this week's Tap That App.

JotNot for iPhone takes on mobile scanning

We first learned about the free JotNot Scanner for iPhone (and the 99-cent JotNot Scanner Pro) from a lawyer who uses the app daily to scan and send documents to colleagues. We immediately saw the app's potential for also sending along easy-to-read receipts, photos of whiteboards, and scans of other documents--whether for work or for daily life. Since the JotNot family of apps strips away photographic artifacts like shadows and other noise, it tends to focus on the text for clear comprehension. Other tools help keep scans looking straight and clean.

Make your own ringtones on Android, iPhone (video)

Cutting your own ringtones from songs in your mobile library isn't hard at all, and there's even one ingenious Android app that takes a much more creative approach than the usual slice-and-serve.

iPhone apps also handily make ringtones. Apart from choosing the start and stop times--which can be frustrating and time-consuming depending on your level of meticulousness--the most trying portion of the creation process is transferring your newly created selection to iTunes and then back to your computer as a ringtone.

No, it doesn't make sense, but the apps show you how to do it and ultimately … Read more