One of the great things about "smartphones" is that they are awfully hard to lose. There are countless apps that will help locate your phone from Timbuktu to Tippecanoe County. (And oh, how many times have I wished I could call my keys or wallet to find them?) However, if your ringer is on mute, finding it when it's wedged down in the couch cushions requires a keen ear for the buzz of vibrate mode.

Or, if you are a rational Android user, you will download and install the free Android app SMSAlarm, which offers the simple yet essential option of texting your phone a secret message to elicit a loud alarm.

The app is about as simple as you can get, and that's how I like 'em. There are four options in the program: "Activation SMS" allows you to choose the specific code that will trigger the alarm when texted to your missing phone; "Vibrate" is a yes/no option that determines whether or not the phone will vibrate as well as ring when the SMS alarm is triggered (it will not override your Messaging settings); "Alarm duration" lets you set the length of the alarm, from 5 seconds to 2 minutes; and "Test" simply demonstrates what the alarm will sound like when activated.

There's no alarm customization, and it's pretty loud, but better too loud than too soft. I would expect any future versions of the app to address... [Read more]

Adobe Systems is trying to move its customers to its Creative Cloud subscription.

Adobe Systems beat analysts' profitability expectations by 3 cents per share in the second fiscal quarter, ratcheted its Creative Cloud subscriber total up 221,000 to 700,000, and is considering new measures to mollify those who don't like the subscriptions, the company said Tuesday.

For the company's fiscal second quarter, which ended May 31, the company reported net income of 36 cents per share on a non-GAAP basis that excludes various charges, a notch better than the 33 cents average expectation of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. Using generally accepted accounting principles, the company's net income was 15 cents per share. Net income was $76.5 million on a GAAP basis and $182.9 million on a non-GAAP basis, Adobe said.

The company's revenue increased 11 percent year over year, from $1.02 billion to $1.01 billion, which was in line with analyst expectations and Adobe's guidance. In after-hours trading, Adobe shares jumped 4.5 percent, or $1.98, to $45.34.

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Photoshop CC adds the Camera Raw dialog as a filter you can apply after you've opened the file.

It's been a bumpy few weeks for Adobe since announcing its controversial decision to move all its "perpetual license" Creative Suite applications to a subscription-only plan -- almost 32,000 people have signed a petition against the move and our own survey with Jeffries indicates that "Creative Suite users loathe Adobe's subscriptions" -- but as of Monday night it's officially here.

If you've bought into or opt to buy into the plan, you'll get a host of interesting application updates, settings sync via the cloud, and access to all of Adobe's applications if you cough up enough dough. However, the decision to opt in goes beyond a simple cost/benefit analysis. This business model requires that you enter it with an exit plan and a reliable internet connection. Which applications can you buy to do what you need if price increases become onerous or freelance cash flow puts you under water? Which file types won't transition well if you need to swi... [Read more]