These days, mega-hot movie properties almost always get the app treatment, whether it’s a game or some “interactive companion.” And right now, there’s no hotter property than “The Hunger Games.” Thus, you’d expect that any tie-in app would come from a big developer: EA, Gameloft, or even the studio’s own label. Surprise! The Hunger Games: …

New iPads are coming! New iPads are coming! Well, that’s the rumor, anyway, and it might be only “new iPad,” singular. But let’s be honest: whatever it is, you’re probably going to want it. I mean, who wouldn’t want a tablet with a Retina Display, 4G wireless, a high-resolution camera, and a hot-fudge dispenser? (A man can dream, can’t he?) …

Admit it: you’re burned out on Angry Birds. You’ve long since finished the first game and its sequels–Seasons and Rio–both of which were just variations on the same old theme. But on March 22, things promise to get a little more interesting. That’s the–sorry–launch date for Angry Birds Space, Rovio’s first official Birds game since Rio debuted a year ago …

If you’ve been keeping score, Barnes & Noble’s refurbished Nook Color e-reader has been selling for as low as $129. But, let’s face it, that’s last year’s model. The newer, more powerful Nook Tablet, which debuted just a few months ago, has held steady at $249. That’s why today’s deal is kind of a big, well, deal. Until midnight on …

Love Instagram? Everybody’s favorite photo-tuning app just got a little better–and more than a little worse. The first thing you’ll notice in version 2.1, which hit the App Store last Friday, is the interface: it’s a bit prettier, but gone are the text labels identifying each of the five main buttons. This wouldn’t be a huge deal except that the …

Remember the iCade? It’s the iPad gaming cabinet that started out as an April Fool’s joke, but then evolved into a real product. Neat, but at $99.99, it’s not exactly an impulse buy–and it leaves Android, iPhone, and iPod Touch gamers out of the fun. Enter ThinkGeek’s latest retro-gaming accessorry, the iCade 8-Bitty. It’s a handheld analog controller that closely …

There was a time when streaming audio meant sacrificing fidelity. Many early Internet radio stations delivered an AM-quality 64Kbps stream, while the “good ones” topped out at 128Kbps. Even Spotify for iOS, the app version of the popular music service (which CNET called “the best free music option since stealing”), could muster only 160Kbps–a bit better than FM radio, but …

At first blush, Star Wars Pit Droids might seem like a hasty attempt to cash in on the theatrical re-release of “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” Instead, it’s merely the appropriately timed app version of a Windows game that debuted almost 13 years ago. And you know what? It’s as terrific now as it was then. The droids …

We all know texting while driving is a deadly combination, yet who can resist the siren song of that new-message ding? I’ll admit it’s tough not to steal a glance at the phone–and once you’re glancing, you’re reading. Most owners of Android-powered smartphones know about Google Voice Actions, which, among other things, allows you to dictate text messages using just …

If you’re old enough to remember green-screen monitors, bulletin-board systems, and the 1983 movie classic “War Games,” you need to check out The Hacker for iOS. It’s a game, yes, but also a kind of love letter to fans of DOS, text adventures, ASCII games, and old-school hacking. The app “installs” the Glider Operating System, in all its green CRT …