Are you the proud owner of a new iPhone 5? Or perhaps a slightly used iPhone 4? Heck, maybe you scored an unlocked 3GS on eBay. Whatever the case, you need apps.

Ah, but which ones? Apple's App Store is home to some 80 gazillion, I believe, and if you're new to the iOS universe, you may have some trouble separating the app wheat from the app chaff.

Have no fear. I've rounded up 10 of my very favorite iPhone apps. They're not all new, mind you, but they're definitely indispensable -- and most of … Read more

Walkie talkies have been around since before cell phones, but until now they weren't easily accessible on the same device. Sometimes when you need to send out a quick message, making a phone call can be time-consuming (especially if you don't have the time to chat), and sending out a text message can be a hassle. Typing out those longs strings of letters and hitting 'send' is a huge pain when you're juggling five things at once. That's where these apps come in. Voice messaging finds a happy middle ground between the solemn phone call and … Read more

LAS VEGAS--TLDR is software that summarizes Web information automatically when you don't have time to read the whole story. It's available now as a plug-in for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, but developers Stremor say the Android and iPhone apps have been submitted to the major app stores, so you'll be able to use it on your smartphone as early as this week.

A quick demo was all it took to see how well this software works. Once you download the free plug-in for your Web browser, you simply restart and you're ready to go. The … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Wireless peripheral maker Parrot is showing off an update to its Philippe Starck-designed Zikmu Solo wireless speaker system. Due sometime this year, the system doesn't differ much aesthetically from the original model introduced back in 2009. The latest version, does, however, offer improved innards, powerful sound, and a lower price point.

The $999 Zikmu Solo has 2x100-watt output and a built-in 1GHz ARM A8 processor that the company says "controls the path of the coil of the bass loudspeaker in real time" to greatly reduce distortion during playback.

The 2.1 stereo audio speaker system features built-in Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC (for quick pairing). Aside from the array of connectivity features, the Zikmu also jives with DLNA for networked streaming and can even connect with another Zikmu (over Wi-Fi) for even more output. A built-in speaker dock at the top of the device works with older iPhones and iPods with a 30-pin power port.… Read more

Apple's App Store has reached a new milestone in total app downloads.

The iPhone maker announced today that there have been 40 billion unique application downloads in its App Store since the marketplace launched in 2008. Apple's unique download tally excludes redownloads and updates. Of the 40 billion apps downloaded so far, nearly 20 billion were downloaded in 2012, the company said.

Apple's App Store now has over 500 million active accounts, and 2 billion apps were downloaded in December alone, making it the best month in the marketplace's history. The App Store has 775,000 … Read more

Happy new year!

This week, we've got a few rumors that are sure to turn heads. Apple is supposedly working on an accessory that could make Karyne's dream of being a secret agent finally come true: a smart watch! What features should it have? Leave us a comment!

Also this week, the next iteration of BlackBerry Messenger is rumored to come with a feature that other phones have had for quite a while; Toshiba is possibly working on a new technology that could be a game changer; and a Russian news site has a very unlikely video of … Read more

Update 10:51 a.m. PT: A source has confirmed to CNET that Apple has no plans to acquire Waze. Click here to read the full story.

Apple and social-navigation app maker Waze might soon come to terms on a lucrative deal for the startup.

The iPhone maker is in talks to acquire Waze, TechCrunch is reporting today, citing sources who claim to have knowledge of the negotiations. Those sources say that Waze is looking to net $750 million in the deal, but Apple is so far only willing to offer $400 million in cash and an additional $100 million … Read more

The last week of 2012 saw a significant surge in the number of apps downloaded by iOS and Android users, according to new data from research firm Flurry Analytics.

From December 25 through December 31, 1.76 billion applications were downloaded by iOS and Android users, up 65 percent compared with the weekly average of 1.07 billion between December 4 and December 17. On Christmas Day alone, 328 million applications were downloaded across iOS and Android.

Flurry's data was taken from analysis it performed on more than 260,000 applications available on iOS and Android. The company claims … Read more

Installous, a major portal for pirated paid apps from Apple's App Store, won't be around anymore.

Development team Hackulous today announced the closure of Installous on their official Web site. As of today, the pirated app store no longer works, and only shows these errors: "Outdated version. Installous will now terminate" or "API Error. API unavailable." … Read more