CNET News, now on Android

This may be the year of the iPad's debut, but it's also the year that Android devices exploded in availability. To go along with the extra attention that Android's been getting of tardy, CNET News has ported its month-old iOS app to the Android marketplace. Debuting August 30, the free CNET News app for Android (Android-only download) offers an identical-but-Androidified feature set to its iOS twin.

The new Android app for CNET News lets you read articles without pagination, makes it easy to share them, and provides quick access to tweets from CNET editors and writers.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Included in the Android app are article bookmarking, full-screen reading (except for the CNET logo at the top), mobile-optimized search, a built-in Twitter feed from CNET editors and personalities, font resizing while reading stories, and a sharing link that lets you quickly share a story by means of the major communications and networking tools on your Android phone.

Using a barcode app like zxing's Barcode Scanner, point your Android phone camera at this QR code to find the CNET News app on the Android Market.

At the top of the app's interface a horizontal blog navigation bar appears. You can swipe it to view more blogs, including Security, Crave, Green Tech, and Webware. A similar scroll feature on the Twitter feed page lets you scroll through tweets by editor. You can also scroll vertically to read the tweet stream in its entirety, or tap a specific editor's tweet to read more by that author.

One of the benefits of the app over reading on our mobile Web site is that stories are loaded without pagination, so it's easier to read the latest news. The same is true of the app's search engine, which makes it easier to receive to older stories you're interested in.

There are more features in the works, and there's also a feedback button available below the More option so you can give us your suggestions. You can also let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

3 Sep 2010, 7:54 pm | click here to view more

Sling webs and run for your life: iPhone apps of the week

(Credit: CNET)

As we close out a week that brought us a new line of iPods, an upgrade to the Apple TV, and news of several new features via iOS upgrades, we're pretty glad here at CNET to be on the eve of a three-day weekend. With the extra day of leisure in mind, I've decided to promote a couple of new (or new to iPhone) games that should give you plenty to do during downtime over the long weekend.

If your planned activities and this iPhone gaming duo don't fill up your long weekend, ponder this: as the reviews start to roll in about the latest devices from Apple next week, which will be the biggest hits (and misses)? Even with the low price point, can the Apple TV replace your cable connection? Is the new iPod Nano a welcome fashion accessory or a waste of a touch screen? Will your new smaller shuffle just end up in the wash? What do you think of adding video and FaceTime to the iPod Touch? Let me know what you think in the comments.

This week's apps include an action game with our favorite web slinger and a beautiful side-scrolling running game where your goal is to escape.

You receive plenty of room to move around as you battle, but there is only one way to go when it's over.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Spider-Man: Total Mayhem ($6.99) brings the famed comic book web slinger to the touch screen with a high-action oriented game that's fun, though a bit mindless. The controls include a directional joypad on the left and buttons for jumping, attacking, and web skills on the right. You'll also be presented with extra buttons below specific circumstances, like when Spider-Man uses his "Spidey sense" to receive the jump on bad guys, for example. You also have a super move that can only be used once you fill up an action bar, dealing big damage using multiple hits and kicks. You also have some light RPG elements, with the ability to upgrade your strength, defense, and specialty moves, paid for with orbs you pick up as you progress through levels.

The game plays out with you moving from area to area on a rail; your path is always going to be the same every time you play. You have freedom of movement in each area, but there is always only one way to the next stage of the game. Though it may seem limiting, with the fun and chilly-looking battle scenes and varied moves, you quickly forget that the path is set out for you.

Levels in Spider-Man Total Mayhem follow a pretty standard formula: battle through several groups of lower-tier bad guys, solve self-explanatory puzzles, and use your web-slinging abilities to swing past obstacles. You don't receive to swing from building to building like in the cartoon or movie variations; rather, your web-swinging opportunities are more about timing to avoid falling or swing over obstacles in certain locations. At the end of every level, you'll have to battle a boss such as the Sandman or the Rhino, each requiring you to figure out the best set of moves to beat their unique fighting styles.

Though Spider-Man: Total Mayhem for iPhone will disappoint those who were hoping for a open-world sandbox game, even with the fixed path, the fighting action is fun and challenging enough to keep players entertained. If you're a fan of the Spider-Man franchise or just want a fun action game with lot of variation, definitely download this game.

