Turn the flash on your Android, iPhone camera into a flashlight

My mom shared this app with me, and it’s so obvious – turning the camera’s flash into a light – I’m amazed I didn’t think of it before. It also looks funny because it’s so incredibly bright, almost blinding in the dark. But the best phrase is that it gives new meaning to the word …

Google Maps vs. Apple Maps

In one corner you have the heavyweight, Google Maps, with a seven-year head start and a vast amount of data. In the other corner you have the underdog with a very big bank account, Apple Maps. Round one begins with the iPhone 5 – loaded with iOS 6 – removing all traces of Google Maps and …

Google Plus releases more user stats – is it now valued at $10 billion?

Google Plus is quietly creeping into the mainstream. While many disparaged it as a flash and burn site, the social network is continuing to grow. It now has 400 million users and, according to Casey Newton of c|net, 100 million of those are active users. Compare that to Facebook’s latest numbers, 955 million users with 552 …

Space in your hand – 10 amazing iPhone, Android apps from NASA, JPL

Get your space on with these 10 amazing apps from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They will amaze you with their material from visiting a comet, to being on the surface of Mars, or joining an astronomy society.   **All content from NASA/JPL   Space Images V2! – Discover, share and explore stunning images and videos of …

Facebook goes native! Releases new apps that are twice as fast

Facebook has finally answered the question that’s been bugging Wall Street and the rest of us, “when are you going to get mobile?” Yesterday, the answer came as Facebook launched major upgrades to their iPhone and iPad apps. From the N.Y. Times Bits blog: Those who have suffered from the sluggishness of the current apps can …

GameStop makes a huge pivot to Apple retailer – as retail video game industry dies

One of the last holdouts retail, video games, looks like it too will disappear. The biggest player, GameStop, who controls nearly two-thirds of the market, has been able to stay alive by pushing used games and devices. Last year the company earned $9.55 billion, 46% of which came from used items. Unfortunately, that cannot sustain …

The growing popularity of summer camps for building iPhone, Android apps

Here is an excerpt from a Marketplace interview on computer-focused summer camps, they’re surging in popularity:   Queena Kim: Aw…the  sounds of summer. Families getting together for barbeques. The sound of BBQ sizzling. Dogs running around. And 9-year-old Alex  is plopped down on a lounge chair totally engrossed in his favorite iPad game, which prompts this from his dad: …

Fantasy Football gets Google Hangouts – live draft parties, meetups, trades

Google announced today a pretty major deal with the NFL which will help it to grow adoption of Google+ Hangouts. With a full rollout coming later this month, NFL.com will soon be offering one-click access to Google+ Hangouts, allowing fantasy football players to video chat with their league in real-time. This is big news not just for …

Romney campaign release ‘Mitt’s VP’ smartphone app – instantaneous alerts for VP choice

Mitt Romney’s campaign announced Tuesday that supporters can sign up to be the first to learn of the presumptive Republican nominee’s vice presidential choice by downloading a new smartphone app. “The first official way to learn the name of the Republican vice presidential candidate is by using our new ‘Mitt’s VP’ app,” said Romney digital …

Ikea adds smartphone apps and augmented reality to its newest catalog

Ikea prints 211 million copies of its product catalog every year. That’s more than 20 times the population of Sweden, the home of the build-it-yourself furniture empire. These are impressive numbers for a print catalog in a digital world, but Ikea is now changing with the times with a head-first dive into augmented reality. “A …