Software and games

One-time Skype competitor Qik has released its latest app for video communications: Qik Video Connect for iPhone. The new program expands on Qik's work with video calling and broadcast.

The app offers two-way video calls, and lets you record video mail. Qik's live broadcasting skill is present in the feature that lets you post a live link to Facebook and Twitter if you'd like, so friends can watch in real time.

Taking the video theme one step further, Qik Video Connect can create a newsfeed so you can watch friends' videos from the iPhone. It works over … Read more

Once again, Google delivers a new feature for its Android Maps Navigation app that gives the mobile mogul an edge over other navigation solutions.

Today Google Maps Navigation for Android acquires some real-time traffic smarts in its navigation feature, a boon to any rush-hour driver who would too often second-guess Google's route as the most efficient for current conditions (I speak from experience here.)

Now, Google claims, it's finally taking road congestion into account, using both real-time and historical traffic patterns for the time of day. The new feature is automatic. A real-time traffic layer has been available … Read more

After a lot of hype and an awkward Super Bowl ad, Sony Ericsson finally introduced the Xperia Play to the world at Mobile World Congress 2011. Since then, however, we've yet to get a proper gaming impression of the phone, at least until this afternoon, when a few CNET editors headed over to a Sony event to get their hands on it. Our colleague Dan Ackerman had a chance to handle it, too, and compared the gaming experience with that on the iPhone. Here, we'll focus a bit more on the feel of the controls.

It's clear … Read more

One wouldn't naturally associate chip- and GPU-maker Nvidia with apps, but nevertheless, the free Tegra Zone appeared today in the Android Market. The app showcases current and forthcoming games that have been optimized for the Tegra 2 platform and promise cutting-edge gameplay and graphics.

Clicking on a game title provides reviews, trailers, videos, and comments. If you want to buy a game, Tegra Zone redirects you to the Android Market.  Some of the games highlighted at launch time include optimized versions of Fruit Ninja and Backbreaker Football, which now carry a Tegra High Definition "THD" suffix. … Read more

Sony Ericsson is betting big that its Xperia Play will offer a new way to bring gamers and phone users together, but it's not the first time that the company has tried to do so.

Seven years ago, just as Sony Ericsson was getting into a groove with notable handsets like the P910 and S710, the company rolled out one of the more interesting mobile accessories I've ever seen. The EGB-10 Gameboard allowed you to play games on selected Sony Ericsson handsets while using controls that were more comfortable than a standard navigational keypad.

Though its design was … Read more

Opera Software and London-based phone maker Inq Mobile have penned a deal to preload Opera Mini 5 browser on several Android smartphones, as well as feature phones.

The U.K. will be the first to receive the models this month, followed by Australia and other European, Asian, and North American markets (Canada) in which Inq Mobile operates.

Opera Mini is known for speedily compressing and rendering Web pages through its proxy servers, an asset for feature phones in particular. In addition, the browser features tabs, bookmark sync, and a password manager.

Another Mobile World Congress is in the bag, and as the CNET crew leaves Barcelona we can take stock of the mobile madness that was. It was my fourth year attending the show, and I can report that 2011 was one the busiest I've seen, with a ton of new smartphones and tablets. It was a lot to handle, but Bonnie Cha of CNET Reviews; Ariel Nunez of CNET TV; and Maggie Reardon, Stephen Shankland, and Elinor Mills of CNET News were along for the ride.

As with any trade show, Mobile World Congress offered a series of satisfying devices and a couple of instances where companies fell short. Here's the report from Barcelona as we saw it. And don't forget to check out Maggie's insights in her Ask Maggie column. … Read more

If you've been disgruntled by a dearth of widgets in Google Reader for Android, today's news might pacify you.

Google issued three new features and support for Russian translation today in its Reader app. Two of them are widgets. You can now mark a previous item as read, a feature first found on the mobile-optimized version of Reader online.

As for the widgets, one will display the number of unread items on your home screen and take you there when you select it. The other widget is a larger-size news ticker you can selectively filter. It, too, will … Read more

BARCLEONA, Spain--Is MeeGo dead in the water now that Nokia has fallen in love with Windows Phone 7 for its smartphones? Partner Intel has been doing its utmost to dispel the doomsayers at Mobile World Congress, showing off an impressively slick demo of MeeGo-powered tablet software.

It showcases a swipe 'n' tap interface flicking between friends, music, photos, and other content, while swiping down to access more information, and tap-holding to trigger pop-up menus for more actions. It's very visual, and in the above demo video at least, appears to be running like a dream.

Intel's MWC press … Read more