The Retina Display really brings out the colors of this fun and unique game.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Mirror's Edge was already available for iPad, but now makes its debut on the iPhone as probably the best of the running/escaping genre on iOS devices. Based on the popular 3D first-person running game for consoles and desktop computers, Mirror's Edge for iPhone manages to keep the overall aesthetic of the 3D versions, but with a side-scrolling 2D (2.5D?) variation. Even with the lack of first-person views, Mirror's Edge for iPhone manages to be very fun and visually intense (especially on the iPhone 4's Retina Display) as you run through increasingly challenging levels with unique puzzles that revolve around one goal: speed. Part of the object of the game is to complete levels as quick as possible, but that's not the only reason you're running.

You play as Faith, a messenger who's part of a network of "runners" that deliver information while trying to avoid the watchful eyes of the authorities. Your rebel status puts you in the line of foe flame from government soldiers, but with the unique swiping game mechanic, you'll often take enemies down without the need to flame a single bullet. Each level presents you with new challenges as you'll slide down walls, swing from poles, jump over obstacles, and take down the aforementioned soldiers. clip scenes in between levels slowly uncover a story of intrigue, high-powered bad guys, and Faith's role in bringing down the corrupt system.

What's particularly amazing about the side-scrolling version of Mirror's Edge is the number of unique and chilly-looking moves you can do with a simple swipe of your finger. You can swipe up to jump and scale walls, or swipe down to slide below obstacles, or swipe sideways to move from pole to pole high over the ground. Each move is almost completely seamless (once you've learned the ropes) as you work your way past obstacles to receive to your goal. Once you've finished the main story line, you can still go back and repeat levels to go for the best time or to grab every the collectibles for specific levels.

Overall, whether you liked the original 3D Mirror's Edge or like to play escape-type games, the iPhone version offers smooth graphics, seamless controls, and an intriguing story line as you run for freedom. I highly recommend this well-made game to those who haven't tried it.

What's your favorite iPhone app? What will be the big winner from the Apple event? Is Spider-Man: Total Mayhem just fine as is or did you want an open world? What do you think of Mirror's Edge? Let me know in the comments!

3 Sep 2010, 7:02 pm | click here to view more

Get a closer look at iTunes 10

iTunes 10 (photos)

Version 10 of iTunes brings a handful of enhancements to Apple's ubiquitous media software, though notably absent is a much-anticipated cloud music service follow-up to LaLa. One of the biggest changes to the jukebox is the addition of a social functionality called Ping. receive a closer look at this and other new features in our review and gallery.

Read the iTunes 10 review.

3 Sep 2010, 2:31 pm | click here to view more

Skype updates latest beta with 10-way video calling

Skype invites you to try out its latest beta.

(Credit: Skype)

The latest release of Skype's 5.0 beta will let you make video calls to as many as 10 people at the same time, according to details posted on the company's Thursday blog.

The 10-way calling is an upgrade from the first 5.0 beta, which offered only 5-way video chatting. But beyond tweaking the video calling, the engineers at Skype have outfitted beta 2 with other new features and tweaks.

Skype's new Home area will offer updates about the service, details on your call purchases, and videos to help newbies receive started. The new offline IM feature will let you send messages to and receive them from other people who are offline. The messages are kept on hold and delivered once you or the other person is back online.

Beta 2 has also tried to improve both the quality and reliability of Skype calls. A built-in client messaging service tells you about any potential problems with a call and offers suggestions to improve its quality. Should your network connection go down, the new Skype beta will try to quickly re-establish that connection so the call doesn't receive dropped. If the call is lost, Skype will quickly redial it for you.

The gurus at Skype have also tweaked the software's interface by displaying photos of your contacts and a history list of previous conversations.

You can learn a bit more and grab Skype 5.0 beta 2 at Skype's Web site. To install the beta, you'll need to be running Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7. (Sorry Mac users, an OS X beta won't be available until later this year.) And if you want to try out the 10-way calling, your Skype friends will need to install beta 2 as well.

Originally posted at News - Digital Media

3 Sep 2010, 10:29 am | click here to view more

Two years on, Chrome reshapes browser market

It's been two years since the first public version of Chrome appeared, but in some ways, Google's browser remains a novelty.

