cloud

What iTunes needs next

The iTunes Store is 10 years old -- and iTunes, even older -- and it often feels like it.

Apple has certainly gone through some efforts to make iTunes look and feel different, but it's the load that iTunes bears that's the real problem. Once upon a time, iTunes was made to work with an iPod. The setup was simple; the software was good. It held MP3s and acted as the bridge.

Then a music store was added. Then, videos. And audiobooks. Now, apps. What started as a simple software-to-hardware relationship became the necessary portal for all software … Read more

Seven questions about Amazon's mystery streaming box

Is there a Kindle TV box on the horizon?

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the answer is yes. Amazon is said to be readying its own streaming-TV box to take on the likes of the Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation -- and every TV manufacturer that now builds smart-TV apps like Netflix and Vudu directly into televisions.

The Seattle-based e-tailer already has an ambitious home video strategy. Amazon Prime customers get thousands of free movies and TV shows (in addition to free shipping of real-world goods) with the $79-per-year membership, and the company is ramping up production of original series as … Read more

Apple's iCloud jumps 20 percent to 300 million users

Apple's iCloud online storage jumped 20 percent in the most recent quarter, the company noted on its earnings conference call with analysts.

Apple chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said the company now has 300 million iCloud users. In January, Apple noted that iCloud had 250 million users.

The service stores and syncs data from Apple customers, such as calendars, email, photos and more across the various Apple devices that users own. Last month, Strategy Analytics reported that Apple held 27 percent of cloud storage usage in the United States during the third quarter of 2012, leading rivals.

Apple iOS users hit by online access glitches

Apple iOS users bumped into some trouble with several online services today.

Updates on Apple's status page this morning revealed that users might get an error when signing into their iCloud accounts or creating new accounts.

Users may incorrectly receive an authentication error when attempting to use iCloud. Setting up a new iCloud account from an eligible device may be temporarily unavailable.

Additionally, some people were unable to create new Apple IDs or sign into the Game Center app. Some iTunes users had been unable to access the iTunes store or make purchases, but Apple's status page indicates … Read more

Apple adds 'download later' option for iTunes purchases

iTunes users seeking a full TV season or box set of music can buy now and download later.

The new option is in place for an array of different items, including movies, music box sets, and full seasons of TV shows -- as well as individual shows.

Purchasing one of the above items now asks you if you want to download it immediately or later. Choosing the download later option adds the selected item to your iTunes account where you can stream it or download it in the future. The major benefit is that you can purchase a TV series … Read more

Living with Chromebook: Giving Google's OS a second chance

Anyone needing proof that the post-PC era is real need only consult the recent sales figures: traditional PC sales are down 14 percent year over year, even as sales of tablets and smartphones -- mostly using Apple's iOS and Google's Android -- become more ubiquitous.

But even as Android adoption continues to flourish, Google has another horse in the race: Chrome OS. Chrome's mission statement is simple: With everything moving to "the cloud," why have a heavy, expensive Windows or Mac operating system acting as a middleman? Why not just have the browser be the OS? And that's precisely the reason it shares a name with Google's increasingly popular Web browser.

It's a clever enough idea, and one that plays to Google's strength: search, Gmail, Google Docs, Maps, Picasa, and nearly all of the company's other products don't require traditional software -- just a browser and a live Web connection. Still, when we last looked at it in the fall of 2012, we found Chrome OS to be promising, but ultimately not up to the level of a full-time OS. In other words, it was generally fine for a "second computer," but not quite ready to run your one and only go-to PC for every task.… Read more

Multi-deal Monday: Cheap Roku, free CrashPlan, and affordable printing

Quick housekeeping note: Last month I told you about DietBet, an intriguing site that links you with others for a fun (and potentially profitable) weight-loss contest. I set up a game with a $25 buy-in, then waited to see what happened.

Twenty-eight days later, the contest is over. Exactly 400 people signed up, for a pot total of $10,000. Your Cheapskate is now 8.5 pounds lighter. And in a couple days I'll know how many others will join me in divvying up the pot. Bottom line: This was a huge success for me, and whether or not … Read more

CloudClippy 2013 1.02 Review

We've seen quite a few Cloud-based tools for storing and syncing data. Abelssoft's CloudClippy 2013 is among them, but takes a slightly different approach to many of the tools we've seen. CloudClippy automatically copies data saved to the Windows clipboard -- images, for example -- and transfers them to a Cloud-based account. CloudClippy also packages multiple files together and compresses them before transferring the data. It recognizes images automatically and displays them online via links. You can also create private links for sharing access to files. CloudClippy's basic account is free, and you don't even … Read more

Photoshop update to let people fix photo blur

Adobe Systems is building technology into Photoshop to take the blur out of photos.

The company demonstrated the upcoming Photoshop deblurring filter in a video today to promote its upcoming Adobe Max conference in May, where the company no doubt will announce the feature and others.

"Camera shake reduction is a tool that allows one to deblur an image that would have been otherwise lost," said Zorana Gee, senior Photoshop product manager, in the video. "It works really great for shots taken under low-light conditions or slow shutter speeds," she added, conditions where camera shake is … Read more

The Week on Download.com, April 10-16, 2013

Every week, we compile the best new reviews, products, and features from the Download.com software catalog and blog, package them up in a tidy little newsletter, and e-mail it out to all of our lovely subscribers.

If you are a registered CNET member, you can sign up for the newsletter yourself (it's listed as "CNET Download.com Software Dispatch" under "Software News and Reviews"), or check back every Tuesday to read our latest roundup.

Notable New Products

BitTorrent Surf brings the power of BitTorrent to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox Mok Force is a … Read more