The Download Blog - CNET

Firefox 11 to get add-on sync

Seth Rosenblatt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:46:08 PST

See this? Not for much longer, Firefox users on Windows.

(Credit: Mozilla)

Following the update to Firefox stable earlier this week, Mozilla released today updates to its Aurora and Beta versions that introduce some pretty hefty changes for the Firefox on PCs.

Firefox 11 beta (download for Windows | Mac | Linux) presages some hefty changes for the browser. The biggest one, which wasn't present in the Firefox 11 Aurora release, is add-on sync. You will now be able to mirror the same add-on installations and settings across multiple desktops. Although Google Chrome has been able to sync add-ons for some time, its implementation has been notably uneven, so it'll be interested to see how well Firefox handles it.

A more silent update process is coming to Firefox on Windows, also mimicking Chrome's updates. Windows' User Account Control will only require user input for updates once; thereafter, updates will occur seamlessly when the browser is restarted. The benefi... [Read more]

Add-on hooks uTorrent into your browser

Seth Rosenblatt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:30:29 PST

uTorrent Control adds torrent management to your browser.

(Credit: BitTorrent, Inc.)

For people who want the shortest path from a Web site to their torrent client, the new add-on uTorrent Control (download) puts basic torrent-managing tools directly in your browser.

It lets you add, remove, and pause torrents; check download status; and monitor download speeds. You can sync it with the desktop client or with uTorrent Remote, and use it to launch the Web remote at remote.utorrent.com. The add-on installs as a toolbar on Firefox and Internet Explorer; on Chrome, it appears as a button.

It also has a sponsored search engine component, which is easy enough to ignore. uTorrent Control is an interesting browser additive for torrenting addicts, but it's not really necessary.

Editor's note:Using P2P and file-sharing software to distribute copyrighted material without authorization is illegal in the United States and many other countries. CBS Interactive does not encourage or condone the illegal duplication or distribution of copyrighted content.

[Read more]

Game day apps for football haters

Jaymar Cabebe — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:16:02 PST

It's the weekend of the big game, and all your friends are planning a party, but you hate football. What do you do?

Okay, so maybe you don't hate football, but you're definitely not interested in watching it for half a day, even if it is the championship game. And that's totally fair. Either way, you're going to need something to occupy your time while the rest of your buds are glued to their television sets. So here's a collection of apps for iPhone and Android to help you escape the potential boredom of this weekend's big event.

Editor's note: If you are right now saying to yourself, "I love football," then read Jason Parker's post on Games for football lovers on iPhone and Android.

(Credit: Television Food Network)

In The Kitchen ($1.99) for Android or iPhone gives you a database of delicious recipes from all your favorite Food Network chefs. If you're hosting or going to a football-related get-together this weekend, you can use it to escape the screen and prep some delicious dishes for the gang.

The interface offers a number of ways to find a goo... [Read more]

Games for football lovers on iPhone and Android

Jason Parker — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:16:00 PST

(Credit: CNET)

The big game is this weekend and most American's will tell you it's a lot more than just a football game.

Many people make an event out of the game with parties, barbeques, and betting pools, even if their favorite team isn't in the running. Even the commercials shown during the game are an event in themselves with advertisers spending huge amounts of money for 30 second and one minute spots.

While you wait for the Sunday's festivities to kick off, I've put together a collection of mobile games to get you excited for the main event. Most of the time I only write about iPhone apps in this space, but this special event calls for a special post.

This week's apps are football themed games for both iPhone and Android and they all let you fill the shoes of different players on a football team. The first lets you run past defenders on your way to the end zone. The second lets you try your luck at being the kicker who needs to split the uprights. The third has you playing as the quarterback, trying to complete perfect passes to open receivers.

Editor's note: If you are right now saying to yourself, "I hate football!" then read Jaymar Cabebe's post on Game day apps for football haters.

Use the juke and sprint buttons to get to the end zone, but once you're there i... [Read more]

Apple cleans App Store of high-profile lookalike apps

Josh Lowensohn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:59:22 PST

Some of Sinelnikov's apps (on the left) compared to their similarly named App Store counterparts (on the right).

(Credit: CNET)

Apple has declared war on lookalikes in its App Store.