On Thursday, Google released the sixth stable version of Chrome (Windows | Mac | Linux), though only the second for Mac OS and Linux users.

In others' hands, it would be called Chrome 6, but Google sees things differently.

To the company, a version number is a passing milestone on an indefinitely long road to improvement. By default, the browser is updated behind the scenes and automatically, downloading new versions and installing them after a browser restart. It sees the practice as similar to how Web applications are updated constantly, usually without the user being involved and often without even being told.

This update philosophy is one of several differences that has set Chrome apart since Google inadvertently scooped its possess announcement by prematurely issuing comic books describing Chrome just before its launch.

Google has attracted millions of allies. It's grown steadily to account for 7.5 percent of global browser usage, according to Net Applications' most recent statistics.

Besides numberless versions, another departure from prevailing custom was Google's idea that the browser should be as minimal a frame as possible around the content or application it's delivering. Chrome's minimal menu buttons--shrunk from two to one by the new version--its top-mounted tabs, and its lack of real estate for a status bar or search box reflect that philosophy. Programmers working on Mozilla's Firefox 4 and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9, the new versions of the world's most-used browsers, have adopted similar goals.

Another departure was Chrome's focus on performance in processing Web-based JavaScript programs, loading pages, and other matters. Performance was important to other browsers, but Chrome's initial close-instant launch and notable JavaScript speed that concept at the top of every browser's agenda and raised Web developers' expectations of what they could tackle.

Chrome also led the way with a new approach to extensions. Those who write the add-ons use a combination of Web technologies including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for formatting--the same as in Firefox's upcoming Jetpack framework below development now and just introduced to Apple's Safari 5. The technology is designed to be easier to program as well as less disruptive for users to install or update.

below the covers, Google broke with custom by isolating browser processes into separate memory compartments, too. That consumed more memory but added security and performance. And from a development perspective, Google aims for high velocity: a new "Canary" version changes even faster than the Chrome developer release, and Google plans to update the stable version of Chrome about every six weeks.

Finally, Google had an ambition to be different by transforming the browser into a full-fledged operating system called Chrome OS. Competitors agree that browsers should become a foundation for applications, but not quite to Chrome OS's extent. Google plans to release Chrome OS, which hides Linux below the covers for purposes of communicating with hardware, later this year for Netbooks, but it expects broader usage eventually.

Even without Chrome OS, Google's browser embodies the company's philosophy that the Web is the applications foundation of the future. That's because Google is building in not just faster JavaScript but also other potentially more powerful computing technology.

IE remains the dominant browser, but its share has slipped in the last year as Chrome rose.

(Credit: Net Applications / Stephen Shankland/CNET)

First is WebGL, a 3D graphics interface that mirrors the OpenGL standard for accelerated hardware graphics. Second is Native Client, which Google hopes will let downloaded code run natively and therefore quick on a PC or smartphone processor. It's got safety mechanisms built in to counteract the risks associated with running arbitrary software downloaded over the Net, and Google has made progress convincing at least some that it's safe to use.

To those who were baffled by Google's announcement of a browser two years ago, this type of work perhaps shows best the advantage Google gets out of Chrome. By largely controlling the development, Google can develop new technology and build it into a widely used if not dominant browser for testing and promotion. It also gives Google new clout in shaping new Web standards.

Google, of course, also has servers at the other end of the browser's Net connection. That lets the two work harmoniously. For example, Google is trying to develop a technology called SPDY that seeks to speed up the basic protocol used to request and send Web pages. It requires browsers and servers to cooperate, and Google's got both below its control. It's trying to standardize SPDY, but in the meantime Chrome can give a quick track to Google services.

When Chrome launched, it was a bare-bones browser missing every kinds of basic and advanced features other browsers possessed--anything to do with bookmark management, for example. Google has fleshed that out, though some relatively basic features such as print preview are still absent. At the same time, Google has added some useful basic features still missing in rival browsers.

One is tab-to-search, which lets keyboard-oriented folk quickly launch site-specific searches at Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Bing, Wikipedia, CNET, and other sites by typing the site address, then tab, then the search term. Another is automatic translation using Google's multilanguage services.

