current

Google Reader is dying, but we have five worthy alternatives

Hear that? That's the sound of millions of news junkies on the Web scrambling to find an alternative to Google Reader.

As you may have heard, Google Reader will soon be no more. The search giant has announced that it will shutter its much-maligned -- though still widely used -- RSS reader, which will, no doubt, leave many users in a tizzy, searching for other ways to subscribe to their favorite RSS feeds. Sure, Google Reader may not have been the most beautifully designed product to come out of Mountain View, Calif., but it sure was convenient. And now … Read more

Current Caller ID shares caller's social-media updates: TMI?

Current Caller ID is an almost fiendishly clever app. It feeds your contacts' social-media updates right to your Android phone. Even if Aunt Matilda's status update about her recent purchase of an iPhone 5 fell under your Facebook radar, you'll be able to quickly get up to speed when she calls you for tech support.

For friends and colleagues who use Twitter and let apps access their Facebook pages, the Current Caller ID app works very well. If a good chunk of your contact list falls into that category, then the app can add a lot to your experience. … Read more

The main perk of Starbucks-Square deal

Wednesday's top headlines are served with a low-fat triple shot of mobile news:

You may wonder why it matters that Square partnered with Starbucks. Customers could already pay for coffee by using the Starbucks app and show their phone screen to the barista. And how much time does that really save compared to taking out your wallet?

This deal is all about awareness. Seeing the Square logo in stores will help people get more comfortable with the idea of phones being a wallet replacement. Apple will also be pushing this concept in iOS 6 with the Passbook app that … Read more

Google Currents 1.1 goes international

According to Google, the top requested features for Google Currents were international availability and quicker syncing, and with today's jump to version 1.1, Google has made these requested features a reality.

First, Google Currents is now available globally. This means that no matter where you are, if you can download an app through Google Play or the iTunes App Store, you can download Google Currents. What's more, readers can also add their favorite local blogs to Currents, giving them a truly international experience.

Second, Google Translate is now seamlessly integrated with Currents, which perfectly complements the new … Read more

Current TV plugs wrong Twitter ID for Olbermann replacement

In its haste to make it look like it had everything in hand following its firing of high-profile anchor Keith Olbermann today, Current TV made a fairly embarrassing faux pas: It promoted the wrong Twitter ID for the mercurial Olbermann's replacement, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

It would be one thing if the Internet TV channel had simply given out an incorrect Twitter ID. But according to Mediabistro, Spitzer doesn't even have a Twitter account. Current TV has been suitably red-faced in the aftermath of the ID mishap, telling Mediabistro, "Our apologies that this was incorrect … Read more

NASA video visualizes a 'Perpetual Ocean'

NASA has released a computer visualization project called "Perpetual Ocean" that presents a data-created time lapse of the Earth's ocean and sea surface currents over a two-year period.

The animation (see below) shows the globe slowly spinning as white swirls curl and move in the water around landmasses. It looks as if Vincent van Gogh had painted into the oceans -- from the Gulf of Mexico to the Indian Ocean to the Black Sea.

Using NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's computational model called Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean Phase II ( ECCO2), scientists simulated … Read more

Peel app updates to make TV social

A popular TV show and movie discovery app just got a major update during CES that adds social components to its already full-featured cable listing arsenal.

Peel Personal TV Show Guide (free) is an app that changes the way you watch TV by gathering your personal preferences and giving you recommendations on your iPhone based on the data.

The polished interface of Peel asks you a few questions upon launch so it can deliver the type of shows you'll want to watch and tell you when they will show in your area. On first setup, the app has you choose your cable service, and then lists out several categories like Drama, Comedy, and Kids, and asks you to reorder the list by your personal preference with your favorites at the top. You'll then reorder a list of sports in the same fashion. When you're finished, you'll see the main interface of the app, with recommended shows that are currently playing in your area based on your preferences.

What we really like about Peel is how it lays out movies and shows by category so you can browse based on your mood at the moment.… Read more

Track the moon with Moonphase

Whether you're an astronomy buff or a werewolf or have some other interest in the moon's phases, Moonphase is a simple desktop utility that might be of interest to you. This attractive program provides detailed information about the moon that's specific to your location, even noting which days are best for fishing according to what the moon's up to.

The program's interface is maybe a little cluttered at first glance, but it's fairly easy to figure out. On the left side, an attractive graphic provides a realistic depiction of the moon in its current … Read more

Zite for iPhone: An elegant, personalized reader

It's been a great week to be a news junkie with an iPhone. On Tuesday, iPad darling Flipboard finally appeared on Apple's smart phone. Yesterday, Google launched its aggregator, Currents. And today, completing the trifecta, Zite unveiled its all-new iPhone app.

Previously, Zite had been available solely for the iPad. It established its place in the increasingly crowded aggregator field by focusing on personalization--giving users something of a Pandora-like experience with news: Like something and want to see more from a specific publication or writer? No problem.

Now, the company--which was bought by CNN in August for a … Read more

Google unveils Flipboard-like Currents for Android, iOS

Google is going after Flipboard with its own digital newsstand application optimized for smartphones and tablets.

The company unveiled Google Currents, touting it as a central location for news content, video and photo feeds, RSS subscriptions and Google+ streams.

U.S. customers can download Currents application from the Android Marketplace and Apple's App Store and select which publications to subscribe to, as well what streams and feeds to follow. The application also includes a trending tab to find other popular items of interest.

Google said it has partnerships with 150 publishing partners, including AllThingsD, Forbes, and the Huffington Post (… Read more