The company today removed a handful of iOS applications that bore a resemblance to more popular apps, and had climbed the charts as a result.

As spotted by TechCrunch, apps like Tiny Birds, Plants vs. Zombie, Numbers with Friends, and Temple Jump have been removed from the App Store. That's not to be confused with titles like Tiny Wings, Plants vs. Zombies, Words with Friends, and Temple Run, longtime crowd favorites and best-sellers that remain available.

The removals come on the heels of a report posted by The Guardian chronicling Anton Sinelnikov--the developer of these titles--as well as other developers that have created apps that customers can easily mistake for the real deal.

Nine of Sinelnikov's other titles remain available on the App Store, though none that could be mistaken for some on Apple's top selling lists.

Apple makes it at least partially clear that this behavior is not allowed, as per its App Store Guidelines, a rulebook the company introduced near the end of 2010 in an attempt to explain what it wo... [Read more]

Mozilla preps the Web to push

Seth Rosenblatt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:29:36 PST

This snippet of code is the beginning of a project to give Web sites the notification powers of mobile apps.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Mozilla engineers have begun work on a new API for Web sites that will allow them to notify you when they update, similar to how a mobile app notifies you that it has new content for you to check out. But what it really sounds like is a way to drag the concept of RSS feeds into Web 2.0--finally.

Jeff Balogh, a Web developer at Mozilla, explained in a blog post earlier this week that the push application programming interface is designed to extend the idea of the push services we already experience on iOS and Android to the entire Web. Although I don't have confirmation of this at the time of publication, the push API ought to give Web apps notification abilities.

Balogh described a simple process for how it works. First, the Web site gets a URL where it can send notifications to the user. The URL points to the notification service, which is a secret between the user and the site. Then, the site sends a notification to the service. The service then delivers the message to the browser. As a Mozilla engineer, it's not surprising that his example was Firefox, but he is correct in noting that his employer makes one of the few browsers that's available on all the major platforms: <... [Read more]

Check out those pores: Skype goes high-def

Seth Rosenblatt — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:30:50 PST

If you don't take care of your skin, it could come up in your next Skype conversation, as Skype for Windows (download) updated today with support for high-def resolution.

The new version of the VoIP software also gets Facebook audio and video chat, the power to share screens with more than one person, a push-to-talk option, Bing Bar integration, and a new software updating service for automatic updates.

The high-def isn't available to just anybody, of course. You'll have to have a Logitech C920 Webcam and an upload/download speed of at least 2 Mbps. Skype explained in a blog post announcing the update that the Logitech Webcam encodes the video inside the camera, so older computers will be able to handle the higher resolution video.

Facebook integration, which is in beta, now allows you to call your Facebook contacts even if they don't have Skype accounts. Thankfully, you can hide Facebook friends who aren't logged in.

The new "push to talk" option, available under the Advanced section of the Options menu, lets you set a hotkey to toggle microphone muting during a call. Apparently, it was heavily requested by gamers, but it could be quite useful for conference calls that don't take place in World of Warcaft, too.

The group screen sharing is restricted to Skype Premium, but it is... [Read more]

How to DJ your own wedding

Donald Bell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:22:40 PST

Use iTunes to DJ your own wedding

The DJ plays a critical and often misunderstood role in any wedding ceremony. If you can afford a professional, by no means should you use the following tutorial to skimp out. You'll save yourself loads of hassle and be able to enjoy your day with one less concern floating around in your head.

Also be aware that the term "professional" does not apply to your estranged pothead cousin who owns a bunch of DJ gear and could really use some extra cash. In fact, that scenario is potentially more stressful and prone to failure than doing things yourself. Really, if you can afford an experienced wedding DJ, it is worth every penny.

That said, not everyone can afford a DJ for their wedding. I sure wasn't able to when I got married years ago. My wife and I sunk our budget into the venue and catering. For the rest, we either tried to do it ourselves, or got it on the cheap. We figured that with enough good food and wine in a beautiful setting, the wedding would be a success, even if the place settings weren't up to Martha Stewart standards.

One thing I did have was access to a great PA system and enough time on my hands to assemble a handful of useful iTunes playlists. The results, while not fairytale-perfect, worked well enough to steer a beautiful ceremony into a fun party with a full dance floor.

