magic

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Top Download News and Features

We've been testing lots of photo editing tools that focus on creating collages. Frame Magic Lite is another contender in a saturated market that is full of duds. But after putting it to the test, we have to say that it is actually one of the better collage makers out there.

Frame Magic Lite opens with your collage template. In each box are directions for how to navigate the app. For example, tapping a specific cell or box lets you add or change a photo. A long press lets you drag and drop photos to swap them out. And … Read more

Even though your smartphone can turn just about any song into a ringtone, downloadable ringtones aren't going away. This batch, collectively called The Magic Piano, is a group of piano-based ringtones you'll probably enjoy. The ringtones are all of decent quality, but the add-ons that come with the package ruin the appeal.

The app forces you to accept its terms and conditions before you can use any of the ringtones. This includes throwing ads at your phone and changing your default browser's settings to support more ads. If you accept those, the app's browsing menu proves … Read more

Andy Rubin is gone from the Android team, but not forgotten at Google. According to a blog post today from Google CEO Larry Page, Rubin will "start a new chapter" at the company. "Andy, more moonshots, please!" Page exhorted.

Rubin is no stranger to moonshots. He has a record over the past two decades of taking on ambitious, complex projects focused on changing how consumers use technology. Born in 1963, Rubin began his career as a robotics engineer at optics maker Carl Zeiss AG. He then landed at Apple, working on research projects that led him … Read more

There is a strong market for expanded wallpaper on the iPad and iPhone. The devices come with no built-in options for wallpaper except to add them from your list of photos. While most people are content adding photos of their dogs or children, many want a more robust selection of impersonal images. That's where Magic Wallpapers stakes its claim -- as a provider of free wallpaper that can be saved, shared, or placed on your background or lock screen. The app is attractive enough at first glance. It has a collection of Metro-style tiles, and you can add new … Read more

DoubleTwist, maker of the popular eponymous music player software, has teamed up with chip maker Qualcomm in an attempt to make wireless streaming easier for Android users. The fruit of their collaboration is dubbed MagicPlay, a new open-source wireless streaming platform that the two companies hope OEMs will integrate into present and future devices.

Built atop Qualcomm's already existing AllJoyn platform, DoubleTwist's MagicPlay can stream to wireless speakers, headphones, televisions, and other devices. Since MagicPlay is open-source, any number of devices or apps could potentially integrate its code and stream to hardware that has a Qualcomm chip and … Read more

A favorite of RadioShacks nationwide, now this household name offers its very own app. Sadly, FREE Calls with magicJack on your smartphone doesn't work nearly as well as replacing your home phone. Call quality is spotty and some calls aren't delivered at all. It could save you if you're really short on minutes, but it's not terribly reliable.

The app gives you a nice, big keypad to dial on, which makes sense considering the service is especially popular with an older crowd. You can also choose to pull numbers from your phone's contact list. If … Read more

Smartphone and tablet users who want a full-size keyboard without carrying one around may want to check out a device called the Magic Cube.

Demoed by manufacturer Celluon at CES this week, the Magic Cube displays a full keyboard and a multitouch mouse on just about any flat surface. The virtual keyboard and mouse appear as red, illuminated projections on the surface. An optical sensor detects the position of your fingers to determine which keys you're pressing and how you're moving the mouse.… Read more

LG has unleashed its newest Magic Motion remote control weeks ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and it includes several improvements such as natural voice recognition and even backlighting.

The new television remote now uses four methods of control -- voice, gesture, point, and wheel -- and while the wheel was introduced this year, gestures and "natural" speech are new.

LG is taking on Samsung with its new natural speech feature; while Samsung users have to say "Hi, TV" to get the television to register, LG claims that phrases like "Show me '… Read more