Google has several challenges. One big one is convincing skeptics that Google, with its ever-wider sprawl of services on the Net, is a safe place for personal data. Chrome's address box, called the omnibox, sends data as it's typed to Google servers that suggest search results straight from the box. That's convenient but raises some hackles.

These user interface features, though, are secondary to the broader Chrome ambition. Google is fundamentally a company about Web services, and Chrome is a vehicle to make those services work better.

The more activity there is on the Web--be it search and search advertising, Gmail and Gmail advertising, Google Docs and Google Apps subscriptions, Google Maps and locally targeted advertising--the more Google stands to profit. Even if Chrome never catches on widely, it still serves as competitive leverage to ensure Microsoft, Mozilla, Apple, and any other browser makers don't receive complacent.

How convenient for consumers that a better browser aligns so well with Google's commercial interests.

Originally posted at Deep Tech

2 Sep 2010, 9:37 am | click here to view more

Put a Starbucks card on your BlackBerry (hands-on)

We successfully added $10 to our Starbucks account.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Racking up another point for mobile management, Starbucks released its free Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry on Thursday. Once you log into the account associated with your Starbucks card, or register a new card to the app, you'll be able to keep tabs on your lattes.

Starbucks Card Mobile App can display your card balance and even better, let you reload value from $10 to $100 (in $5 increments) by paying with your credit card. car-reloading is another option for when your balance falls below a certain threshold when you need your coffee kick.

The store-locator feature is handy, but the best feature--paying with the app--is only available in select Starbucks stores (in Seattle and Northern California) and in some trial Target stores. When you do find a participating location, the app will produce a bar code for the cashier to scan.

The Starbucks Card Mobile App can produce a scannable barcode for buying your cups of Joe.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

We successfully loaded credit onto our empty Starbucks card and produced a bar code, and we're looking forward to Starbucks expanding its trial to other stores. While remotely increasing the prepaid balance is a nice perk, the app's real value is in obviating the need for that plastic card in your wallet.

When it came down to the way this simple app did its business, we did have a minor nit to pick--our wish that every number fields were smart enough to translate letter submissions into numbers when pressing the shared number/letter keys on BlackBerrys with physical keyboards.

Other than that, turning those physical cards digital for every regions should be the company's mobile goal.

Download Starbucks Card Mobile App for BlackBerry by pointing the browser to http://mobilecard.starbucks.com/wap/home. The app is compatible on BlackBerry Bold, Curve, Storm, and Tour handsets.

Originally posted at Dialed In

2 Sep 2010, 8:56 pm | click here to view more

WiiPhoto turns your TV into a digital photo frame

If you ever wished for a way to view your iPhone snapshots on a bigger screen (without first copying them to your PC), here's your answer. WiiPhoto transmits photos to your HDTV by way of your Wii game console.

It's a terrific idea, but one marred by a couple of gotchas and the limitations of the console itself.

The app works with any iOS device that's connected to your home Wi-Fi network: iPhone, iPod, iPad, and so on. You'll also need the Wii Internet Channel on your console if you don't already have it.

WiiPhoto taps your Wii console to show photos from a variety of sources.

(Credit: Galarina)

When you flame up WiiPhoto, it displays your device's IP address, which you type into the Wii's browser. Once that connection is made, every that remains is to pick a source for the photos you want to view: Facebook, Flickr, SmugMug, your Mac, or your on-device photo library.

I started with my iPhone's Camera Roll. I tapped a photo, and sure enough, after a couple of seconds, it appeared on my TV. Neat!

However, I quickly discovered that there's no slideshow option--you have to select pictures manually by tapping on thumbnails. (You can't even swipe to cycle between them.)

Then I tried Facebook. Although I had no trouble signing into my account, WiiPhoto displayed none of my personal albums, and every my friends' albums were labeled "photos not available to you." I'm not sure if this was the result of some oddball FB privacy setting or a bug in the app. According to the developer (who responded very quickly to my support needs), I'm the only one who's reported the problem.

Things fared better with Flickr, and I liked the app's option to show not just my photos, but also "interesting photos," "photos nearby," and "popular places." Here, as in Facebook and SmugMug, you can indeed watch a slideshow (though you can't adjust the default 10-second interval).

Two other issues cropped up during my testing. First, because the best display resolution the Wii can muster is 480p, photos just don't look that great--especially on larger TVs (I tried it with a 46-inch LCD). They look washed-out and grainy.