In fact, it worked so well that I was asked to pull off the s... [Read more]

How to enter formulas in Numbers

Topher Kessler — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:16:43 PST

When you purchase a new Mac it almost goes without saying that some sort of office productivity suite is required, and though, based on popularity, some might gravitate to Microsoft's Office, there are others available as well, such as OpenOffice, NeoOffice, some standalone word processors, and also Apple's iWork suite.

iWork's programs include Pages for word processing, Keynote for presentations, and a relatively unique approach to spreadsheets with its Numbers program, which if you are used to Excel, offers some similar ways to manage data, albeit with some uniquenesses.

Unlike most spreadsheet programs that offer a seemingly endless grid on which you organize your data and perform calculations, Numbers offers a more inviting starting point. The basic spreadsheet is presented as a blank canvas with a standalone table on it, offering you the option to organize your data on multiple tables on the same sheet rather than using a different section of the same grid, an organization that might be a bit more intuitive to some.

A basic spreadsheet has one table on it but allows you to add more to customize your organization. As with other spreadsheets, typing an equals symbol invokes the formula editor.

(Credit: Screenshot by Topher Kessler)

While a spreadsheet can be used for organ... [Read more]

Want 4.5GB of free Dropbox space? Be a guinea pig

Stephen Shankland — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:11:38 PST

Dropbox, the popular cloud storage utility for synchronizing files among many devices, ordinarily limits free accounts to 2GB, but those who test a new feature to automatically upload photos can get as much as 4.5GB.

To take advantage of the offer, you have to run a beta version of the company's software, and you have to try a feature that automatically uploads photos and videos to the service, according to a forum post yesterday.

"During this beta period, we are also offering additional free space to test automatic uploading of photos and videos. For every 500MB of photos and videos automatically uploaded, you'll receive another 500MB space bonus, up to 4.5GB total," the post said. "You can get up to 5GB of free space with this feature, if you count the initial 500MB space for the first photo import."

For those who don't want to upload multiple gigabytes, Dropbox said it will give "500MB of free space on first photo import."

The service imports photos from cameras, mobile phones, and SD cards plugged into a computer, the post said.

Dropbox recommends backing up your data before running the beta.

Among the caveats:

• To import from iPhone, make sure to unlock your phone and enter your passcode before importing, otherwise it will claim to find no photos.

• If importing from your iPhone on Mac gives an import error, try hard resetting it--... [Read more]

Crave giveaway: Nuance Dragon Dictate 2.5 for Mac

Leslie Katz — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:01:00 PST

(Credit: Nuance)

Speak now, or forever hold your chance to win this week's Crave giveaway. The prize: Nuance's Dragon Dictate 2.5 for Mac. The speech recognition software boasts some enhancements over earlier versions, including full support for Microsoft Word 2011 and new Facebook- and Twitter-sharing capabilities.

Dragon Dictate 2.5 also takes advantage of the recently introduced Dragon Remote Mic App, a free application that lets you use an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad as a wireless microphone for Dragon via Wi-Fi.

Normally, Dragon Dictate 2.5 would cost you $179.99, but you have the chance to get it for nada, nothing, zip, zilch. So how do you go about snagging this week's freebie? There are a few rules, so please take a moment to stop talking and read them carefully.

Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the Join CNET link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful, it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
Leave only one comment. You may enter for this s... [Read more]

Super Bowl XLVI launches free app for game day

Dara Kerr — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:26:43 PST

The NFL is gearing up for tens of thousands of visitors to descend upon Indianapolis to watch the Super Bowl live this weekend. In order to help fans navigate the city and stadium, the sports federation released a free app yesterday for iOS and Android called Super Bowl XLVI Guide.

Screenshot of Super Bowl XLVI Guide

(Credit: NFL)

The app's features include a detailed guide to local restaurants, nightlife, and official Super Bowl events, a 3D map of Indianapolis, and an interactive 3D map of Lucas Oil Stadium, along with screens to follow different social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. The idea is to put every app you'd like to access during game day into one synchronized interface.

