applications

Microsoft's Bing team turns to apps for mobile and gaming

Microsoft's Online Services Division (OSD) is the home of the Bing search platform, MSN and Microsoft advertising. But it's also where a couple of hundred developers are working full-time on writing apps for Windows 8 tablets, Windows Phones and the Xbox gaming console.

This team -- known as AppEx (Application Experiences) -- is the one that built the news, travel, finance, weather, sports and maps applications that have shipped as part of the Windows 8 test builds. They're using primarily (but not exclusively) HTML5 and JavaScipt to build showcase apps that may (but don't have to) … Read more

Google Play developer policy updated to fight spam

Google today issued a wide-ranging update to its Developer Program Policy, with the aim of making "Google Play a great community for developers and consumers."

The search giant zeroed in on two issues it's seeing across the Google Play landscape: "deceptive app names and spammy notifications." From now on, developers will not be allowed to use app names or icons that are deemed "confusingly similar to existing system apps," the company wrote in an e-mail viewed by CNET. Google didn't say what would make a respective application confusing.

On the spam front, … Read more

See the date and time with LCD Clock

Although Windows has a clock of its own, there are plenty of clock applications that add functionality -- or just decoration -- to the task of displaying the time. LCD Clock is a simple program that's fairly light on features, but isn't a bad choice if you're looking for a simple way to view the date and time.

LCD Clock annoyed us right away by forcing us to install the FunMoods toolbar, a piece of malware masquerading as a tool for adding emoticons to social networking sites and e-mail. Although it's not uncommon for software to … Read more

Redesigning bloat: How Microsoft Office got a makeover

REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft has been beefing up its design chops in recent months, pushing the sleek Metro user interface in Windows 8 and diving into hardware design with its striking Surface tablet prototype.

But maybe the most daring makeover comes today as Microsoft unveils the new-look Office. The productivity software suite is among Microsoft's longest-in-the-tooth products, dating as it does back to 1989. It's ballooned from a relatively compact offering of word-processing, spreadsheet, email and presentation software to a vast collection of applications, each of which gets countless new features with every release.

Elegant design is often … Read more

Uber experiments with on-demand ice-cream trucks

San Francisco-based startup Uber, developer of the Summon-a-Car application, is temporarily giving users the ability to call an ice-cream truck through their app.

The company's app, available on Android or iPhone, can be used to request and book private vehicles in a number of U.S. cities. Today, however, users in seven cities can also use the app to request the presence of an ice-cream truck.

San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Washington and Toronto have on-call ice cream today, according to Uber's blog. The trucks will be available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. … Read more

Apple patent filing hints at next-gen Bumper features

On first read, the patent application (uncovered by AppleInsider) seems to underwhelm. Apple describes a form-fitted case that would contain an opening that aligns with the microphone on the device (in this case, an iPhone).

The opening would contain a thin mesh, foam, or featherlike screen that would reduce the amount of wind noise that makes its way to the device's microphone.

Apple leaves the door open for many variations of its case, stating that it could be made from rubber, silicon, polycarbonate, acrylic, or plastic.

The mesh windscreen would be embedded into the case and extend across the … Read more

Apps crashing? Apple's App Store to blame, says developer

Apple's App Store might be causing some trouble for application users.

Marco Arment, the creator of Instapaper, reported yesterday that he was "deluged" earlier this week by users who had downloaded Instapaper 4.2.3 and found that upon opening it, the application "crashed immediately." The issue even occurred after users removed the application from their devices and reinstalled it with a clean version.

After inspecting the issue, Arment found that the problem was due to what he said was a corrupt update Apple distributed through its App Store. According to Arment, the update he … Read more

Tackling Launch Service woes in OS X

When you open a document in OS X, the default application for that file type is used to read the file; however, you may have alternative applications installed for handling the document, which can be accessed from the Open With menu when you right-click the document in the Finder. For instance, a text document may open in TextEdit by default, but if you right-click the document, you may see programs like Pages, Word, TextWrangler, or others you have installed listed as options for opening the document.

These behaviors in OS X for handling documents and applications are done by the … Read more

Speak for Yourself app might make iPad comeback, report says

After taking down a speech therapy application designed for children, Apple might eventually reinstate it, according to a new report.

The Register is reporting today, citing sources, that Apple plans to bring the Speak for Yourself iPad application back to its App Store if the company behind the program -- Speak For Yourself LLC -- wins a patent case brought against it recently.

Apple earlier this month removed the Speak for Yourself augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) language app from its store after Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and Semantic Compaction, companies operating in the AAC field, sued Speak for Yourself … Read more