store

Shipoopi adds any app to your lock screen on Android 4.2

With lock screen widgets having been introduced in Android 4.2, developers have been looking for ways to take advantage of the new feature in creative ways. Earlier this week a developer e-mailed me with an introduction to his app, Shipoopi, which allows Android users to add a shortcut to any app to the lock screen of a device.

Admittedly, the name of his app, Shipoopi, has nothing to do with what the app actual does, according to Jonathan Dharmaraj, the developer. The simple app, with a name inspired by a "Family Guy" episode (where Peter sings the … Read more

Get started with Mailbox for iOS

Mailbox, a new e-mail client for the iPhone, has launched and it takes a new approach to managing your Inbox. Mailbox wants you to ditch the traditional labels method implemented by Gmail users everywhere. Instead, according to Mailbox, you should be able to snooze and postpone e-mails in your Inbox to take action on them at a later time. The new approach takes some reprogramming of your brain, but it's one some users will find better suited for them. 

Get in line!

To accommodate the huge demand and make sure the system will stay running smoothly for all … Read more

Tim Cook goes zen over Apple stores: It's not just about selling, but 'serving'

Even at a company given to the routine deployment of magical superlatives to promote its products and technologies, Tim Cook went out of his way today to describe Apple's stores as leagues beyond anything so mundane as a retail outlet.

"I'm not sure store is even the right word anymore," Cook said in a talk at a Goldman Sachs investor forum in San Francisco. "They've taken on a role much broader than that. They are the face of Apple for almost all of our customers."

Cook offered a uniformly bullish outlook for different … Read more

Apple has paid $8B to developers, Cook says

The amount of money Apple has paid to developers continues to soar, with the company having already distributed $8 billion to app makers, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said today.

Cook, speaking during a Goldman Sachs conference, said Apple has "enormous momentum" in the smartphone market, and a big reason for that is the ecosystem around the company's devices.

"We built an ecosystem that is the best customer experience on the planet," Cook said.

The $8 billion compares to Apple's comments in January that the developers had made more than $7 billion from Apple'… Read more

Control which Foursquare check-in alerts your iPhone receives

You can now control which Foursquare check-ins will trigger an alert on your iPhone. Previously, you were able only to turn alerts on or off for a particular Foursquare friend, and that's still the case for Android and BB10 users. With the latest update to the Foursquare app, version 5.4.3, you'll be able to assign a contact to one of three different notifications categories: Off, Nearby, Always.

When set to Off you'll never receive an alert for that contact. Nearby will work similarly to the way check-in notifications have in the past, and Always will … Read more

Get organized with Tolon NoteKeeper

For some projects, a couple of folders on your desktop is all you need to stay organized. For others, however, organization is a more complicated task that requires sophisticated tools. Tolon NoteKeeper seeks to provide users with a better way to keep multiple files and folders organized. It's not perfect, but it is an interesting option for users who need a way to keep track of text, images, and more.

Tolon NoteKeeper has a plain and fairly intuitive interface, and a Quick Start guide gave us an overview of the important features. In short, the program lets users create … Read more

Microsoft to open more retail stores this year

Consumers in Honolulu, Portland, Ore., and a few other major cities should find a Microsoft Store in their area come this summer.

The company said today that it plans to kick off five new retail stores by summer. The stores will find homes around the U.S. in the following spots:

Natick Mall, Natick, Mass. Ala Moana Center, Honolulu, Hawaii Pioneer Place, Portland, Ore. The Somerset Collection, Troy, Mich. Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, Ill.

Microsoft expects to reveal details on the grand openings at each of the stores in the coming weeks. The five stores announced today are in addition to … Read more

Finally, an iOS app that promises to take you to 'Flavortown USA'

I have always been a big fan of the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. In the show, Guy Fieri travels around the U.S. looking for small restaurants with a flavorful menu. After getting hooked on the show, each time I travel I try to look up local spots featured on the show, but navigating the Food Network site can be a chore (especially on a mobile device).

Over the weekend the Fan App for Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for iOS was brought to my attention. This app is exactly what I have always wanted. At one point … Read more

Surface Pro lands at Microsoft Store

Update: This post was updated on February 4 and February 5 with additional commentary and videos.

LOS ANGELES -- The Surface Pro has arrived early at Microsoft stores.

Locations, such as the store near Beverly Hills, Calif., now have the Pro -- slated for sale this Saturday -- on display and available for anyone to use.

So, I spent about an hour with Pro and came away impressed. More impressed than I was initially with Surface RT.

In a word, smooth. In the very limited time I used it, I experienced no lag or stuttering on graphics-intensive sites and videos. … Read more