iOS

The game I'm playing all weekend: Vector

Mirror's Edge. Rush City. Temple Run. Subway Surfers. Agent Dash. Pitfall. If endless runners are your thing, you'll find no shortage of them in Android and iOS app stores.

So when Vector (Android | iOS) came along, I thought, "Meh, big deal, more of the same." So why can't I stop playing this game?

Because it's awesome, that's why. A side-scrolling endless runner (aka "free runner") that borrows its formula (if not its dystopian plot) from the likes of Mirror's Edge, Vector grips you from the first frame of its dramatic … Read more

Apple to develop digital wallet in next year or two, says analyst

Apple may finally step its toes into the digital wallet world over the next year or two, forecasts Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

The analyst believes a payment option for iOS users may launch with the iPhone 6 in the first half of 2014. Apple will use a technology other than or in addition to near-field communications (NFC), but its system will work with existing mobile payment solutions.

The company already has one major asset ripe for a digital wallet system -- its users.

Apple holds the key to around 500 million iTunes users and their linked credit cards, which … Read more

Facebook Home faces hurdles getting on iOS

Facebook's flashy, new phone software is Android only for now, but it might not be that way forever, the company said today.

When asked about whether the software was headed to Apple's mobile platform anytime soon, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg didn't count it out, but noted that such a feature would require cooperation.

"We have a great relationship with Apple," Zuckerberg told reporters in a Q&A session after the unveiling of Home. "Anything that happens with Apple is going to happen with partnership. Google's Android is open so we don't … Read more

Calendar app Tempo cuts its wait list, expands to Canada

Having healthy demand for your product is ideal, but Raj Singh, the CEO behind popular calendar app Tempo, knows that it's not good to keep people waiting in line too long.

That's why starting today, people will get access to Tempo twice as fast, Singh told CNET. "The goal is we want to get rid of the line. We know nobody likes lines," he said, adding that there are a few thousand people left on the wait list.

And although Tempo, the iOS app that had thousands waiting to use it at launch, isn't done … Read more

Apple bans Chinese bookstore app over 'illegal content'

Apple's iTunes Store in China has kicked out an iOS app that offered electronic versions of books banned by the Chinese government.

Hao Peiqiang, the developer of the bookstore app, yesterday posted a letter that he received from Apple informing him that the app would be removed, because "it includes content that is illegal in China."

Apple's letter explained that while the app is no longer available in China, it can still be downloaded from the iTunes store in other countries.

Apple's form e-mail didn't specify which content was illegal. Known as "Jingdian … Read more

Apple stays on top in U.S. smartphone market, study says

When it comes to smartphones in the U.S., Apple remains on top, a new study from ComScore says.

During the three months ended in February, Apple held onto its title as the No. 1 smartphone vendor in the U.S. the market tracker said. The Cupertino, Calif., company controlled 39 percent of the market, up 3.9 percentage points from the three months ended in November. Samsung, in the No. 2 spot, held 21 percent of the market, up 1 percent point.

There's some bad news for the other Android rivals, however. HTC, Motorola, and LG all saw … Read more

Set Twitter's Connect tab to only show mentions on Android, iOS

When using Twitter on your Android or iOS device, the Connect tab is where you can find all of your interactions (by default as of an update in February) such as mentions, retweets, and new followers. While this may be the desired view for some, for others it can lead to a cluttered experience.

Luckily there's a simple solution to remove retweets and new followers from the Connect tab.

Using either the iOS or Android version of the app, you'll first need to navigate to your "Me" or profile tab. From there tap on the Settings … Read more

Twitter rolls out mobile app updates

Twitter has rolled out the latest in a series of updates to its mobile apps designed to give users easier navigation tools, as well as to make it easier to find relevant usernames and hashtags.

In a blog post today, Twitter also said it has redesigned its Android app to reflect "a native Android experience: wider and taller timelines that fill the screen, a flat navigation bar, tap and hold for quick actions, and more."

At the same time, Android users will also now be able to navigate quickly between tabs by swiping their fingers across the screen, … Read more

Apple stops blocking Microsoft's Skydrive app for iOS

Microsoft released an update of its SkyDrive for iOS app today, indicating that Apple is no longer blocking the app's updates from the App Store.

Until today, Microsoft hadn't updated its cloud storage service app since June 1. This was reportedly due to a dispute between Microsoft and Apple over fees. The app's 3.0 version includes support for iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini, and the ability to download full resolution photos to an iPhone or iPad.

In December, a report surfaced that Microsoft allegedly didn't want to pay Apple a 30 percent fee for … Read more