Apple this afternoon pushed out its first update to iTunes 11, returning a useful feature that was removed from the previous version.

iTunes 11.0.1, which went out as a free update to users today, brings back the built-in tool to find duplicates, one of the seven features CNET highlighted as missing in the jump from Apple's last major iTunes release.

The update also fixes an issue that kept purchased items from showing up in the library if Apple's paid iTunes Match subscription service was enabled, along with an issue that kept the AirPlay icon from showing up.

Here's the gist from the change log:

This update to the new iTunes addresses an issue where new purchases in iCloud may not appear in your library if iTunes Match is turned on, makes iTunes more responsive when searching a large library, fixes a problem where the AirPlay button may not appear as expected, and adds the ability to display duplicate items within your library. This update also includes other important stability and performance improvements.

And the de-duper in action:

... [Read more]

Announced today, Facebook for Android version 2.0 is officially out and apparently, it should blow previous versions out of the water, speed-wise. According to Facebook's blog post, the app is twice as fast at displaying photos and Timeline items.

Previously, the Facebook app functioned in a sort of hybrid native/webview, which was a major reason for its sluggish performance. With today's update, however, users will get to enjoy a completely rebuilt app, made entirely with native code. This is a big deal. The main news feed, notifications, and Timeline should feel faster, and photo loading times should be cut as well. Also, the story banner now automatically updates and pushes up new stories, no matter where you are in the news feed.

Whereas previous updates to the Facebook for Android app may have resulted in marginal speed improvements, this update should be taken as something more noteworthy. Now that the preferred (fully native) infrastructure is in place, users can only expect the app to get significantly faster and to run more smoothly from here on out. But of course, we won't know for sure, until we test it.

The new Facebook for Android 2.0 is now live on Google Play.

Stay tuned for a full review.

Google Maps is back on iOS, but this time as a standalone app. You'll find it doesn't look like it did on iOS 5, due to Google having complete freedom with the user interface and design. As such, using Google Maps on iOS is going to feel a bit familiar, yet like a completely new experience.

To install Google Maps on iOS, you'll need to be using an iPhone (3GS and newer), iPod Touch (fourth and fifth gen) or an iPad running at least iOS 5.1. If you're using one of the above devices, download Google Maps for iOS from the App Store. It should be noted, Google Maps is not built for the iPad, so you'll be running the iPhone version of the app should you download it.

Setup (Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET)

• The first time you launch Google Maps you can sign into your Google account. Doing so will keep any searches you do in Google Maps on your computer or your phone to stay in sync. For example; you can look up directions to a restaurant on your computer before leaving the house, then pull it up on your iPhone by tapping on the search field.

Amazon's Prime Instant Video application.

Amazon has finally delivered its Instant Video streaming app to the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The company announced the app's availability today, saying that over 30,000 titles in the Prime Instant Video library will be available for users to stream. In addition, the application allows for access to over 140,000 movies and television shows that can be downloaded for purchase or rental.

Amazon's Prime Instant Video is available only to customers who sign up for the company's $79-a-year Prime membership. With that, customers get free two-day shipping, as well as "free" access to the Instant Video.

Amazon currently offers access to its streaming library across a wide array of products, including the Kindle Fire HD, PlayStation 3, PCs, and Macs. The company already has an application available for iPad customers. Today's announcement adds Apple's two other mobile products to the mix.

The Instant Video app is available now as a free download in Apple's App Store.

Support for Apple's Retina displays and other high-DPI screens is helpful for judging fine details like wispy hair.

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 4.3 today, adding support for MacBook Pros' high-resolution Retina displays and for raw images from 20 new cameras.

The list of supported cameras includes three higher-end compact PowerShot models from Canon, the small S110, the more flexible G15, and the ultrazoom SX50 HS; the new Nikon 1 V2 compact interchangeable-lens model and lower-priced full-frame Nikon D600 SLR; and competing models from Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, and Pentax. However, the D600 support is only preliminary, according to a blog post by Sharad Mangalick.

The Retina support, available only in Lightroom's library and develop modules, means that images no longer are scaled. And that's good: photos appear crisper and that thumbnail images carry a lot more information. In my testing of the release candidate version, however, I've foun... [Read more]