Mobile Apps

Salesforce.com's New Mobile Chatter Expands the Conversation
March 22, 2013

Salesforce.com has rolled out the latest iteration of its Chatter app designed specifically for the mobile environment. "With this version, we are taking [it] to a new level, allowing users to really drill down into accounts and take many different types of actions while in the field," said Michael Peachy, senior director of solutions marketing at Salesforce.

Year Walk Is a Creepy Yet Delightful Stroll
March 18, 2013

Year Walk -- an iOS game by Simogo -- is a story-adventure-puzzle that creepily evokes what it might be like to wander the Swedish countryside in the middle of night, in the middle of winter, after spending a full day without food in a very dark room. That is, of course, if you're some dude from 1894 desperately in love with a woman -- and you embark on a Swedish folklore "Year Walk" in the hope of seeing your future.

Tree Is a Cool Tool for Creating Outlines That Branch Everywhere
March 12, 2013

Outlines can be valuable tools for writers or just about anyone else who needs to organize ideas into a coherent whole. A problem with them, though, is they can be too rigid. A traditional outline is a vertical list. As much as many of us love lists of things, they can be stifling when a structure of ideas is forced into them.

123D Creature Is an Awesome Exercise in Facing Your Monsters
March 11, 2013

When I saw Autodesk's 123D Creature, an iPad app that lets you build three-dimensional monsters, I filed it away in the back of my mind as an app to try out on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I finally tried it, and I wish I would have done so sooner -- and that's not because I'm awesome at creating creatures. I wish I would have tried it sooner because 123D Creature has revitalized my faith in humanity.

When It Comes to Mobile Browser Speed, This Puffin Can Soar
March 04, 2013

In order to entice me away from one of Apple's standard built-in apps -- like the Web browser Safari -- I need something faster, more functional or with a slicker design. Usually, I expect a combination of these features before I'll take the leap. Puffin Web Browser by CloudMosa has been doing pretty well in the Utilities section of the iTunes App Store, hanging around as one of the top paid utilities.

Apple Offers Cash and Vouchers to Calm Irate Parents, Settle Suit
February 27, 2013

Apple has proposed a settlement of a lawsuit stemming from children making purchases within iOS applications without their parents' permission. The settlement, expected to be approved by a federal judge Friday, could cost Apple tens of millions of dollars. The class action litigation was filed in April 2011 in a federal district court in California.

All Things Appy: 5 Best Apple Lifestyle Apps
February 27, 2013

The introduction of the smartphone can be credited with inspiring many so-called lifestyle improvements -- not the least of which stems from its ability to multitask. Junk that alarm clock and makeup mirror, and gear up for fashion, shopping and art.

Chronicle Bill-Pay App Puts Time on Your Side
February 26, 2013

Paying bills isn't at the top of anyone's bucket list, but as long as we remain tethered to our mortal coil, they are inescapable. Those bills can be less of a chore, however, if we can remove some of the uncertainty surrounding them. I don't mean the uncertainty about having the money to pay the bills.

Mokriya Turns Ugly Craigslist Into the Very Picture of Beauty
February 25, 2013

Mokriya has transformed the stale, flat, and sometimes sordid experience of browsing Craigslist's vast online classifieds site on a computer into a handheld experience more like flipping through a dynamic, photo-rich catalog. It took me all of a minute to become a serious fan of the app.

'Sophisticated' Hack Trapped Apple, Facebook, Says Dev Forum
February 21, 2013

The owner of the iPhoneDevSDK website involved in a major Java hacking incident has given his side of the story, saying a single compromised administrator account was the cause of internal computers at Apple and Facebook being infected after their users visited the site.

Why Free Apps Turn Me Off
February 21, 2013

Of the 300 million-plus people using iOS 6 in one form or another -- and millions more using iOS 5 -- I get the feeling I'm a dying breed. Why? I generally dislike and distrust free apps. I can blame some of this on the overwhelming influence of games, kids, and the psychology of the masses.

BizVizz Brand Transparency App: Great Promise, Ho-Hum Delivery
February 19, 2013

Behind every big name brand is a big company. These companies might do good for the world or they might not. Or like most people, they could be inconsistent, doing good in some ways but snatching more than their fair share in others. A new app called BizVizz seeks to share information about these big companies while you are shopping.

MindNode Makes Mind Mapping a Mind-Blower
February 12, 2013

Mind maps don't have anything to do with identifying the contours of your brain -- although they may give you an inkling about how your mind works. At the heart of a mind map is the idea that we don't think in rigid hierarchies. The old-fashioned tree outline with heads, subheads and so forth can nicely organize a theme, document or white paper, but it isn't how people think or the way the brain works.

This Qwiki Keeps the Smiles Coming
February 11, 2013

When Apple selected Qwiki for iPhone as an Editor's Choice app, I ignored it, then came back to it wondering what the heck it was: The icon has a couple of blocks and maybe a horizontal head shaped like a "Q," which vaguely looks like, well, I'm just not sure. I get more info from most fluffy white clouds.

Nearly a Million iOS Apps and Discovery Still Sucks
February 07, 2013

There are well over 800,000 iOS apps in the App Store, 300,000 of which are native to the iPad, and I'm constantly surprised and irritated at Apple's inability to help its customers discover great apps. Of course, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the only one who actively goes into Apple's various App Store points of entry -- iTunes, iPad and iPhone -- only to walk away without downloading anything.

Apple Going After Alleged iOS Abuser
February 04, 2013

Apple reportedly has launched an investigation into Qihoo, a giant Chinese software company and search engine, based on concerns the app maker is violating terms of service. Apple is also concerned that Qihoo is encouraging jailbreaking iPhones by delivering apps as single file downloads compatible with unlocked Apple products.

Little Inferno Gleefully Ignites the Deep Dark Pyro Within
February 04, 2013

From what I've seen of humanity, there's a little pyro locked inside most of us. Maybe it's a universal longing to chase away the darkness with warmth and light, or maybe it's just a genetic quirk coded into our DNA from the days of the Ice Age when cooking up a wooly mammoth meant survival. Or maybe we just really like to see things burn.

PopClip and Unclutter: Big Utility Comes in Small Packages
January 29, 2013

Size isn't always a measure of an app's usefulness. Sometimes you can get more utility from a small app than you'd get from larger one that you use only occasionally. Two such useful programs are PopClip and Unclutter. While PopClip can help you cut down your keystrokes during the day, Unclutter can keep you from losing your mind trying to rifle through the mess on a chaotic desktop.

If a Photo Is Worth 1,000 Words, Vine Gives Tweeters at Least 6,000
January 28, 2013

While Twitter allows users to communicate in 140 characters or less, its new app Vine extends and enhances that brevity while retaining the social networking roots of Twitter. So what is Vine, exactly? It's a service that lets you take super short video clips and share them with the world of Vine users. Plus, it lets you connect Vine to your Twitter feed.

All Things Appy: 5 Best iOS Health and Fitness Apps
January 23, 2013

Many of us have got health and fitness on the mind as the new year gets under way, and the smartphone is proving itself to be a remarkable little healthcare provider. Among the useful apps in this vein is MyFitnessPal, which stores more than 2 million types of food in its database and provides a free barcode scanner to look up foods you've eaten -- or are about to.