favorites

Top streaming-radio apps for iOS and Android

There are tons of music-listening apps in both of the big app stores, but when you want to find new music, there's nothing better than a streaming-radio app. These apps are set up for browsing through stations and genres so you can get a fresh dose of new options based on the music you like.

The obvious choice here is an app like Pandora (free - iOS|Android), but there are a few I like that have other options that might appeal to different types of music listeners.… Read more

Facebook launches 'action links' for greater app interaction

Facebook introduced a new feature today designed to help developers engage users more deeply with their app content.

In addition to "liking" and "sharing," the social network's customizable "action links" give users a third way to interact with content when users' Open Graph stories appear in news feeds, timelines, or tickers.

Facebook demonstrated how the new links could be used by tapping the geo-location app Foursquare as an example. When people check in at a location using the app on their Timeline, their friends can already like or comment on the post. But … Read more

Reader nominations for the best headphones, speakers, and receivers

Audiophiliac readers have strong opinions about the gear I write about every day; now it's your turn to spread the word about your favorite audio products. Nominate your picks for best speakers, in as many categories as you want: iPod speakers, sound bars, desktop, bookshelf, tower, high-end, subwoofers, home theater, etc.

I'm also seeking nominations for headphones of all types: universal-fit in-ears, custom-molded in-ears, DJ, Bluetooth, full-size on- and over-the-ear headphones, studio headphones, noise-canceling headphones. How about receivers? Stereo and home theater receivers, or integrated amplifiers, as well as turntables, CD players, iPods, and other types of music … Read more

Access and manage Favorites and Bookmarks with FavoritesView

NirSoft's FavoritesView is a neat bit of freeware that lets you save, edit, and access your Internet Explorer Favorites and Mozilla Firefox Bookmarks from one compact, customizable interface. You can choose your target folders and open Web pages directly from its toolbar. It can find duplicates and create HTML reports. Unfortunately, it doesn't (yet) accommodate Chrome, Opera, Safari, or any of the other other browsers.

As with many NirSoft tools, FavoritesView is portable freeware that opened as soon as we clicked the extracted program file. The program's interface is basic, with an up-to-date rendering of the classic … Read more

CNET readers' least favorite smartphones

This post has been updated since its original publish date of March 14, 2010, with new picks.

Earlier this week we highlighted some of your favorite smartphones and as promised then, we now have your least favorite. These handsets (presented in no particular order) had a lower average user rating (2.5 stars or lower, with at least 10 user reviews) compared with their competitors, and just like we did for the favorites, we included our bottom line as well as an excerpt from a user review that gives an example of why these devices didn't fare so well. … Read more

CNET readers' favorite smartphones

A lot of smartphones come through our offices here at CNET, and we put each one of them through their paces; some pass with flying colors and others we'd rather take a pass on. However, at the end of the day, it's you, our readers, who are the harshest critics. After all, you're the ones living with and using these gadgets every day, and while we have our own list of editors' favorites, we also definitely pay attention to user ratings and opinions.

In the photo gallery below, you'll find 10 of our readers' favorite smartphones, all of which received a user rating of 4 stars or above. They're presented in no particular order and we've included our bottom line as well as a reader's comment to give you an example of why these devices are so well-loved.

Also, be sure to check out our list of CNET readers' least favorite smartphones.

New Twitter features focus on you, those you follow

Twitter is rolling out a couple of new features that should help you find more revelant tweets, especially those that involve you.

As of yesterday, the microblogging site is replacing the familiar Mentions tab with a new tab that displays your username, according to the company's official blog. Clicking on your username tab will reveal more than just tweets in which you're mentioned. You'll be able to see which of your own tweets are considered Favorites or are retweeted by someone also. You'll also see tweets directed to you and which tweets are popular among the … Read more

My five favorite iPhone apps of 2010

As someone who writes daily for iPhone Atlas, I look at a lot of apps. A lot of apps. I don't think a day goes by that I don't install a new one, if not two or three.

Needless to say, favorites emerge. Which apps made the cut this year? Though it was nearly impossible to whittle them down to just five, in the interests of brevity, I've done just that.

I'm not saying these are the best apps of the year; indeed, some date back to before 2010. They're simply the ones I use over and over, the ones I can't live without, and the ones that still manage to make my jaw hang open.

Bluefire Reader My new favorite e-book reader is my new favorite for one simple reason: it lets you read books checked out from your "local" library--free of charge. As someone who continues to believe e-books are grossly overpriced, I'm elated to have this option. Find My iPhone Apple did the right thing this year, liberating this indispensable app from MobileMe and making it free. Use it to track, recover, or even remotely wipe your lost or stolen precious.… Read more

Your bookmarks anywhere and a unique labyrinth game: iPhone apps of the week

With a virtual flood of new apps and updates coming in to the iTunes App Store every day, a few are bound to slip through the approval process that maybe should not have--or at least would not have passed muster with Apple guidelines. I personally don't think Apple needs to filter apps (as long as they work), but, at the same time, if they have a family-friendly vision of the App Store, I have no problem with that.

Two days ago an app that slipped by the App overseers was a real winner, but probably made a few too many people in high places angry. The app in question is called MiTube, formerly available to jailbroken iPhones only, that lets you easily search for and download YouTube videos. A couple of us here heard about MiTube (free) Wednesday morning, downloaded the app, then noticed later that it got pulled by Apple at around 7 p.m. By 5 p.m., MiTube was already No. 11 on the top-free-apps list.

I guess we all know why something like this usually doesn't get accepted. YouTube wants page views, submitters want to make money, and letting people download videos to local drives (like the iPhone) defeats their business purposes. It's sad, really, because as much as I'd like to recommend MiTube, it's no longer available.

Do you think Apple/YouTube/Google should let these apps get posted and not worry or do you think they have every right to keep these apps under wraps? Let me know in the comments.

This week's apps--both 99 cents--are a utility to bring your desktop browser bookmarks to your iPhone and a surprisingly fun and challenging labyrinth game sequel.… Read more

Nominate your favorite iPhone game of all time

As you may have heard, the App Store just celebrated its second birthday. That means iPhone and iPod gaming is officially two years old as well. How in the world did I ever occupy my downtime before Flight Control came along?

This got me thinking: what's my all-time favorite iPhone game? More importantly, what's yours?

I'm sure the aforementioned Flight Control ranks near the top of many a list. And I can think of some other obvious choices, like Bejeweled 2, Pocket God, Words with Friends, and The Sims 3.

Those are definitely some of my favorites, … Read more