The Dr. Seuss Short Stories collection includes eight interactive, narrated tales from various books.

Every parent knows (or should know) the importance of reading to their kids. And when it comes to stories adults and toddlers alike can enjoy, it's hard to beat Dr. Seuss.

Of course, browse the aisles (real or virtual) of any bookstore and you'll see that your average Dr. Seuss hardcover can run $10-15. Ouch!

That's why I continue to be a big fan of Oceanhouse Media's Dr. Seuss e-book apps, which not only provide the complete Seuss experience (and then some), but also save you considerable coin.

For example, Amazon charges $9.47 for the print edition of "The Lorax," which is at least better than the $14.99 list price. But the iOS app version? A mere $4.99.

And here's an even better buy: For a limited time, Oceanhouse's new Dr. Seuss Short Story Collection is on sale for $7.99. It's available for iOS and in the Amazon Appstore for compatible Android devices.

T... [Read more]

Bump in action.

Bump, the application that lets users share everything from contacts to photos and files, no longer supports iTunes music transfers.

The company announced the feature loss yesterday in its App Store update, saying, "we're sorry, but we are no longer permitted access to iTunes audio files on the device." Bump didn't say why it was forced to remove the feature, but it's likely that Apple took issue with its functionality.

Previously, users were able to share iTunes tracks with other Bump users. The audio files could also be shared on computers.

It appears that the iTunes sharing feature was taken out in the latest update. So, those who don't update still might be able to share iTunes tracks with others.

The "More" option in Black Menu for Chrome.

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Depending on the version of Chrome you're using, you may have noticed some changes to the black navigation bar along the top of the Google homepage. For some, the bar is still there, and for others, it has completely disappeared. One developer decided to make his own navigation menu, and luckily you can use it too.

Black Menu, by Carlos Jeurissen, is a Chrome extension that adds quick links to all of the popular Google services, like Gmail, Maps, Drive, YouTube, among others. Instead of waiting for Google to decide if the navigation bar will stay or go, you can take matters into your own hands by installing this extension.

Getting the extension is easy. First, head the entry page for ... [Read more]

Intel's XDK software, which the chipmaker got through its acquisition of AppMobi, is now available under the Intel name. It lets people use Web-app tools to create software that runs on mobile devices.

Intel has released its first version of Web-based programming tools to help developers make mobile apps for Android and iOS.

The free software, called Intel XDK, isn't brand new. It's a rebadged version of the AppMobi software that Intel acquired in February. XDK lets people create software that uses the so-called HTML5 foundation, a collection of standards designed to advance the Web beyond static documents toward dynamic applications, then convert those apps so they can be used on mobile devices.

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• ... [Read more]
  
  
  

CloudOn's Office app.

Those of you waiting for Microsoft to unveil a version of Office for iOS or Android should stop waiting and take CloudOn's Office app for a spin.

Reports of Microsoft bringing Office to the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices have been in the wind for the past year.

Initial rumors pointed to a launch date of last November. The timeframe then slipped to last month. And now an alleged Microsoft road map suggests that a mobile version of Office won't appear until later next year.

The head of the Microsoft Office division recently ... [Read more]

Kik messaging App

They're simple, social, and entirely made for mobile, all of which might explain the explosive growth of standalone messaging apps even as Facebook offers a free way to chat on smartphones.

One of the biggies, Kik says that it now has more than 50 million users and that people -- mostly young people -- are signing up at a rate of 200,000 a day. That's twice the rate that Kik claimed when it last released stats. Just last November, the app claimed 30 million users and said that 100,000 people were signing up each day.

"It's just crazy," said Ted Livingston, the 25-year-old founder and CEO of Kik. "This is all about the network effect."

Along with boasting new stats, Kik today is releasing a new version of its app for both Android and iOS. The big advance, said Livingston, is that Kik is adding in-app push notifications, which is a first for apps built with HTML5.

"All the problems with HTML 5 apps are slowly getting knocked off," Livingston said. "The one that has remained is push notification."

Last November, Kik came out of an 18-month stretch of development to ... [Read more]

An upcoming edition of Apple's MacBook Pro may include support for 802.11ac.

Macs of the near future may be able to tap directly into high-speed 802.11ac networks.

Code for the latest OS X 10.8.4 beta includes a string with the term "802.11ac channel," according to Apple-focused blog 9to5Mac. This appears to be the first reference to 802.11ac in OS X since the term does not show up in the code for OS X 10.8.3, the current version of Apple's OS.

Past rumors have suggested that Apple would be one of the early adopters of 802.11ac, equipping its laptops and tablets with the higher-speed Wi-Fi standard. Apple's Time Capsule, Airport Base Station, and other networking products would also support 802.11ac. Reports have suggested that Apple is working with chipmaker Broadcom to implement the new technology.

As the latest Wi-Fi flavor, ... [Read more]