iOS software

Features you want in iPhone 5

Subscribe: RSS (SD) RSS (HD) iTunes (SD) iTunes (HD)

Two years ago, on the heels of the iPhone 4, CNET's David Carnoy asked readers to vote for their most-wanted features in the next iPhone. When Apple introduced the iPhone 4S a year later, we just kept this wish list going.

With over 40,000 votes collected at this point, I think it's safe to say that we have an adequate sample of what iPhone 5 features you want most. In this Top 5 video, we count them down. Simple as that.

… Read more

The new Pitfall is great fun, but it's not the game you remember

Most of the time I put together an iOS app collection of the week, but on the momentous occasion of classic console game Pitfall's 30th anniversary (was it really 1982?), I'm going to take a deeper dive into the completely remade game.

Many old-school gamers will remember Pitfall, a must-have on the Atari 2600, in which you would run and jump over obstacles and swing across chasms.

The new version of the game still requires your best hand-eye coordination, but now it is completely 3D and offers a different experience with much more to discover.

If you were ever a classic-console-game fanatic or like escape games like Temple Run, you should check out my review of Pitfall.… Read more

New hints of possible iOS 6 feature tweaks

With the release of iOS 6 highly likely in September (concurrent with the expected iPhone 5 announcement), the rumors around unannounced feature changes at tech sites are reaching an all-time high, so I decided to round up some of the big ones here. We already know about the main features in iOS 6 Apple announced at WWDC in June, but this list is more about leaked info that other sites are talking about. Obviously, we can't know for sure if any of these will be true at launch, but it's always fun to talk about what might be … Read more

Why a longer iPhone 5 screen needs to happen

For months, we've heard talk of an iPhone 5 with a longer screen. The latest stories around the Internet suggest not only that this is a likely reality, but that iOS 6 supports this new resolution: 640x1,136 pixels, to be exact. That's an extra 176 pixels longer than the current iPhone's 640x960 display.

When I heard of the next iPhone's longer screen, I thought: I'd just prefer a slightly bigger screen, not necessarily a longer one. My current iPhone 4S feels like it has a perfect aspect ratio. Why change it?

Then I thought about it, and quickly changed my tune.… Read more

Google exposes 'smart' results in search

SAN FRANCISCO -- Your search results in Google are about to get a big dose of Knowledge, the company announced today at a press breakfast at its San Francisco office.

Google's Knowledge Graph, its "smart" recognition of people, places, and things in search queries, is coming to English-language search results in a big way, starting with a rollout tomorrow.

Integrating the Knowledge Graph The main component of the Knowledge Graph integration will be rolled out in parts, with all English-language searches getting the basic integration. This means that if you're searching for "Chiefs," for … Read more

HipGeo makes documenting your travels easy on iOS

HipGeo Travel Blog and Trip Journal (free) lets you tell the story of your vacation with images, videos, text, tags, and more all tied to your geolocation. You start by signing up through Facebook or Twitter, then you can choose people to share your travels with. If you just want to see the app in action before you take your trip (and see best practices from other users) you can use an explore button to check out blogs of popular or featured users, or look at posts from near your location.… Read more

Nuance unveils Nina, a Siri sister that lives in third-party apps

Nuance, a company that plays a part in some of the most well-known speech-recognition services on the market, has unveiled its own intra-app service, called Nina.

With Nina's help, iOS and Android developers can bring speech recognition, text-to-speech, and voice biometrics to their individual applications. Nina works much in the same way as Siri, allowing users to provide voice commands that the technology then follows. And with the open software development kit, Nuance says that it can be integrated quickly into existing apps.

Nuance has played an integral role in Siri's development. Nuance provided technology to Siri before … Read more

Free Aesop for Children app brings classic fables to smartphones, tablets

Your tax dollars at work.

How better to describe Aesop for Children, a new iOS app (update: it's also available for Android, though not through Google Play) offered free by the Library of Congress?

I'm sure there's a debate to be had on whether the government should be in the app-development business, especially when there are competing commercial apps like Aesop's Wheel of Fables.

Personally, I don't mind seeing my taxes used for education, literacy, reading, and all that good stuff. But, like I said, it's open for debate.

In the meantime, let's … Read more

Defend against enemy onslaughts on iOS

My gaming addiction tends to go in phases. Sometimes I like puzzle games, then I'll move on to shooting games. After that, I might switch to racing games or go on to classic arcade. Whatever the flavor of the week is, I like to really get into it to see what the App Store has to offer.

The recent release of a classic iOS game sequel got me back into playing tower defense strategy games. There is something about finding just the right combination of turrets to pass challenging levels that appeals to me right now. After playing the sequel for a bit, I started to check out a few other games. If you like tower defense, this collection is for you.

This week's collection of iOS apps are my favorite tower defense games of the moment. The first has been around for awhile, but continues to be a go-to game when I'm playing tower defense. The second adds unique game elements that change the gameplay by keeping you busy. The third is a sequel to one of the most popular iOS tower defense games of all time.… Read more