"We came to dance. The piper calls out a different rhyme. He cracks the whip and we step in time." -- Ultravox

An electro-pop pioneer, singer-guitarist Midge Ure called early-'80s club-goers to the dance floor with Visage's "Fade to Grey and Ultravox's "Vienna," "Reap the Wild Wind," and "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes." He later morphed into a philanthropic powerhouse who raised millions for famine relief, co-producing Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" single and mega-concerts Live Aid and Live8. After scoring solo hits "No Regrets," "If I Was," "Dear God," and "Breathe," Ure reformed Ultravox in 2009 for the release of 2012's "Brilliant" album.

If you can't wait for Ure's return to the U.S. for another round of solo dates in 2014, you can get your fix by purchasing this year's 15-track "Live in Chicago" album or the eBook of his '90s autobiography "If I Was," exclusively on MidgeUre.com.

If you've never heard of Midge, Ure in for a thrill.

(Credit: Andy Siddens) Download.com caught up with Ure about mobile recording and touring, taking pictures on his phone, the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of social media -- and most importantly, whether he downloaded Visage's recent reunion album.

Do you ever use mobile apps to create music? I have experimented with that but it's too fiddly. I've always wanted to be in a situation where I could have mobile recordin... [Read more]

Schemer is an underrated, underexposed Google app that helps you plan and discover plans based on your location. It'll integrate with your contact list and display what's essentially a social to-do list, or "schemes," that might be interesting or fun to do.

For example, if there's a particular food truck that you've been dying to try, you can add it as a "Scheme" and keep track of your social bucket list. Schemer will also scrape other friends' schemes based on shared locations.

Each user profile displays some pretty useful info., like the top schemes accomplished by each person, how many people they've "inspired," and who their influential schemers are. You can also track popular schemes, visually, via maps if you're looking for a quick to-do list.

It's been awhile since Google last updated the app, but here's to hoping for continued support...or possibly even a future integration with Google Now.

[Read more]

After years of hiatus, PopCap Games has released the long-awaited sequel to their smash hit with the appropriate title "Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time." The original Plants vs. Zombies is one of the best-known, classic titles in the world of mobile gaming and has spawned a multitude of spin-offs, including a console release, a Nintendo DS version, a Facebook version, and even its own board game. PVZ2 promises much of the same action but with a new, quirky twist on the plot, including the ability to travel to new worlds (Ancient Eqypt and a pirate stage), and brings new settings to this endless fight of Ghouls vs. Botanicals. With plenty of new features and extra options, the developers at PopCap changed up the game but still managed to keep the same pick-up-and-play style of the original that will surely please fans, new and old, alike. Check out the official review or try it out for yourself. Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time currently only supports iOS for now with an Android release coming soon.

---

... [Read more]

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Related stories

• Using the Facebook Cover Feed lock screen for Android
• Set up quick access to the Galaxy S3 or Note 2 camera
• Shipoopi adds any app to your lock screen on Android 4.2

Android devices are great for those who love personalization. For instance, if you want to change the theme of your home screen and menus, an app can easily do that for you. And if you ever get bored of the current lock screen, it can be changed to look like a different Android version or even a different mobile OS.

Such is the case with the Ubuntu Lockscreen app by Rotary Heart, which allows you to copy the look of the Ubuntu for Android lock screen. Ready to try it out? Here's how:

Step 1: Install a copy of Ubuntu Lockscreen on your Android device. According to the developer, this app will work on both smartphones and tablets.

Step 2: Press the Home... [Read more]