"apps" news, interviews, and features

News about apps

  • Google yanks 21 malicious apps from Android Market, phones

    Openness, one of Android's big advantages, can also be the Achilles' heel of the platform. Google has pulled the kill switch on 21 free malware apps from the Android Market and from around 50,000 devices, according to reports. The apps were free illegal downloads of popular apps in the Android Market, repackaged with malware able to steal details from a user's phone.

  • More mobile spyware hits Android

    NetQin Mobile has captured 2 new spyware programs that have been infecting Android phones. The two programs, "SW.SecurePhone" and "SW.Qieting", can release an unsettling amount of personal information from an infected phone.

  • Use Microsoft Excel for (nearly) everything

    Microsoft Excel spreadsheets hold more than a million rows of data and automate number crunching, but they can do so much more. Excel's simple interface lends itself to uses well beyond those that its designers ever imagined.

  • App Genome Project finds Android apps outpacing iOS

    In the battle between mobile platforms, one of the most critical factors is the success of the respective app library. The Apple App Store dominates all rivals in terms of sheer volume of apps, but Lookout Mobile Security's App Genome Project illustrates that by many measures Android apps are beating iOS apps as Android continues to whittle away at Apple.

  • Google shifts focus from Web to mobile apps

    Google is aggressively expanding its mobile app development efforts. According to a Wall Street Journal report, one of the first orders of business following the shakeup in executive leadership is to seek out app development talent. Google recognizes the value of mobile platforms and is working to stay one step ahead to claim its piece of the mobile market pie.

  • Back up your Android phone with MyBackup Pro

    As Android phones become more powerful and more useful, they also store more of your important personal data. Losing that data can be more than a minor inconvenience, and given the fragility of electronic devices, it's something that's likely to happen at some point. MyBackup Pro is an app that will give you peace of mind if your phone gets destroyed in a mishap such as an impromptu dip in the toilet or a shattering drop to the pavement. You can schedule automatic backups and restore your apps, data, and settings to a new phone (or to the same phone if the data was accidentally erased) in just minutes. Considering how much time it would take to manually enter such data, this app is a worthwhile purchase at the current price of $5.

  • Explore the Moon With Moon Maps

    Have you ever wanted to explore the moon? With the free Moon Maps Android app, you can. You can choose between imagery from the Clementine Mosaic or the Lunar orbiter Mosaic--though the Clementine imagery is generally better.

  • Google Translate mobile app

    Sometime in the not-to-distant future, smartphones may help humans bridge those pesky linguistic and cultural barriers that always seem to cause so much trouble. At least that's Google's goal with Translate for Android, a free app that can help travelers better communicate with the locals, and vice versa. A new version of Translate debuted Wednesday, one with several interface tweaks designed to improve usability.

  • iPhone safer from hackers than Android

    Android-based smartphones are more vulnerable to attacks by hackers and electronic viruses than the iPhone, according to the chairman of the world's largest provider of security software for corporate servers.

  • Google Books: A library on your Android phone

    E-book readers, such as the Kindle and Nook, have become popular thanks to the convenience of carrying an entire library's worth of books on one device. But if you don't have room in your budget for a Kindle, fret not: Your Android phone can serve as a capable and pocket-size e-reader in its own right. Google has joined the e-publishing fray with its Google Books service, and now the Google Books app for Android brings the vast Google Books catalog to your phone.