Apps

Digg's app comes to Android, minus some features

Digg users with Android devices, who might have been jealous of Digg's recently launched iPhone/iPod app, now have one of their very own.

The good news is that it's free, and has the same, simple interface as its iPhone cousin. The bad news is that it's not packing nearly as many features.

Just like the iPhone app, Digg's Android app, which went live on the Android Marketplace on Friday, offers a quick way to view and sort through stories on Digg.com. Included are tabs for top, recent, and upcoming stories on Digg, as well … Read more

Fun-loving iPad zombies

Editors' take: The iPad's bigger screen real estate lends itself well to tower defense games such as Plants vs. Zombies HD, a $10 game where players attack hordes of zombies.

The iPad-optimized version brings the game nearly up to parity with the versions found on PC and Mac computers, which cost twice as much. This includes the proper top placement (instead of the side) of all the weapons and resources you must work with to defeat your zombie foes, as well as survival mode, which lets players try to stay alive for as long as possible. For many of … Read more

Read New York Times on the iPad

Editors' take: iPad owners who need their daily New York Times fix can grab it courtesy of the paper's new iPad app or even just the Web site itself, which made Apple's list of iPad-ready sites that have been optimized for compatibility with the iPad's features. The Times' iPad features got a prominent preview during Apple CEO Steve Jobs' unveiling of the tablet device in January.

The free New York Times Editor Choice app will download to the iPad a daily selection of the newspaper's top business and technology stories, opinions, and features picked by Times … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1198: Tong tied? Frayed not (podcast)

With Molly out covering the iPad launch for your local CBS stations, we're free to make wanton puns about knot theory. And we do. Plus Brian Tong gets his brain in knots trying to explain how it applies to tangled headphones. We also have the explanation for why iPad apps are ridiculously expensive. And we compare the JooJoo which is actually here, and explain why it's getting trumped by Apple.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1198

How Long Will It Take iPad App Prices To Drop? … Read more

The 404 551: Where Natali and Justin have an Apple iPad battle (podcast)

The CNET New York office is typically a tame environment--unless it happens to be the eve of a big Apple product drop and turns into pure unapologetic madness! It's the day before the release of the much-anticipated Apple iPad and Natali picked one up this morning for a CBS News segment, but little does she know The 404 has our own version, and it's bigger, cheaper, and even comes with its own stylus! Unfortunately, we can't do a side-by-side comparison because the real iPad is currently submerged in a puddle of Wilson's saliva, but we'll try to get the thing in the studio for Monday's show, pending a serious wipedown.

Jeff and I are still disappointed by the lack of features on the iPad, but we can't shrug off the awesome-factor of the new Netflix for iPad app that dropped yesterday. Some disregarded it as a cruel April Fools' joke, but it is indeed available now on the App Store. The service is free to all Netflix customers, who will now have mobile access to more than 20,000 movies and television shows currently in the library. You can even continue watching movies from where you left off on your TV or computer at home.

We can already sense your irritation at all this iPad talk, so let's move on. Sending dirty text messages to your boo bear isn't just for professional golfers and tweens anymore. Studies show that more and more adults are using "sexting" to get nasty on the run, so we're running down a list of five tips for safe sexting. The list is cheeky, and while we agree that the No. 1 tip is to be discreet, the article neglects to address the wonderful world of multimedia messages that can add a visual aid to your naughty text.

Guess we know what you're doing this weekend! And after you do that, shoot us a line by leaving a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET or send a message to the404(at)cnet(dot)com and let us know what's on your mind!

EPISODE 551 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

iPad apps start off pricier than iPhone apps

Early adopters of the iPad should be prepared to pay more to download their favorite apps than they would if they waited for the presumed masses to get onboard.

Though a healthy sampling of iPad apps will be free or inexpensive, many now available in the App Store cost twice or three times as much their iPhone and iPod Touch counterparts.