One 3D map shows users a bird's-eye-view of the stadium and lets them hone in on their seats, while another shows the parking lot and city restaurants. However, according to The Verge, these maps aren't very helpful--there isn't a built-in navigation, so users must pinch and zoom around buildings and structures to locate their route.

Other problems, according to The Verge, are that users can't tap the pins showing a restaurant or shop--so it's impossible to get the name of a place. Additionally, users can't bookmark locat... [Read more]

Adobe gives Photoshop CS6 a new graphics-chip boost

Stephen Shankland — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:45:27 PST

Adobe uses a computer's GPU to accelerate the Liquify plug-in. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Adobe Systems has released a second sneak peak of Photoshop CS6 that shows new work to give a hardware boost to the image-editing software.

The graphics processing unit (GPU) speeds the Liquify tool, which lets people smear images in a finger-painting way, according to a Zorana Gee, a Photoshop product manager. She demonstrated the change in a YouTube video, the second in what looks to be a series of previews of the software. An earlier Photoshop CS6 preview showed new raw image editing tools adopted from the Lightroom 4 beta, a darker user interface, and improvements to brush size selection. Expect Adobe to add more previews but to withhold some goodies for the official launch sometime later in the first half of 2012.

When firing up the Liquify plug-in with the current Photoshop CS5.x to edit a 100MB image, the image arrives only gradually, broken up into m... [Read more]

Reckless Racing 2 power-slides into the iTunes App Store

Jason Parker — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:38:13 PST

Reckless Racing 2 is here and it's got all the bells and whistles we were missing in the original.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

The sequel to one of our favorite iOS racing games is out today, and new game modes, customization options, and car upgrades make Reckless Racing 2 the best in its genre at the iTunes App Store.

When the original Reckless Racing came out, it was a revelation of what a savvy developer could do on an iOS device. With great-looking graphics, ultra-realistic physics, and a retro edge, Reckless Racing demonstrated a new breed of racing game on iOS.

Reckless Racing 2 ($4.99) has all of the things we liked about the original, but adds tons of features and new tracks, and organizes the game modes to make a better all around gaming experience. The game comes with 24 routes with both dirt and tarmac variations and some races even have a mix of both surfaces. The physics in the original were exceptional, and this sequel continues the tradition, possibly making it the best power-slide racing game in the iTunes App Store. The tracks are also longer and more varied than the original, with big straightaways, clifflike drop-offs, and even better scenery.

... [Read more]

Rhapsody brings its music to Android tablets

Jaymar Cabebe — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:54:31 PST

(Credit: Rhapsody)

Popular music subscription service Rhapsody today brings its library of tracks to Android tablets running Honeycomb.

While Rhapsody has long been a fixture as a music player on many Android phones and the iPhone, today's newly released app was specifically created for tablets. And different from the iPad app, it's not simply a scaled-up version of its smaller-screen counterpart. According to Chief Product Officer Brendan Benzing, the folks at Rhapsody "re-imagined the entire experience" in order to take advantage of the extra screen real estate of a tablet and the capabilities of the Android Honeycomb OS.

Users of the new app will notice artist photos and album covers front and center in the refreshed interface. Also, tablet users get access to the huge library of editorial content that's available on the Rhapsody site but inaccessible from previous mobile apps. And finally this newest release even lets you download playlists to local memory for easy playing while offline.

Rhapsody for Android tablets (download) is available now for free for devices running Android Honeycomb OS.

[Read more]

How to scan documents with Android devices

Nicole Cozma — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:34:11 PST

Whether you need to scan a document for signatures or you're prepping for tax season, this app is extremely useful.

There have been many attempts at document scanners on the Android Market. Most of the time these apps will utilize your camera and turn pictures you take into JPEGs or PDFs. Unfortunately, it's really difficult to take pictures of proportional rectangles in real life and have them look the same on your phone.

