Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET There are some amazing language-translation apps, everything from Google Translate to Word Lens. But few of them integrate with iOS proper. Translate Keyboard Pro ($1.99) does. It takes advantage of iOS 8’s support for third-party keyboards, effectively translating text from 30 source languages into as many as 80 other languages as …

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Apple has given kudos to what it considers the year’s best in apps, songs, movies and other content via its Best of iTunes for 2014. An annual tradition, Apple uses the list to not only highlight the winners but obviously to call attention to the wealth of material available on iTunes. Breaking down the top picks …

Let’s start with the why. The reason why you should use a password manager is twofold: it makes your online life more secure — and easier in the process. A password manager stores the passwords for your various online accounts and profiles and saves you from having to remember and enter each one each time you visit a password-protected site. …

Get up to speed with Uno. Uno The market for high-tech wrist-worn wearables is already feeling a bit crowded with smartwatches, fitness bands and the looming shadow of the oncoming Apple Watch. The Uno Noteband, an unusual wearable, is looking to stand out from the crowd, one word at a time. The gadget is currently raising funds on Indiegogo. Uno …

Orion, Schmorion. While the supergeniuses at NASA were launching their next-gen spacecraft last week, the Michiana Rocketry club was hard at work launching a porta-potty into the sky. Related Links NASA’s Orion landing as seen from the USS Anchorage The group launched the porta-potty on Saturday, when it flew in an arch and almost landed on a spectator’s truck some …

Jason Cipriani/CNET Unlocking your iOS device, launching the Music app, then finding a song you want to listen to is a routine we all repeat. A free app called Music Center wants to help speed up the process by taking advantage of iOS 8’s Today widget in the Notification Center. With Music Center installed and the widget activated you’ll have …

A security guards walks past the entrance to Sony Pictures Plaza in Los Angeles, California on December 4. Investigators do not yet know the full extent of the breach, although the FBI confirms it will meet with Sony employees this week. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images The FBI will advise Sony Pictures employees on how to manage the leak of their …

Facebook’s search technology is coming to mobile devices this week. Facebook Facebook’s search is going mobile. The social network said Monday it’s going to make its “graph search” technology available over the next week for the Facebook iPhone app, nearly two years after it debuted for desktop computers. Users will be able to search inside posts of their friends, allowing …

Foxtel and Seven West Media have announced a joint venture that will see the two companies launch a new video on demand service under the Presto brand. Called Presto Entertainment, the service will have TV programming from Foxtel and Seven West Media — the owners of the Seven Network which includes Seven, 7TWO and 7mate. According to a media release, …

Sony Pictures Studios has denounced a “brazen” cyber attack against it. Getty Images North Korea’s government on Sunday denied hacking Sony Pictures as retaliation to the Hollywood studio’s forthcoming film “The Interview,” a comedy about a plot to assassinate the country’s leader. “We do not know where in America the Sony Pictures is situated and for what wrongdoings it became …

Rovio Rovio has announced that it will be making 110 staff — of a global workforce of around 800 — redundant in a company “reorganisation”, as well as closing up its game development studio in Tampere, Finland. The cuts, which were initially announced in early October, were fewer than anticipated, Rovio said. “Rovio Entertainment Ltd has concluded employee negotiations announced …

This mannequin, fitted with rubbery ears, lives in the audio anechoic chamber and is used to test smartphones’ microphones and speakers. Ben Fox Rubin/CNET BEDMINSTER, NJ — “Welcome to the quietest room in this building,” Sherif R. Sherif said. The manager at Verizon’s device-testing lab stood at the center of a small room with a grated floor and triangular foamy, …

Robert with his Zu Soul Supreme speaker Steve Guttenberg/CNET This speaker review takes a very different course than the sort that usually fill this blog, because I auditioned the speakers in my friend Robert’s home. He was looking to upgrade from his old Fluance towers, and after listening to a bunch of speakers, I suggested he get in touch with …

The YB app from actor Aaron Paul lets you send “Breaking Bad”-style messages to friends. Anthony Domanico/CNET Jesse Pinkman on “Breaking Bad” usually greeted people with a casual “Yo, b*tch.” Now Aaron Paul, who played Pinkman in the hit AMC series, has released an iOS app that lets you send Pinkman’s catchphrase to friends whenever you want. Related Links Bask …

Microsoft I don’t understand Microsoft Outlook. I mean, I understand how to use it. Truth be told, I actually quite like it. As desktop mail clients go, I think Outlook 2013 is the best option out there, and certainly the best version of the program Microsoft has ever produced. What I don’t understand is why Microsoft charges $109.99 for a …