In addition to announcing stellar iPhone 4S sales, Apple also revealed today that iOS 5 and iCloud are off to a running start.

According to the company, 25 million people are already using iOS 5, even though this version of the mobile operating system launched just last week. In addition, Apple's iCloud, a cloud-based data service, has added 20 million users in less than a week.

Although the iOS 5 user numbers are impressive, Apple's success with iCloud is most notable, considering that it's an entirely new product. The service allows users to sync and store content in the cloud, as well as use a "Find My iPhone" feature to help users locate their handset, and if necessary, remotely wipe or lock the device. iCloud is available to those who own iOS-based devices, as well as Windows and Mac users.

Related stories: • iCloud more strategic than iPhone 5 for Apple • Analyst: Apple's iCloud could see 150 million users • ... [Read more]

Opera CEO Lars Boilesen

OSLO, Norway--The rise of Android and its built-in browser could be seen as very bad news for Opera Software, a company that's built a business with a mobile browser popular on the very low-end devices that Android smartphones often replace.

But Opera sees things differently: Android is a major part of its plan for future growth. And a product due in 2012 that marries the Norwegian company's two mobile browsers, Opera Mini and Opera Mobile, will lead the company's defense of its mobile-browsing stronghold, CNET can report exclusively.

Opera Mobile is a traditional browser, with an engine to process the Web page code and run JavaScript programs. Opera Mini leaves all that heavy lifting to an Opera server that sends a boiled-down version of the page to the phone. Though the Mini approach hobbles some Web sites' interactive features, it cuts network usage significantly, eases battery life, and lets Opera Mini run on devices too feeble for Opera Mobile. Opera has more than 140 million browser users per month, with the vast majority using Opera Mini.

With the hybrid approach that Opera plans for Android devices, the Mobile browser will detect when the network is strained and switch into a Mini mode to cut the data-transfer burden, Chief Executive Lars Boilesen said in an interview here. No longer will Opera users have to decide on... [Read more]

Need to read PDFs on the go? Adobe announced the availability today of Adobe Reader for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

When you search for a word, Adobe Reader highlights it in the document. Hitting the arrows moves on to the next usage.

Adobe says that the app works just like the desktop version, letting you read and interact with the widest variety of PDF files on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

You'll be able to open PDF files from the mail app, the Web, and any app that supports the "Open In..." option. You'll be able to access ePortfolio (PDF Portfolios), PDF Packages, annotations, and drawing markups. You'll also be able to open and view encrypted PDF files and access files secured by Adobe LiveCycle Rights Management.

For getting around within PDF files, the app lets you search text for specific words, create bookmarks to jump to the information you want quickly, or you can scan through large files by browsing thumbnails of the document.

Adobe Reader for iOS also supports AirPrint so you can create a hard copy on the go, or you can quickly e-mail a PDF document as an attachment.

With auto-scrolling, the capability to view documents as a continuous page, and controls optimized for the touch screen on any iOS device, the officia... [Read more]

iOS 5's Find My Friends is visually compelling and simple to use.

When it comes to GPS-based friend-finding apps, you either love them or you don't.

Google has been a big believer on its Android platform for some time, integrating Google Latitude into all of its Android phones. Apple's iOS 5 update brings a separate downloadable app, Find My Friends (shortened to Find Friends once it installs).

In many cases, it's another iOS 5 feature that's very similar to those existing on rival mobile platforms, but there are some features all its own. This weekend, I buddied up with some CNET friends to see how Find My Friends differs from Latitutde and which of the two apps I prefer. One thing to note: Latitude and Find My Friends only work within their respective ecosystems.

iOS: Find My Friends The free app is easy to download, once you know to look for it in the App Store. Otherwise you may be searching maps wondering how to activate the feature.

Right off the bat, this is a graphically rich app, with a textured, leather-bound look in sepia tones. It's also incredibly simple to navigate, part of that simplicity owing to the fa... [Read more]

NoScript for Firefox for Android (download) debuted today, tightening up security for users of the mobile version of Firefox. The new Android version is notable, according to a blog post by the people who develop NoScript, for including all the major features of the desktop version such as client-side clickjacking prevention and per-site permissions, as well as a new Web app firewall.

NoScript ports its script controls to Firefox for Android .

Many of NoScript's popular on-demand features have made it into the mobile version, so you can blacklist sites at will; set up JavaScript rendering so it's click-to-play, which means that only a placeholder icon will load until you tap it; run a whitelist of sites which will always load their JavaScript; and the "full protection" option which blocks all content, even on trusted sites, until you tap it. Also included is the ability to emulate JavaScript-only navigation on sites that are otherwise blocked.

Other features include synchronizing NoScript settings across Android devices with the Enable Remote Sync option. The fact that NoScript for Android is "Resta... [Read more]

Remember The Milk, the popular, whimsically themed task-management app, just got a major Android update. Not only has the app's user interface (UI) been completely redesigned, but also the basic version of Remember The Milk is now free for everyone. Previously, only paid Pro account holders were given free access to the RTM Android app.

Remember The Milk's new UI includes several features that should make managing tasks significantly easier. Most notably, there is an Action Bar at the top of the screen, with sync, search, and Smart Add buttons, all of which can be used from anywhere in the app. There's a brand-new dashboard screen, which gives you an overview of all your tasks, multiple task-editing capability, a new "This Week" view, and more.

Also, since the basic app is now free to everyone, Pro RTM users are getting to keep a few new features just for themselves. Pro users get reminders in the notification bar and app dashboard and a few new widgets for even better task management from the Android Home screen. What's more, they get unlimited automatic syncing, while free users only get one manual sync per 24 hours.

Smart Bar widget, Badge widget, and List widget, all available to paid Pro users