features

Apple's iCloud is different than some competing services in that it leverages the company's enviable line of products (and the people who love them). While there are hundreds of details you can get mired in, here are the Top 5 reasons you should seriously consider embracing iCloud on your Apple iPhone, iPad, or other device.

And read this CNET explainer to understand what's going to happen to your MobileMe account in the wake of iCloud.

The latest build for Windows 8, known as Build 7989, has leaked onto the Web, reportedly revealing a batch of potential new features.

Windows has long offered a virtual keyboard. But with Windows 8 destined for tablets and other mobile devices, Microsoft has reportedly revamped the keyboard with a new look and feel. Unlike the current keyboard, which requires mouse clicks to operate, the new keyboard will offer touch friendly buttons along with a split keyboard option, according to WinRumors, which has posted a video demo of the new virtual keyboard.

The Win 8 keyboard will reportedly provide built-in support … Read more

Energized by the recent deal between Microsoft and Nokia, Windows Phone will grab the No. 2 spot ahead of Apple's iOS in the global smartphone market by 2015, according to IDC's latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

Releasing some slight revisions from a report issued in March, IDC expects Windows Phone to capture 20.3 percent of all smartphone users in just four years, up from a 3.8 percent share this year.

The research firm believes that by switching to Windows Phone as the core OS on its devices, Nokia will provide the kick that Microsoft needs, … Read more

Console life cycles historically have lasted around five to six years. While Sony and Microsoft seem to be deviating from that pattern, Nintendo has stuck with tradition by fully disclosing that a brand-new home console will be unveiled at next week's E3 2011.

There has been a lot of speculation about what kind of horsepower this Wii successor will bring, with early reports claiming the hardware will trump both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Of course, there won't be any solid answers until the company's press conference on Tuesday morning, but for now, CNET's gaming experts … Read more

There are photo-editing programs for all types of users, from the neophyte who simply needs to crop and resize to the hardcore photo geek who gets her kicks messing with editing algorithms. Image Analyzer is definitely for the photo geek; although it has many of the basic editing tools that would be expected of any such program, what makes it unique is an array of features that might flummox even more advanced users.

The program's interface is plain, with a set of menus and a toolbar across the top of the screen. The typical photo-editing tools are here; you … Read more

Android increased its lead over Apple's iOS in April as the top mobile platform tracked by ad network Millennial Media.

Releasing its April MobileMix report today, Millennial Media found that Android accounted for 53 percent of all ad impressions on its network last month, a gain of 10 percent from March. That marked the fifth consecutive month in which Google's mobile OS was the leader.

Android's growth in April came at the expense of both iOS and Research In Motion's BlackBerry OS.

For the month, the share of ad impressions for iOS fell to 28 percent … Read more

Whenever iPhone 5 arrives, there are a few key features we need to see to make it a worthy successor to the iPhone 4. Here's the short list.

(For the longer list, you can also peruse David Carnoy's thoughts on that.)

Sony Ericsson saw its profits cut in half during the first quarter, but the company managed to stay in the black despite a drop in shipments and a blow to its supply chain from the Japanese earthquake.

For the quarter ended March 31, the mobile phone maker reported net income of 11 million euros ($15.7 million), down from 21 million euros in the year-ago quarter. Despite the drop, results beat the average of analysts' estimates, which had called for a loss of 27.1 million euros, according to Bloomberg. Sales fell 19 percent to 1.145 billion euros from … Read more

When the LG Optimus T and Optimus S phones were announced last year, I genuinely felt for the first time that feature phones were a dying breed. Both of these Optimus handsets were branded as entry-level smartphones, but had very impressive features--they shipped with Android 2.2 Froyo (the latest OS update at the time), had portable Wi-Fi hot spots, and of course the usual Android features like robust e-mail and Google app support.

Sure, they weren't as advanced as their higher-end cousins--no Flash support, no HD video, and so on--but for $30 or less, these phones were an absolute steal. Considering that some feature phones are selling for more than twice that price for far fewer features, it seemed that smartphones were finally affordable enough that everyone could get one. Furthermore, the Android interface is not that difficult to navigate, making the usability factor almost a nonissue.

But there are two important barriers to entry when it comes to smartphone adoption: data plans and contracts. Almost every carrier requires some kind of data plan to go along with its smartphones, while feature phones tend to escape such confines. Also, smartphone contracts tend to be more expensive to get out of, with early termination fees in the $200-$300 range depending on how early on you want to exit the contract. Because of these restrictions, feature phones still continue to be popular with the mainstream despite the smartphone craze that tends to dominate the tech news circuit.

Which is why the Motorola i886 is such an interesting handset.… Read more