Operating systems

Even though we said the fall CTIA was a little smaller than usual this year due to the absence of Samsung and Google, we still found plenty to cover.

Here are all the product announcements, hands-on looks, and news posts we wrote in San Diego. (See Day 1 and Day 2 wrap-ups for information on each day's coverage)

Product announcements T-Mobile touts two 4G Android tablets: Springboard, Galaxy Tab MetroPCS debuts Kyocera Presto, LG Beacon RIM introduces NFC-based BlackBerry Tag app Plantronics announces the Voyager Pro HD AT&T releases five new Android handsets Sonim adds three new rugged phones … Read more

After months of testing and weeks of beta developer builds being issued, Apple has finally released the much-anticipated OS X 10.7.2 update for its latest Lion operating system. The update incorporates a slew of bug fixes and stability enhancements to the OS, but most of all it brings support for Apple's iCloud service, which was also opened to the public earlier today.

Even if you do not plan on using iCloud extensively, the 10.7.2 update is still recommended to address a number of issues with software and services in the initial releases of Lion, including:… Read more

At long last, iOS 5 is finally here, two days before the launch of the iPhone 4S.

(Related: We've heard that a number of users have had problems installing the update. Get the latest news on install issues in this post from CNET's Josh Lowensohn.)

Though iOS 5 is not as drastic of an upgrade as we saw with iOS 4 in June 2010, it does offer some much-needed and exciting enhancements for iOS users. A few are quiet and long overdue and others will seriously change how you use your Apple handset.

On that note, perhaps the … Read more

Those of you who want to check out an Android app without an Android device can now run that app on your PC thanks to a program from the folks at BlueStacks (download).

The software, dubbed the BlueStacks App Player, has just hit the alpha stage, meaning a test version of it is now available for anyone to download. The basic player lets you run several preloaded apps, install up to 26 others, and sync apps from an Android phone to your PC.

I installed the App Player on a PC running Windows 7. The installation failed the first time … Read more

Microsoft is gearing up for another Patch Tuesday.

In its regular series of monthly security fixes, the company tomorrow is launching eight separate bulletins to patch 23 different holes in a small but key range of products. Marked as "critical," two of the bulletins are aimed at stopping hackers from remotely running code in Windows, Internet Explorer, .NET, and Silverlight.

Specifically, these two bulletins are deemed critical for the desktop versions of Windows and should be applied to Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Only one of the bulletins is tagged as critical for Windows Server 2003, … Read more

Microsoft has tweaked the use of memory in Windows 8 to help people juggle more applications and files with less physical RAM.

In the latest Building Windows 8 blog, Bill Karagounis, group program manager for Microsoft's Performance team, detailed some of the tricks that the company has employed in the new OS to optimize the use of memory.

One such trick is memory combining. Windows applications can reserve multiple chunks of system memory, not just what for they need now but what for they may need in the future. The more apps that do this, the more memory used … Read more

If you had asked me yesterday what would be the biggest news at the CTIA show in San Diego, I would have said it would be the imminent Samsung Galaxy Nexus unveiling expected at the company's Samsung Unpacked event October 11. The Galaxy Nexus promises to be the next-generation Nexus device and was slated to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of the Android mobile operating system.

However, Samsung and Google have since canceled the event out of deference to Steve Jobs' passing. Whether you think it's a classy move or not, it does make CTIA significantly less exciting, and we anticipate a leaner and quieter show as a result. The CTIA fall show--also known as CTIA Enterprise & Applications--is usually not as jam-packed as the spring event, but we do sometimes get a few juicy tidbits, like info about last year's cavalcade of Motorola handsets.

We definitely still expect to see many new handsets at the show, especially those with a 4G punch. We already know that we'll see Verizon Wireless's latest LTE-laced Samsung Stratosphere, and we predict we'll see more 4G handsets before the show is over. Of course, we'll be sure to keep our eyes peeled for interesting accessories and other previously announced handsets that we have yet to get our hands on.

Roger Cheng, our intrepid wireless reporter from CNET News, will be in San Diego covering Tuesday's opening keynote, with CEOs from Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T as speakers. From CNET Reviews, Jessica Dolcourt and I will be there to get some hands-on time with the latest hardware. And you might even see me inside a brand-spanking-new Cadillac talking about the car company's latest wireless tech.

CTIA Fall 2011 starts on Tuesday and lasts until Thursday. Be sure to catch all the latest CTIA news right here on CNET. … Read more

This article was originally posted June 6, 2011, and updated on October 4, 2011.

Along with introducing the new iPhone 4S, Apple gave a brief look at iOS 5 at Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event (full event and iPhone 4S coverage here) this morning in Cupertino, Calif. Tim Cook opened the event, but he turned to Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iPhone software, to show off highlights of a promised 200 new features in iOS 5. Available for free, iOS 5 will be compatible with the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, both versions of the iPad, and the third- and fourth-generation models of the iPod Touch.

In today's event, we saw a recap of features originally debuted at WWDC including the new notification system, Twitter integration, and Reminders, but also some new features added to the list with Find My Friends, Cards, and Siri, a voice-controlled assistant that will only be available to iPhone 4S users. iOS 5 will officially become available over the air for free starting on October 12. … Read more

Not unlike an artfully created but tiny-portioned appetizer leading into a flavorful and filling main course that remains stuck in the kitchen, my first hands-on experience with Windows 8 left me eager for what was coming but disappointed with what was set in front of me.

Microsoft lent out Windows 8 tablets to attendees at the end of the Build conference preview yesterday, surprisingly running an earlier version of the in-development operating system than the one that had been demonstrated as functional earlier in the day.

The operating system represents a major change for the company and its fans, as … Read more