That's why HandyScanner is so useful; it corrects the common issues with taking photos of documents, and even allows you to use filters that make them easier to read. Here's how to get started:

Step 1: Grab HandyScanner from the Android Market.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma)

Step 2: Open the app. You'll be walked through a quick introduction of features that HandyScanner offers.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma)

Step 3: Touch the Input button (a plus sign inside of a circle) in the top right-hand corner. You can select a picture from your gallery to adjust or opt to take a new one. When you finish, press the Done button on the screen.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma)

S... [Read more]

Adobe: Here's why Creative Cloud is worth $600 a year

Stephen Shankland — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:57:05 PST

Elements of the Creative Cloud

(Credit: Adobe Systems)

Unimpressed by Adobe Systems' Creative Cloud, its forthcoming $50-per-month subscription plan? Adobe wants to change your mind.

The company offered some new details today to show people that the Creative Cloud plan gets people access to more than just the full Creative Suite (CS) Master Collection and tablet-oriented Touch programs. Specifically, according to Scott Morris, senior director of product marketing on Adobe's digital media team, there are these elements:

• The Creative Cloud will include Adobe's Muse and Edge software for creating Web pages. Muse won't be part of the Creative Suite, and Adobe hasn't decided whether Edge will be.

• When Lightroom 4 is out of its current beta-testing phase, it'll be added to the Creative Cloud subscription, too. Lightroom isn't included in CS.

• Creative Cloud subscribers will get early access to new features as they're done without having to wait for them to arrive in the official new CS apps.

• An online social-network community will let people share files, comment on each other's work, and follow each other.

Creative Cloud has several other elements, too, including 20GB of online storage that can be used to sync files across mul... [Read more]

Cocoon now sheathes you in IE, too

Seth Rosenblatt — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 PST

Cocoon for IE looks and works like Cocoon for Firefox.

(Credit: Cocoon)

The Cocoon add-on for Firefox rounded up a bunch of highly useful security features and presented them to you in one tight package. Cocoon has come to Internet Explorer, and it's available exclusively on Download.com today.

The first beta of Cocoon for Internet Explorer ports the add-on's entire feature set from Firefox to IE, and it'll work on IE8 and IE9 as far back as Windows XP. Features included are IP address anonymising, antivirus scanning of downloads, malware blocking, on-the-fly disposable e-mail addresses, secure public Wi-Fi, and encrypted browsing history.

After it's been installed, you can turn on Cocoon at will to get at its protection toys, and then deactivate it to browse normally. I detected no lags in browsing with it on, though, so once it leaves beta it might become one of the best security add-ons for IE. What's holding it back? Currently, the beta version has problems with cookie management when logging into some services.

iOS and Android versions are on their way, although the iOS version is expected to be finished first. Rather than present the features in an add-on, the iOS version will be a standalone browser. Interestin... [Read more]

Mac OS X 10.7.3 supports new crop of compact cameras

Stephen Shankland — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:11:33 PST

Olympus' PEN E-PM1

If there's any doubt about the accelerating shift from traditional SLRs to more compact interchangeable-lens cameras, let the newly released Mac OS X 10.7.3 update put them to rest.

Of the eleven cameras whose raw image formats Lion now supports, six of them are compact mirrorless models. They are the Nikon 1 J1 and V1, the Olympus Pen E-PL1s, E-PM1, and E-PM1; and the Sony Alpha NEX-5N. All these models forsake SLR's flip-up mirror and optical viewfinder, enabling a more compact design.

Raw photo formats, available on SLRs and high-end compact cameras, leave the processing to the photographer rather than relying on the camera's assumptions about how best to make a JPEG. The result is better ... [Read more]

How to sync iTunes with Android

Nicole Cozma — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:01:00 PST

Syncing your iTunes library to an Android device is easier than you may think.

DoubleTwist is a two-part application that can allow your iTunes (Windows | Mac) library to journey into Android land (and back) with ease. One part of the application, including a media player for your convenience, runs on your Android device. The other runs on your computer and automatically locates your iTunes library and populates its own list for syncing. Read on to find out how to set this up.

These instructions will cover the Windows setup.

Step 1: Download DoubleTwist for Windows and DoubleTwist for Android.

(Credit: DoubleTwist.com)

Step 2: Connect your Android device to your computer via USB. Enable USB file storage by dragging the notification shade and pressing the appropriate option (what you see is dependent on your Android device).

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma)

Step 3: Open the Start menu and enter DoubleTwist into the search box. Run the program that appears in the list above.

<... [Read more]