apps

Review: Carbon - App Sync and Backup stores copies of your vital data

Helium App Sync & Backup saves copies of your vital data for you if you don't want to do it, yourself. It includes an app backup in addition to backing up your sensitive files, but it's a major pain to set up. It takes most of the appeal of automatic backup away.

Helium App Sync & Backup is made mostly for rooters, but it will work with some unrooted phones, too. To be sure it works with yours, check developer options in your settings menu and see if you can turn on USB debugging. If you can't, … Read more

New Android app checks 4G coverage

LAS VEGAS -- Tapping into high-speed 4G networks is a real treat, but sometimes a signal is hard to find. Mosaik's new CellMaps Mobile Coverage app for Android is here to help.

Announced today at CTIA 2013, the application lets U.S. Android phone owners see 4G footprints for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon in real time. Users can also drill down to see cellular network services in their neck of the woods or scan the overall 4G picture nationally.

Even more exciting is the application's ability to filter 4G coverage in granular details such as … Read more

Google+ app for Android gets post-I/O overhaul

The Google+ app for Android was updated on Monday, picking up many of the features found in the recently refreshed desktop client.

Like the Web version unveiled at Google I/O, Google+ for Android provides users with options such as automatic photo enhancements and Auto Awesome. Other features include the instant hashtagging, quick access to Hangouts, and improved notifications.

Building off of the tools that came with Snapseed, Google+ for Android allows for a myriad ways to edit and adjust photos. With the 4.0 update, it's easier than ever to rotate, crop, filter, and tweak your pictures before … Read more

Getting started with Schemes for Android

Being able to schedule an SMS, tweet, Facebook post, or Gmail is extremely useful. An SMS can be used to wish a distant friend or relative a happy birthday. A tweet or Facebook post can help your small business, or remind friends about a local event. And lastly, scheduling a Gmail message is useful when the recipient lives in another time zone and you don't want to disturb them.

The Schemes app for Android lets you schedule all of these message types, at no cost. Furthermore, you can send these scheduled messages without needing to create any … Read more

Apple removes Bang With Friends from App Store

No more knocking boots with your Facebook friends, iPhone users. Apple has removed the salaciously titled Bang With Friends iPhone application from its App Store.

Bang With Friends, which was going by "BWF Official" on Apple's App Store, arrived on mobile devices last week. The hookup service, first launched on Web in January, has around 1 million users and helps people discreetly indicate their lust for a Facebook buddy.

Co-founder Colin Hodge, now going by his real name, told Valleywag that Apple removed the application from the App Store. Indeed, the original link to the iPhone app … Read more

Xbox rumors ramp up before unveiling

CNET Update needs to make better lunch choices:

In this episode of Update:

- Get ready for the unveiling of the next Xbox, and join CNET's live coverage of the Microsoft announcement on Tuesday. Among the latest Xbox news is the rumor that Microsoft will no longer use Xbox Points.

- See if Yahoo can get its groove back with tweets in its news feed, and the possible purchase of the blogging site Tumblr.

- Be among the first to stream your PC game in the bathroom by preordering the Nvidia Shield.

- Make a difference with how you … Read more

Zinio Z-Pass gives you three magazines for $5 per month

I love a good magazine. That's why I'm hoping digital distribution services like Next Issue and Zinio can help usher in the age of the digital periodical.

Yesterday, Zinio gave it a little nudge by unveiling Z-Pass, a sort of a la carte subscription option: three magazines for $5 per month.

According to the Zinio press release, "The monthly cost of a Z-Pass is the lowest available in the market for a multiple-magazine subscription model." That's technically true, but with a huge asterisk: Next Issue (a sort of Netflix for magazines) costs $9.99 per … Read more

Google security: You (still) are the weakest link

SAN FRANCISCO--Two of Google's top Chrome and Google Apps security experts confessed that the problem of passwords will continue to plague the people who use them and computer security for the foreseeable future.

On the second day of the company's I/O conference here on Thursday, Eran Feigenbaum, the director of security for Google Apps, suggested that people follow three recommendations to stay safer online.

"You should turn on two-step verification, make sure [the browser] is up to date, and make sure your password recovery options are set," the six-year veteran of Google said.

His colleague, … Read more

Google Glass apps: Striving for the familiar (hands-on)

To hear the news today, yes indeed, Google Glass has a number of new apps available for it: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, CNN, Evernote, and even Elle Magazine join The New York Times, Path, Google+, Gmail, and Google Now, starting today.

But, what does that mean? For those who haven't worn Glass (and that's most people), hearing "apps" suggests standalone ecosystems, like iPhone or Android apps. Actually, that's not what they are at all.

As far as Facebook and Twitter on Glass go, there isn't really all that much to it: the Glass apps (or &… Read more

Google e-mails money; Hangouts with ponies

CNET Update geeks out:

In this episode of Update:

- Learn how to send money through Gmail using Google Wallet, and RSVP to events without ever opening your e-mail invite.

- Become a Google Hangout app master and know the secrets to sending your Bronies some ponies.

- Beam yourself to Bing to be transported to the Star Trek universe, and brush up on your Klingon while there. Qapla'!

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