picks

Following recent controversy over nudity found in Twitter's Vine service, Apple has recanted its promotion of the software in the App Store.

The software itself remains available, though it's unclear whether that will continue to be the case. Popular photo-sharing service 500px was recently removed by Apple from the App Store following issues over nudity, which is not allowed under Apple's App Store Guidelines.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the choice.

The change, which was noted earlier by Business Insider, follows controversy over Twitter's Vine app, which facilitates the creation and exploration of short-form … Read more

If you do any kind of digital art or design, we can't think of a reason you wouldn't want to have PicPick as your sidekick. This handy set of tools can handle many small yet important design-related tasks without the hassle of opening a full-blown design program.

PicPick has an attractive, no-nonsense interface that lists all of its features up front. And what a list it is; PicPick's capabilities include a variety of screen capture options, a color picker, a color palette, a magnifier, a pixel ruler, a crosshair, a protractor, and a whiteboard. The program also … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Where are we? Apple Maps makes a mess.

- Apple can replace broken iPhone 5 screens in the store, says report.

- iPhone 5 gets the teardown treatment.

- Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design.

- Apple about to make owner of Earpods.com very rich.

- ATTN New Yorkers: Register your gadgets with the NYPD.

- Neil Young says piracy is the new radio and the best way to get your music heard.

Bathroom break video: 1989 Radio Shack Cell Phone Commercial… Read more

Apple's GarageBand gives wanna-be and real-world musicians alike the instruments they need to make music on an iPad. But when it comes to drums and guitar, there's something lost in translation; your fingertips just don't measure up to the feel of drumsticks and a guitar pick.

Of course, the real deal won't work on an iPad's screen; wood and plastic aren't conductive materials, so their taps and strums will go unrecognized.

Enter Pix & Stix, which give you a rubberized, conductive guitar pick and pair of drumsticks. (Slogan idea: "For those about to … Read more

It's no secret Apple's desktop tower is long overdue for an update, and perhaps one of the best signs that a Mac Pro refresh is just around the corner has come from Apple's online store.

MacRumors notes today that those in the market for one of the towers -- which haven't received a hardware update since July 2010 -- are facing unusually long wait times if they want to pick one up in store.

While Apple lists three of the four models as in stock on its online store (with the 12-core model shipping in 2-4 … Read more

The 1Mobile Market for Android offers a curated selection of fun, useful, and otherwise interesting apps, all of which are free. It's unique because it's managed by a team of actual editors, rather than a set of algorithms that try to home in on what you're looking for.

First thing you'll notice is that 1Mobile's main panel looks a bit like a cheap knock-off of Google Play, with its large tiles and similar color scheme. For some, this might be comforting, but for me, it feels a little tacky.

While looks may not be 1Mobile'… Read more

It pains me to admit this, but I couldn't find a killer deal today.

I briefly saw a refurbished Barnes & Noble Nook Color for $119, but it sold out before I could write it up. Plus, I suspect most of you are pretty sick of me covering that particular product (even at such an incredibly low price).

I was also tempted to mention a sweet CNET-only deal on custom OrigAudio Designears noise-cancelling headphones, but I like to keep the nepotism to a minimum.

I haven't done this in about two years, and probably won't again for … Read more

Web designers and graphic artists know that when it comes to matching colors, guesswork won't do; to ensure a perfect match it only makes sense to use a program built for the task. Peacock Color Picker is not the most user-friendly option we've seen, but it's not a bad choice if you're looking for basic color-picking features.

The program's interface is sleek and attractive at first glance, but upon further exploration it turns out not to be particularly intuitive. The fact that there's no Help file means that users have to spend time playing … Read more