Games and graphic arts applications are two categories likely to cost more on the iPad. Scrabble by Electronic Arts is $2.99 for the iPhone but costs $9.99 for the iPad. Electronic Art's Need for Speed Shift … Read more

Plants vs. Zombies for iPad gets hot and buttered

The iPad's bigger screen real estate has held some of the biggest promise for fans of tower defense games, and iPhone and iPod Touch best-seller Plants vs. Zombies from PopCap could be one of the best early examples.

The iPad version of the title, dubbed Plants vs. Zombies HD, was leaked last week along with a slew of other iPad games through Apple's iTunes Web interface for apps. At $9.99, it costs more than three times its smaller sibling.

However, the iPad-optimized version brings the game nearly up to parity with the versions found on PC and Mac computers, which cost twice as much. This includes the proper top placement (instead of the side) of all the weapons and resources you must work with to defeat your zombie foes, as well as survival mode, which lets players try to stay alive for as long as possible. For many of those who have finished the game's campaign, this is the mode of choice, and something that was sorely missing from the iPhone version.

iPad users also get a new (and exclusive) mini-game mode called "buttered popcorn," which makes use of the iPad's multitouch display. As PopCap explains it:

Players attack zombies by first "buttering" them up before firing corn-cob cannons at them. To defeat the growing hordes of zombies, players can touch them to place butter on their heads. With the multitouch user interface, players can select up to 11 zombies at a time, targeted for 'buttering' by the powerful cob cannons.

Presumably, by selecting "11 at a time," PopCap means players are expected to use their nose, or the help of a friend, to select the extra zombie beyond their own 10 digits.

PopCap says it's sold 650,000 copies of the title for the iPhone and iPod. Users who have already paid for that version will, of course, still be able to play it on the iPad, but will need to buy a copy of the HD version if they want to take advantage of all the new features and extra screen real estate.

More screens after the break. Click on any shot to see it in its native iPad resolution.… Read more

Free NBA iPad app targets stats geeks

Everyone has an iPad app--or it just feels that way since I've been inundated with press releases about them since Thursday--but the NBA's is interesting for a few reasons.

First, it's free. And second, the NBA is looking at the iPad as a different use case than every other mobile platform. Pro basketball has more than 100 apps, if you count each variation of them released for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. But the iPad app, called NBA Game Time: Courtside, is not just a reformatted iPhone app for a larger screen.

"It's completely different from the ground up," said Bryan Perez, the president of the NBA's Digital Group. "One you pull out of your pocket, the other is sitting on your desk or coffee table."

The iPad app is supposed to be a companion to people watching the game, or in this case, the NBA playoffs, which start in just a few weeks. Unlike the iPhone app that you're probably using to stay updated on a game you're missing while you're at the airport or work or on the bus home, the Courtside app assume you're watching on TV.

It's really for stats geeks who don't want to rely on the announcers for all their information.

"We give them the info our TV analysts would have at their fingertips," said Perez.

With some finger swipes you can watch a game and delve into the type of live-updated stats that NBA analysts Doug Collins or Reggie Miller would have while they're sitting courtside calling a game. You can tap any player or team on the screen and see his/their stats as well as shot charts and shooting percentage from different areas on the floor. There's also real-time scoring, updated video highlights, play by play, news updates from around the league and tweets from the NBA's official Twitter account.

You might be thinking, "Bad timing, since the NBA season is basically over." And yes, it is in about two weeks. But this application is specifically for the playoffs. You can get it Saturday, and until the postseason begins, it will show the current playoff picture, and update depending on how the last games of the season go down.

Additional screenshots after the jump:… Read more

JiuzhangTech puts new spin on classic puzzle games

Knowing I'd have a few hours to waste on a recent cross-country flight, I grabbed a couple of games from the Android Market to use on my phone. One developer in particular, JiuzhangTech Ltd, caught my eye.

Though none of its casual games are necessarily original, JiuzhangTech brings them to Android in a clean, classy way. Among the titles I've played so far are WordSearch Unlimited, Super Flood, WordTwist, and Hangman Classic. I'll tell you more about the first two games here, but I'm confident that all will be on my phone for quite some time. … Read more