The Download Blog

BARCELONA, Spain -- The new Nokia X Software Platform unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2014 is kind of like the wedding adage: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.

Here, the phone-maker borrows, bends, and recombines elements of Android, Windows Phone, and Nokia's own Asha OS as a response to a particularly sticky conundrum: how to make users' beloved Android apps run on a non-Google-looking phone, thereby avoiding a betrayal of partner-and-soon-to-be-parent Microsoft.

The result is an awkward amalgamation that doesn't do justice to any of the hybrid platform's component parts. For someone familiar with all … Read more

Each time you look for a friend, business, or personality on Facebook, it gets saved to your search history. Supposedly, this makes it easier for you to find what you were looking for later without much work. Unfortunately, the search history might be cluttered with queries that don't require quick access -- like someone you've already become friends with, a brand you're already following.

If you want to limit some of the information Facebook is keeping about you, or just tidy up the list, it's just a few clicks away. Here's how to get started:… Read more

When you're trying to meet up with a friend or family member, it's sometimes hard to decide on a halfway spot. You may prefer a restaurant that's near you, and the same may be true for the person you want to meet. Meet Me Halfway is an app to help find the places in the middle of two points, so travel is equal for both people.

Grab a copy of Meet Me Halfway for your Android device. The app is available for Android 2.2 and up.

Put in your address, or a point near, … Read more

As technology moves from desktop to handheld to wearable (connected fitness bands, smartwatches, Google Glass), one might wonder if microchipping is the next step in our tech evolution. The answer is an emphatic yes, according to CBS's "Intelligence," a new suspense series that airs Mondays (10 p.m. ET/PT). Josh Holloway plays Gabriel, a high-tech intelligence operative enhanced by a supercomputer microchip in his brain, which gives him unfettered access to the Internet, Wi-Fi, telephone, and satellite data -- info he uses to protect the US from foreign enemies. On the show, actor P.J. Byrne (&… Read more

With explosive drums, fuzzed-out guitars, and Wolfmother-style vocals, YB's first English-language single, "Cigarette Girl," might finally break YB in the West. Though already regarded as the Bon Jovi of South Korea, YB has not made much of a dent stateside -- unless you happened to catch the band at one of its sold-out 2006 NYC performances or at its acclaimed 2007 SXSW showcase. Under new manager Doug Goldstein, who formerly managed Guns N' Roses, Danzig, and Blind Melon, they just might make it here. As YB prepared for its first US mini-tour in seven years, frontman Do-Hyun … Read more

Android users looking to save on their data plans may want to get in line for Opera's latest beta app, Opera Max.

Initially announced in December, the app has spent the better part of two months in a private beta. On Tuesday, Opera is expanding the Opera Max beta to the public, albeit with a waiting list.

Like the company's flagship Opera Web browser, the Opera Max application is designed to compress data help save users from spilling their precious, allotted megabytes.

Instead of only helping out with Web sites, however, Max promises to do the same across … Read more

Three new Bing apps landed on Windows Phone Tuesday: Bing Food & Drink, Bing Health & Fitness, and Bing Travel. All three apps are available to download in the Windows Phone store now.

Like its name implies, Bing Food & Drink helps you find food and drink recipes, and even look up wine choices. The app pulls from more than 600,000 recipes on cooking sites AllRecipes, BigOven, Epicurious, Bon Appetit, Saveur, and Food52.

Bing Health & Fitness is an all-in-one health tracking app that keeps tabs on your diet, exercise, and overall health. You can log each meal you … Read more

King Digital Entertainment, a digital-gaming provider perhaps best known for its Candy Crush Saga title, has filed papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to go public.

King's statement with the SEC is exceedingly short on details, due mainly to the company still needing to decide how many shares will be offered, who will be offering those shares, and when it will go public. However, the filing statement does indicate that nearly 120 million shares were outstanding as of 2013. It's not clear how many of those will be offered to the public. If King follows through … Read more

Let's face it, you're not watching television commercials. In fact, you're probably not paying attention all that closely to your favorite TV shows, either.

The sad truth is that many of us can't go longer than an hour without whipping out the phone or tablet. We can't be bothered to give the almighty tube our undivided attention when our friends are being snarky on Facebook.

Why not put that phone to good, practical use? There are some great apps out there that can actually enhance your viewing experience.

I've put together a small collection … Read more