app

Featured Freeware: One Click App Killer

This tiny app quickly closes frozen programs, but clicking too fast or in the wrong spot could cause problems. One Click App Killer doesn't have a standard interface, as it simply turns your mouse pointer into a bull's-eye. Click anywhere on the frozen application's interface to quickly eliminate it from your screen and memory.

It is possible to click too fast and eliminate the wrong program, so proceed with a bit of caution. Also, clicking outside the frozen program's interface could close Windows. Thankfully, those problems are rare and can be avoided as long as you'… Read more

First Look video: Google's new BlackBerry app

If you missed last week's news about Google's feature-honing update for its native BlackBerry app, here's your chance to see it in action.

As part of a few well-appointed changes, the new Google Mobile App for BlackBerry does away with its predecessor's penchant for hogging space on the home screen and has rearranged its resources to pack a greater wallop with search. Tune into the video to see what we mean.

C'mon baby, light my iPhone's fire

You thought your iPhone was hot before? The Sonic Lighter, a new app from Smule, emblazons your phone's display with a simulated flame that you can control by touch or tilt. Ignite the fire with a virtual strike of the display; breathe on the device to control or extinguish the flicker (engage in this latter action in public at your own peril, of course).

While a cool and innovative visual effect for 99 cents, we wouldn't call this a useful iPhone app. Ge Wang, co-founder and chief technology officer of Smule, however, might disagree. "I've found … Read more

Another five must-have freebies for iPhone, iPod Touch

Tuesday's roundup of killer freebies for Windows reminded me that I haven't covered iPhone/iPod Touch freeware in awhile, so here's another list of must-have apps that won't cost you a penny:

Air Sharing Turns your device into a portable, wireless hard drive and document viewer. Note: this jewel will eventually be priced at $6.99, but for the next few days you can snag it free. Graphing Calculator Why spend big bucks on a graphing calculator when your iPhone/touch can do the job for nada? This uber-handy tool offers functions ranging from absolute value … Read more

Social Gaming Network acquires virtual-pet app

It's the M&A deal of the century: FluffFriends got bought!

The virtual-pet application built on Facebook's platform, which once permitted me to display a penguin named Bill Gates on my profile and invite friends to give him a nice hug, has officially been acquired by the Social Gaming Network. A price was not disclosed.

FluffFriends makes money through a virtual currency that translates to real cash, with which members purchase items to spruce up their pets. A release from the Social Gaming Network said that since January, the game makes an average of 192 percent more … Read more

Developer app helps you archive Facebook pics

Facebook is one of the most popular photo hosts on the Web, but when it comes time to get your shots off the service it's also one of the worst at providing tools to do the job.

A solution called simply "Get my tagged pics" does the heavy lifting for at least some of your shots, or rather shots of you. Any pictures that are tagged with your name gets grouped together into sets of 10, which you can pull down to your hard drive as a zip file.

The system is not entirely perfect. For instance, … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 809: Best Buy, Napster. What, now?

Don Reisinger joins the cast today for a rousing discussion that goes something like this: "Best Buy bought Napster." "Really?" "Yeah, I know, right? Weird." "Huh. Yeah. Wonder why they did that." "Dunno." It's a great show. You'll love it. (No, seriously! Don rants more than I do!)

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 809

Best Buy nabs Napster for $121 million http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10041431-93.html http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080915-best-buy-eyes-apple-microsoft-with-napster-purchase.html

In-flight Internet: Web sites, but not phone calls http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=353… Read more

Apple to Podcaster: No App Store for you

Apple's App Store policies are really starting to frustrate application developers.

Over the weekend, a good old-fashioned Internet-style kerfuffle arose over Apple's decision to reject Podcaster--an iPhone application that lets people download podcasts directly to their devices without going through iTunes--from the App Store. The developer of the application said that Apple told him the application "duplicates the functionality of the Podcast section of iTunes," apparently making it unfit for the App Store.

This has been a persistent question hanging over Apple's decision to vet every single iPhone and iPod Touch application sold through the … Read more

Google's new BlackBerry app scores more points than it loses

Current users of Google's Mobile App for BlackBerry will receive an unexpected benefit when upgrading to the latest update to the mobile app: a cleaner home screen.

Announced on Wednesday, the new Google Mobile App for BlackBerry replaces the Mobile Updater package before it, a hub for downloading and updating Google's native BlackBerry apps for news, search, e-mail, and photos that permanently lived on the home screen, along with the separate applications it downloaded and quietly managed.

The new application does away with the extraneous hub by folding its capability to download and update Gmail, Picasa, and so … Read more