I've lost almost $400,000 worth of bitcoin so far. Now's the bit where I'm supposed to tell you it's all fake and I only lost it in the cryptocurrency trading simulation game Bitcoin Flip. But no, I actually bought $500 worth of bitcoin back when it was cheap, then left it in the hands of the Mt. Gox online exchange, which then lost it.

Carrot Weather, the famously mouthy weather app for iOS and Mac, is now in beta on Android. The app reports the weather with sarcastic patter, doing a mediocre impression of the abusive AI from Portal. Thankfully, you can switch to "professional" mode and enjoy a sophisticated, customisable weather app without distractions.

iOS: Earlier this year, Google teamed up with Nintendo to turn Google Maps into Mario Kart, replacing the app's usual location icon with a fist-bumping plumber riding a red go-kart. The crossover didn't last very long, but Google is now bringing back some of that magic with a new update to the Maps app on iOS.

Earlier this year, Snapchat rolled out a drastic redesign meant to make the confusing social network a little easier for newcomers to understand. But the new layout flopped and now Snapchat is admitting defeat with a second redesign that undoes almost all of those changes.

We're all probably a little more addicted to our phones than we'd like to be. I know that I instinctively pull mine out whenever there's a break in the action of the day be that when I'm on the train, between meetings, or even waiting on food at a restaurant. It's easy to take your phone out and get absorbed in what's happening on Facebook or Instagram.

These days, most websites automatically switch to a mobile-friendly version when you view them on your smartphones. Unfortunately, the results can still be cluttered and difficult to navigate - especially if you aren't rocking a huge phone.

The latest version of Google Chrome attempts to take care of this problem with a 'Simplified View' option. Here's how to switch it on.

iOS: Making GIFs yourself has always been a pretty involved process either made too simple to suit my desires or too complicated to be intuitive. GIF Toaster blends the best of both worlds, offering more than enough control over the GIFs you're trying to create in an interface that's simple to use and free of ads (if you pay).

I already know I'm addicted to my smartphone, and if you've ever absentmindedly reached into your pocket and switched on the screen without realising it, you're probably just as hooked as I am. These devices have become so ingrained into our lives that it's hard to tell how often we check them, but a new Android app lets you dig into the data to see exactly how much time (and battery life) you're wasting on a daily basis.

I learned how to play the piano the old-fashioned way -- by being dragged by my mother to weekly lessons taught by an elderly woman in the neighbourhood, and yawning at the sheet music as my kid-fingers played a clunky rendition of Für Elise. Since then, music instruction has evolved. There has been a crop of video game apps that introduce children to instruments such as the piano, guitar, drums and ukulele and through fun challenges, get them to practice -- willingly.

If you've been thinking about purchasing a Galaxy S9 but aren't quite sure you're ready to bite the bullet, Samsung has created a way for you to give the phone a test drive using your current device.

If you don't have the need or the budget to upgrade your smartphone, then the next best thing is buying an upgrade for the phone you've already got. Cases, battery packs, and wireless charging pads are the obvious calls, but there are a ton of more exciting upgrades out there for you to spend your money on too - and these are some of our favourites types.

Snapchat recently released a redesign that hasn't exactly been a hit with its most loyal users. With most apps, if you opt for the upgrade you're stuck with the new version until the developer puts out something new.

iOS/Android: I hate mobile browsing. When I open Safari, I'm usually trying to google something quickly, then go back to my other apps. Lately I've been trying the mobile browser Cake, publicly released for iOS and Android today and it's made searching much faster.

Most of the time, when a notification pops up on my phone I can decide in a split second whether I need to deal with it immediately. But every once in a while I make the wrong call, swiping away an important alert that sends me digging through Gmail or Twitter to type out what should have been a quick response.

macOS: Sometimes when I've been sitting at my desk for a few hours, I think about how sitting is killing us and how I should really take a break and go out for a walk or get in a workout. And then I get up, bring lunch to my desk, and keep working.

That innocent-looking mobile game you just downloaded might just have an ulterior motive. Behind the scenes, hundreds of different apps could be using your smartphone's microphone to figure out what you watch on TV, a new report from The New York Times reveals. Here's what you need to know about these eavesdropping apps and what you can do to stop them.

There's nothing like hitting the beach or the pool on a hot day and soaking in some rays -- that is until you get home and realise what you've soaked in is an epic sunburn. Sunburns
suck, take way too long to get rid of and can make you the joke of the office come Monday when you show up looking like a lobster.

When you're heading home from a night out with friends, sharing an Uber often makes a lot of sense. However, up until now, you'd have to verbally tell your driver you were going to make a few stops, and then input a new address each time someone gets out of the car. It's a process that works, but tends to be pretty frustrating for both you and the driver.

Boomerang, the email add-on that lets you control when to send email, is now a free full-featured email app on iOS. We've included the Android version in our Android download pack for years and the app started in 2010 as a Gmail add-on, so this has been a long time coming. The iOS version is in beta, according to a FAQ buried inside the app's settings menu.