apps

Saudi Arabia may block WhatsApp within weeks

Saudi Arabia plans to block WhatsApp in coming weeks if the makers of the mobile chat app don't comply with local regulations.

The warning comes after the Communications and Information Technology Commission blocked popular voice and messaging app Viber last week.

"We have been communicating with WhatsApp and other similar communication platforms to get them to cooperate and comply with the Saudi telecom providers, however nothing has come of this communication yet," Abdullah Al-Darrab, governor of the CITC, told English language Arab News.

One of the regulations stipulates that WhatsApp establish a local server that allows officials … Read more

Office for iPhone? Not without a subscription

CNET Update wonders if Clippy can help:

In this episode of Update:

- Get disappointed with the new Mobile Office app for iPhones.

- Practice saying the names of new Android-based video game consoles: M.O.J.O., Ouya, & GamePop.

- Bid farewell to ads in your Facebook search results.

- Double check your Android downloads for malware app impostors.

- End nagging notifications with updates to Google+.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps, and what's … Read more

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 Or at least outdated advice.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

Microsoft brings Office to iPhones but limits its use

Microsoft inched a bit closer today to bringing the one app to the iPhone that's long been missing: Office.

The software giant on Friday released Office Mobile for iPhone in the iTunes Store. But don't get too excited, Office fans. While it's a free download, Office Mobile for iPhone will only work for subscribers to Microsoft's Office 365 Home Premium and ProPlus service. And it's optimized for the iPhone, not Apple's larger iPads.

"We don't view this as a standalone app," said Chris Schneider, a marketing manager in Microsoft's Office … Read more

Malware masquerading as Bad Piggies found on Google Play

Heard of the game Bad Pigs? Or is it Bad Piggies?

Some clever hacker decided to create a malicious app deceivingly similar to one of the top games in the Google Play store. And, it was downloaded more than 10,000 times before people took notice.

Security company F-Secure wrote on Wednesday that it had located Bad Pigs -- which had the same artwork and app description as Bad Piggies -- and let Google know. The only apparent differences between the two apps were the names of the app and the developer -- who was "Dan Stokes" rather … Read more

Square Wallet gets a major aesthetic redesign

Square Wallet, the mobile app that lets users pay for goods at thousands of retailers, got a major facelift Thursday.

Version 3.0 of Square Wallet is essentially an aesthetic reboot of the earlier iteration of the app, which allows Square users to pay wirelessly when a retailer has implemented Square Register on an iPad.

Square said that it has used an all new "visual language" with the latest version, and indeed, the update features much clearer imagery and a slicker user interface.

Square has also made it easier, it said, for users to find businesses that accept … Read more

Facebook mimics Twitter with hashtags

CNET Update is #trending:

In this episode of Update:

- Follow trending stories on Facebook with hashtags.

- Get excited for universal game controllers for iPhones and iPads.

- Lose a dimension when ESPN drops its 3D channel.

- Keep track of all the Galaxy S4 smartphones, as Samsung reveals the S4 Active.

- Print anywhere from your Android phone with the Cloud Print app.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for a breakdown of the big stories, hot devices, new apps, and what's ahead. Subscribe to the … Read more

Google+ for Android updates, notifications get synced

The big news today for Google+ is that the service is getting some notable improvements to its notifications system, the biggest of which is syncing across all devices. With this improvement, when you read or dismiss a notification on one device, the same action will be reflected across all of your devices, so you won't be bothered with repeat clicks and swipes.

Other updates include a new bell icon for notifications and an updated notifications tray, which separates new items from previously read items. According to Google's Vic Gundotra, the notifications improvements will be rolling out gradually starting … Read more

Star Apps: eBay's Steve Yankovich

When an Apple rep initially contacted eBay about developing a proprietary app back in 2008, the latter hadn't even heard of the iPhone or Objective-C. But seeing the potential of mobile software, a number of eBay employees believed that developing a mobile app would profit the global commerce and payments leader in the long run. In early 2009, they began raising funds for the formation of a mobile-specific group and commissioned an outside company to build the first eBay app.

Many software releases later, the app has helped the largest online marketplace blast off into mobile commerce, as eBay'… Read more

Google launches Cloud Print app for Android devices

Android users now can print photos, documents, and other files directly to certain printers with Google's Cloud Print app.

Landing in Google Play on Wednesday, the app allows you to print from any compatible Android phone or tablet to any Google Cloud Print connected printer. You can also share photos and documents from the built-in Gallery and other Android apps to Cloud Print and check on the status of your print jobs.

You can see if your printer is compatible with Google's cloud printing through the Cloud Print Web site.