iPhone Applications

Spruce up your reminders with a handy countdown app. Reminder & Countdown free covers all the bases when it comes to displaying how much time is left until an event or holiday. Anything at all can be logged with a time and Reminder & Countdown will automatically alert you before or when it happens.

Reminder & Countdown free version 1.5 requires iOS 5.0 or later and is optimized for the iPhone 5 display. The app is supported by small banner ads at the bottom of the screen, which don’t interfere with the reminders or functionality of the app. Upon first opening Reminder & Countdown the master list of events appears along with real-time countdowns.

CBS has launched a free, full-episode streaming app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This universal app will stream content from the network over any data connection, including 3G, 4G, LTE and Wi-Fi. Some episodes will be available just 24 hours after broadcast, with others delayed eight days.

Many favorite shows including Survivor, Two and a Half Men, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Young and the Restless, NCIS, The Amazing Race, and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will be available free of charge using the CBS app. The network plans to launch similar streaming apps for other mobile platforms such as Android and Windows 8 later this year.

Tumblr fans will be happy to know the site has released a major update to its iOS app. Version 3.3 includes a brand new camera and the ability to create photosets right in the app. Previously, Tumblr iOS users had to download the separate Photoset app to make this happen.

Photosets are a Tumblr feature that makes it possible to arrange your photos in a special layout for sharing with friends and family. Once created, the photoset can be shared using a variety of methods, including Tumblr, Twitter, email and more.

Google Chrome joins Google Maps in getting an update on the iOS App Store this week. The latest Chrome browser adds a feature already familiar to Safari users. Holding the back browsing button will bring up a menu of recently visited web pages.

The back button function is a shortcut to accessing the history right from the main browsing window that can save time. With this update to Chrome 25 for iPhone and iPad, Google has also made it possible to share a web page using Messages.

Google has launched the first update to its stand-alone Google Maps app for iOS. Version 1.1 brings several improvements for iPhone and iPod touch users. Local search gets new icons to organize nearby results by category, such as post offices, bars, gas stations and the like.

This can speed up the search process if you're in a hurry, making the local search feature even more powerful and convenient. The other major upgrade is Google Contacts integration. If you're a Google account user, this means your contacts will be included in Google Maps search results.