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If your account has been granted access to Facebook Messenger Stickers, you've likely realized they can add a bit of fun to normally mundane conversations. Instead of relying on the standard smiley-face stickers, download additional sticker packs from the Facebook Sticker Store.

You'll know if your account has access to Stickers if you open a conversation in the Facebook app on iOS, or the Messenger app on Android and you see a smiley icon in the text field. Tapping on it will reveal stickers you can then send in your conversations.

The smiley stickers are nice, but it … Read more

Like most superhero fanboys, I'm pretty jazzed about "Iron Man 3," which opens one week from tomorrow.

And like most superhero movies of late, this one has an official game to accompany it. Gameloft's Iron Man 3 just landed for Android and iOS. And it's probably not what you'd expect.

Indeed, based on Gameloft's last movie tie-in, the Amazing Spider-Man game, you might envision something similar here: a running, jumping, and flying Tony Stark, with a mixture of ground- and air-based combat.

But this game takes its cues from Temple Run and throws … Read more

The Samsung Galaxy S4 may have a 5-inch screen with a killer 1080p HD resolution, but that doesn't tell you as much about its display quality as you might think.

That's because, as any display guru (like CNET's David Katzmaier) will tell you, a screen's ultimate rating spans resolution and pixel density, sure, but also color reproduction and accuracy, total brightness, viewing angles, and reflectance.

The screen material technology also plays a huge role; when it comes to smartphones, LCD displays make up the lion's share of manufacturers' choice, with Samsung at the forefront of … Read more

Verizon Wireless is now allowing Android and Samsung fans, and those fleeing the iPhone, to get in line for the Galaxy S4.

Verizon's preorder page for the 16GB version of the GS4 went live Thursday morning, priced at $199.99 with a new two-year contract.

The actual pricing breakdown is a retail price of $649.99, discounted to $249.99 with the contract, and an additional $50.00 coming in the form of a "Mail-in rebate debit card." So, it looks like customers can expect to initially be charged $249.99 before having some of that money … Read more

Microsoft and its partners have cracked the tablet market, according to a report from Strategy Analytics.

Windows 8 tablets (which include Windows RT) took 7.5 percent of the global tablet market based on operating system (OS) market share in the first quarter, Strategy Analytics said.

PC makers (including Microsoft) shipped 3.4 million units worldwide in Q1 2013, "for a niche 7.5 percent share," Neil Shah, a Strategy Analytics analyst, said in a response to an e-mail query.

But the market research firm said things could have been better.

"Very limited distribution, a shortage of … Read more

Something as portable and easy to lose as your smartphone deserves more than the good intentions of strangers to protect your apps and data when (not if) it goes AWOL. With so many free security apps, why would you let that happen? Perfect App Protector Free is a great example. It's also called the Lite version of a Pro app. Some users may even know it as Perfect Applock Free. Whatever you call it, this easy-to-use but effective security app from Morrison Smart Software can protect your stuff. We tried it in a Samsung Galaxy S3 with Android 4.… Read more

If you provide cell phones to your kids, employees, or anyone else you're responsible for, you can understand that it's in your best interest to have a reliable, accessible record of when, where, and how they're used, and, at times, even recordings of calls. Even if you're the only one responsible for your cell phone, you'd probably like a complete accounting and backup of everything on it, in case it's lost, stolen, dropped on concrete, eaten by the dog, or accidentally hurled at the TV screen. HelloSPY can handle that. HelloSPY hides in your … Read more

The name caught our attention: Android Defrag Free. Defrag Android? How? More to the point, why? Defragging doesn't benefit Android and can degrade flash memory. Some digging uncovered a partial explanation: The app doesn't actually defragment your Android device's flash memory and cards, although it suggests just that and even uses defrag-style graphics to drive the point home. But Android Defrag also claims to clear your caches and kill unnecessary apps and to delete and/or repair corrupted files. Unfortunately, so-called task killers usually aren't any more beneficial in Linux-based Android than file defragging. Android Defrag … Read more

Amid reports of delays with some carriers, U.S. Cellular is announcing its schedule to sell the Samsung Galaxy S4 online and in its brick-and-mortar stores.

The 16GB version of the marquee device goes on sale Friday online for $199.99 with an instant rebate.

A few days later, on Tuesday, the black or white handsets will show up in retail stores.

Starting on Friday, U.S. Cellular will start shipping the Galaxy S4 to customers who preordered the device, along with a free S View flip cover (video), a $60 value.