A few days ago, CNET photographer Josh Miller was going around the office making Cinemagrams. I had seen the app before on the iTunes App Store most-popular lists, but had assumed it was simply a version of Instagram for video. When Josh showed me how the app worked, I was really impressed.

After seeing what Cinemagram could do (more about that below), I started wondering about other animation apps in the iTunes app store and came upon several that were impressive for different reasons, but popular for the interesting animations you could make with your iPhone.

This week's collection of apps is all about making short animations. The first makes stop-motion animations by taking several photos of a moving object. The second makes short videos into animated GIFs you can add to text messages. The third is Cinemagram, an app that lets you make photo and video hybrids that are simple and fascinating.

You can choose from several filters to apply to your animated GIFs.

GifBoom (Free) lets you create animated GIFs using multiple photos, and it does a pretty good job, but there are better options available. The ... [Read more]

Undela is Ctrl+Z files you've emptied out of the recycle bin.

Chances are that you've deleted a file by accident. Sometimes you're lucky enough to still have it lingering around in your recycle bin, other times you panic after realizing you emptied it three days ago.

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Undela is a Windows application that seeks to give you a second chance with your deleted files. Much like a similar app named Recuva, this app will attempt to analyze your free disk space for deleted data and display a result list of its findings. Once you find the file you're seeking in the list, you're just a few steps away from bringing it back to life. Here's how to get started:

Tired of eating the same things over and over? Or maybe you're just looking to grab a deal at your favorite spot to eat? Time to check out Restaurant.com's Android app.

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With this app you'll find options for gift certificates at restaurants that are local to you, and at a much better price. For instance, when I went looking for sushi, I found a local place that had options to spend $4 for a $10 gift certificate, or $15 for $25. Those are amazing deals if you're on a budget and don't want to sacrifice some your food choices.

Search for restaurant deals near you with Restaurant.com for Android.

Start by downloading a copy of the Restaurant.com app. After opening the app, you can either search with GPS (Deals Near Me), ZIP code, or city name. When the results list loads, you can sor... [Read more]

A look at Bing Maps powered by Nokia's services.

Nokia has brought a couple of its location-based services to Bing Maps.

The company announced yesterday that Bing Maps users will now have traffic information available to them from Nokia's Where platform. Where is available in 24 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. According to Nokia, users in the U.S. already had traffic information available to them, but this addition now includes support for side streets.

Nokia is also bringing geocoding to Bing Maps, allowing the platform to take latitude and longitude information, and connect that to a readable address.

"It's how we know that Seattle's Space Needle is at the geocoordinates N47 degrees 37' 13.807", W122 degrees 20' 57.088" and vice versa," the company wrote on its blog. "But in practical terms it means something simpler."

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Never miss a concert

The concert season is finally upon us! Summer is a popular time to head out, soak up the sun, and, of course, plan concert trips to see your favorite bands and singers. Whether you're into Bieber or Jagger, these apps will help you track events and schedule concerts to see your faves perform.

OnTour On Tour lets you discover new artists and track concerts as well as read band bios. The app will generate a list of concert tour dates and events based on your interests and existing music files. The interface has an easy-to-use design; swipe left and right to switch between event details, read singer biographies, and check out a list of bands that are similar to your musical taste.

JamBase JamBase is another useful alternative app for tracking concerts and other musical events, but focuses more on local performances. JamBase finds live shows that are specific to your current location and enables you to quickly plan ahead. In addition to having easy access to your calendar and maps to the venue, JamBase also allows users to track the artists' other shows and offers direct links to buy tickets.

CoBook takes the inaugural Editors' Choice.

Apple has silently added a new feature to its App Store: Editors' Choice.

When users boot up the Mac App Store or App Store, they'll find a new promotional feature, called Editors' Choice. On the Mac App Store side, Apple says that for its "inaugural pick," it chose CoBook, an address book application that supplements usability by accessing social networks. In addition, the company chose Deus Ex Human Revolution as another Editors' Choice worth checking out.

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Not to be outdone, Apple unveil... [Read more]