Sorry, DNG iPhone app won't let you shoot true raw photos

Photo enthusiasts already pleased with the iPhone's generally superior camera can be forgiven for getting excited about the possibility of shooting photos in the higher-end raw file format.

Cypress Innovations on Wednesday released a new app called Digital Negative that might raise that very hope by offering a way to take photos that are stored in Adobe Systems' DNG format for raw photos. Alas, although the app does store uncompressed image data, it doesn't actually store the raw data taken straight from the sensor.

The Digital Negative app collects the uncompressed red, green, and blue color information for … Read more

What time is it? Just ask... Firefox OS?

Rumors have been swirling about Apple and Samsung building smartwatches, but they're not the only ones. One Chinese company is reportedly looking to get into the time-keeping game Firefox OS.

Known for its e-readers and an Android-fueled smartwatch released last year, a subdivision of massive Chinese tech outfit Shanda called Guoke plans to sell a smartwatch in June called the Bambook Smart Watch. The Bambook will come in two flavors, according to TechNode. One will run Android, the other Firefox OS. Reportedly, the watch will cost more than $100, and will have an e-ink screen.

Like Samsung, Shanda has … Read more

15 best Android games

When it comes to finding games for Android, everyone knows that Google Play, with all its offerings, can feel downright overwhelming. With that in mind, I'm here to help you navigate through some of the clutter.

Here are some of my current favorite games for the Android platform, displayed in alphabetical order. Of course, with so many new titles being released almost on a daily basis, there's a good chance I missed some of your favorites. So, feel free to give your thoughts and even some of your recommendations in the comments, and I'll do my best … Read more

Podcasts app update adds iCloud sync, custom stations

A new update to Apple's standalone app for podcasts adds a handful of new features and fixes some bugs.

Key among the new stuff is a way to create custom stations that get new episodes of podcasts when they're published. You can also set whether you want these stations to start with the oldest or newest episodes. These stations are stored on Apple's iCloud, so if you're switching between two different iOS devices, they'll stay synced up.

Apple's also tweaked the Now Playing view that looks a bit more like Apple's standalone Music … Read more

Apple, Google: Google Now not submitted to App Store

Google Now has not been submitted yet to Apple's App Store, the iPhone maker told CNET. And Google itself has now confirmed this.

Earlier today, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke at the Big Tent Summit in India and was asked when Google Now would be made available to iOS devices. In a coded response, Schmidt stopped short of calling out Apple but did seem to hint that the iPhone maker was playing a role in the app's availability on its platform.

"You'll need to discuss that with Apple," Schmidt said. "Apple has a … Read more

Schmidt: Google Now for iOS waiting on Apple for approval

Note: Since this story was published, first Apple, then Google, told CNET that Google Now was never submitted to the App Store. See this article for more.

Google Now, the app that pulls in relevant information based on a user's location, might be being held up by Apple for inclusion in its App Store.Speaking today at the Big Tent Summit in India, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was asked when Google Now would be made available to iOS devices. The coded response didn't necessarily call out Apple, but did seem to hint that the iPhone maker is … Read more

New Google Play user interface on the way -- report

The Google Play marketplace could be getting a visual overhaul soon.

The folks over at Droid Life yesterday published photos of what they claim, is the latest version of Google Play, 4.0. The screenshots that the Android-focused site published show off several alleged design tweaks, including what appears to be a streamlined design aimed at making pages in the mobile apps a bit easier to flip through. Images are also much larger.

As Droid Life notes, the actual layout of the Google Play pages hasn't changed all that much, with search results being displayed in much the same … Read more

Google to fix some WebP image format shortcomings

Google is on the cusp of fixing some initial shortcomings of its WebP, an image format it hopes will speed up browsing.

A new version of libwebp, the library that software can use to display and create WebP images, adds support several features, some of which were the subject of criticism when Google announced WebP in 2010:

Metadata handling so people can see camera and exposure information stored in the file with the EXIF and XMP technologies.

ICC (International Color Consortium) color profiles for more accurate color rendering.

Animated WebP images, a new spin on a once-once obscure GIF technology … Read more

3 Android apps for Wi-Fi calling with Google Voice

Google Voice allows you to give out one number to reach all of the phone numbers you're using at a given time. The ability to schedule "quiet time," and organize contacts into caller groups really make Google Voice a handy service. However, making Wi-Fi or data calls is a feature that has yet to make it to the app. That's where Android apps like Talkatone, GrooVeIP, and Phone for Google Voice and GTalk come into play.

Using one of these apps will allow you to sign in with your Google Voice number/account and dial calls … Read more