Also, because of how the Wii browser refreshes itself, you hear a beep every two seconds or so--even if you're still looking at the same photo. That gets annoying mighty quick, but the only real fix is to mute your TV.

Much as I was hoping to adore WiiPhoto, I came away just liking it. At $2.99 it's a worthwhile purchase, if only to show off your photos on a big screen--but be prepared for a few disappointments along the way.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

2 Sep 2010, 4:26 pm | click here to view more

Today only--save 50 percent on Norton Internet Security

Hi, it's me again, Catherine Hwang, a partner manager with CNET Downloads, where I work with our developer community to bring you some great deals. We are starting what we call an Indian summer here in San Francisco, but as it is back to school time everywhere else, so we asked our users what nice of deals would be pertinent to their needs this month. You've every spoken and we heard noisy and clear that security was your top concern, so today, we bring you a special offer from Symantec on its every-In-One security solution, Norton Internet Security 2010.

With its improved engineering, Norton Internet Security is one of the fastest and lightest security suites that won't slow you down or swallow up unnecessary system resources. Not only does it scan e-mail and IMs for infections, it maps and monitors your home wireless network, so you can look everything that is connected to it--even unauthorized visitors, trying to hack into your wireless network.

Originally priced at $69.99, it's yours today for just $34.99.

This offer is good for up to three PCs and it expires at midnight Pacific time, so make sure you receive your copy today. As always, please leave me a comment for any other offers you would like to look in the future.

Click here to grab your copy of Norton Internet Security 2010.

2 Sep 2010, 2:00 am | click here to view more

Tab tweaks land in Chrome Canary

The new about:labs feature in Chrome Canary gives Google a user-friendly way to test out experimental features.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Google's "canary-in-the-mineshaft" version of its Chrome browser gained a new "labs" option for users to explore on Wednesday. Users of Chrome Canary, named to indicate that it's an even rougher version of Chrome than the developer's build, can now activate rougher, in-progress features by typing "about:labs" into the location bar. About:labs was first revealed last week.

The first feature to land in the lab is Side Tabs. To activate it, go to about:labs and click the Enable button below Side Tab. Restart Chrome Canary and when you right-click on any tab, pick the option at the bottom of the menu to Use Side Tabs. This will move your tabs into a vertical column on the left of the browser. To revert back to the tabs-on-top scheme, click on Use Side Tabs again.

The switch is perhaps useful for people with widescreen monitors who wish to look the dozens of their open tabs in a column form, exposing more of a Web site's title than would otherwise appear on the tab bar. However, the switch also forces an empty title bar at the top of the window; there's definitely room for more development in this particular lab experiment.

Depending on how Google implements it, one of the potential benefits of About:Labs could be to allow users to explore new features that would otherwise be available only through command line flags.

1 Sep 2010, 6:47 pm | click here to view more

Skyfire promises Flash video playback on its iPhone app

Skyfire's first iPhone app try.

(Credit: Skyfire)

Mobile-browser builder Skyfire is striving to make good on its vow to receive a solution for streaming Flash video onto the iPhone--without breaking any of Apple's restrictions against third-party browsers.

On Wednesday, Skyfire submitted Skyfire for iPhone to the App Store, albeit five months after it had promised to follow in Opera's footsteps.

Skyfire for iPhone is modeled after the Skyfire for Android app that debuted in tardy April. As with that version, Skyfire's iPhone app will contain a video playback button to stream Web video through Skyfire's servers.

In order to receive the video playback through Apple's gauntlet, Skyfire will transcode the Flash video into HTML5 on the fly before pushing content down to your iPhone. What's more, the app will also compress video data by up to 75 percent.

These workarounds are technical and tricky. Will they be enough to gain Apple's coveted approval? Skyfire is confident that the answer is yes. The company has worked closely with Apple's guidelines for HTML5 on iOS, Skyfire said in a press release. Furthermore, Skyfire says it has reached out to Apple for feedback.

We'll receive you a hands-on review of the app as soon as we can. In the meantime, you can receive an idea of how Skyfire for iPhone may look and behave in the video below of Skyfire 2.0 beta for Android.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

1 Sep 2010, 3:00 pm | click here to view more