Apps

Galaxy S4 Group Play makes sharing easier (hands-on)

Sharing is a big part of Samsung's products (just think of all those ads in recent months, like the one with a woman giving her husband a secret video). Now the Korean electronics giant is taking that a step further with the Galaxy S4's improved Group Play.

Galaxy S3 users will recognize this as the feature that lets them share documents and photos with others in close range. I recently got some hands-on time with Group Play on the S4 and found some nice updates to the program. In particular, future S4 owners can share music and games … Read more

Get a Dr. Seuss e-book collection for $7.99

Every parent knows (or should know) the importance of reading to their kids. And when it comes to stories adults and toddlers alike can enjoy, it's hard to beat Dr. Seuss.

Of course, browse the aisles (real or virtual) of any bookstore and you'll see that your average Dr. Seuss hardcover can run $10-15. Ouch!

That's why I continue to be a big fan of Oceanhouse Media's Dr. Seuss e-book apps, which not only provide the complete Seuss experience (and then some), but also save you considerable coin.… Read more

Bump for iPhone loses iTunes music sharing

Bump, the application that lets users share everything from contacts to photos and files, no longer supports iTunes music transfers.

The company announced the feature loss yesterday in its App Store update, saying, "we're sorry, but we are no longer permitted access to iTunes audio files on the device." Bump didn't say why it was forced to remove the feature, but it's likely that Apple took issue with its functionality.

Previously, users were able to share iTunes tracks with other Bump users. The audio files could also be shared on computers.

It appears that the … Read more

Who needs MS Office for iOS and Android? CloudOn's here now

Those of you waiting for Microsoft to unveil a version of Office for iOS or Android should stop waiting and take CloudOn's Office app for a spin.

Reports of Microsoft bringing Office to the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices have been in the wind for the past year.

Initial rumors pointed to a launch date of last November. The timeframe then slipped to last month. And now an alleged Microsoft road map suggests that a mobile version of Office won't appear until later next year.

The head of the Microsoft Office division recently suggested that iOS and Android users try Microsoft's SkyDrive app. … Read more

Messaging app Kik adds 200,000 users -- each day

They're simple, social, and entirely made for mobile, all of which might explain the explosive growth of standalone messaging apps even as Facebook offers a free way to chat on smartphones.

One of the biggies, Kik says that it now has more than 50 million users and that people -- mostly young people -- are signing up at a rate of 200,000 a day. That's twice the rate that Kik claimed when it last released stats. Just last November, the app claimed 30 million users and said that 100,000 people were signing up each day.

"… Read more

Firefox readies tougher stance on cookies

Up until now, only Apple's Safari browser had blocked third-party cookies by default. Last week's release of Firefox 22 to its developer's channel also came with the feature, indicating that the option will soon make it to all Firefox users.

Firefox 22 Aurora (download for Windows, for Mac, and for Linux) blocks third-party cookies by default, putting the ad industry on notice that browsers are about to start looking askance at them. While Safari has had the feature for a long time, no other major browser has supported it until now.

Mozilla first announced in February that … Read more

Burner brings 'disposable' phone numbers to Android

After enjoying much success on iOS, Burner, the app that provides "disposable" phone numbers, has finally made its way to Android.

Have you ever wished you could have a temporary phone number for things like Craigslist purchases, job searches, or other short-term projects? Well, Burner provides just that. Think of it as an app that can disguise your phone. It gives you a temporary phone number from which you can place calls and send messages or receive calls and messages. Its phone numbers work exactly like the one provided by your carrier, but they stop working after a … Read more

Digital comic not banned over gay sex images, says iOS app publisher

Note: This story was originally published at 8:57 a.m. PT under the headline "Apple bans digital comic over gay sex images, say its creators." It was republished at 11:55 a.m. PT with new information from Comixology about the root cause of the holdup in the comic's availability and a new headline to reflect that change in the story.

The ban on the latest issue of the digital comic "Saga" was apparently due to confusion over Apple's policies and not its images portraying gay sex. At least, that's the word … Read more

Chrome for iOS gets wireless printing, full-screen browsing

It seems like just last week that Google was rolling out updates for its Chrome browser for iOS.

In fact, it was: Last week, Google added sharing and history features to Chrome for iOS.

Yesterday, Google brought a few more worthwhile features to its mobile browser: support for AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, and full-screen browsing. Version 26.0.1410.50 also lets you save any Web page as a PDF to your Google Drive account.

Full-screen browsing works just like in Safari: When you scroll up, the Omnibox (i.e., address bar) disappears to give you a bit more viewing … Read more