This year's update to Kaspersky Internet Security doesn't appear to make any massive changes to the 2010 version, but Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 offers enough that's new and improved to bring back the faithful, and maybe attract some new believers, too. Highlights include expanded sandboxing, a similar-but-better interface, a desktop gadget for quick access, and except for average scan times, generally strong benchmarks.

The cost of the main suite could be a deal-breaker for many, so there's the lower-priced Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2011. However, it also lacks many of the most exciting features in its bigger brother. Check out what's new in CNET's official reviews (linked above), slideshow, and First Look video.

Even with the huge success of the iPhone 4 and the iPad, we all know Apple hasn't been resting on its laurels. We still have a big hardware event to come this fall with Apple's now annual iPod launch event. Among the rumors and speculation around the Web, some news Web sites are saying we might see a full revision to the iPod Touch, a new iPad, and maybe a completely rebuilt Apple TV.

The guys over at AppleInsider uncovered a particularly interesting tidbit by studying the "Configuration Descriptors" within the USB configuration files of the most recent iOS 4.1 beta. Apparently, by following Apple's past releases, they were able to pick out new versions of devices by the code names Apple uses for its products. Check out the story linked above to see how they figured it all out. Especially interesting is the "unknownHardware" named in the third configuration file--could this be the smaller iPad people have been talking about or maybe the Apple TV?

Like everything Apple, we will not know what the company has in store for new hardware until the event (oh, the drama), but it's always fun to watch the rumors unfold on the many Apple rumor sites.

This week's apps include an easy to use news reader and a game that challenges you to run the longest distance while killing off monsters.

Pulse News Mini ($1.99) gives you all the news from your favorite Web sites laid out in an intuitive interface. News sites are laid out vertically so you can swipe up and down to the latest news from all sites quickly, or you can swipe horizontally to read more stories from the same site. Each story heading has the headline and an included graphic, making for a more elegant approach than other news readers that show only text links. Touching a story heading gives you either a text-based summary, a mobile-optimized version for easy reading, or a way to view the story on the Web, depending on the news provider. The app comes with several popular Web sites you can add to your Pulse home screen or you can use the search function to find feeds from your favorite sites.

Pulse is not the first iPhone app that helps you collect news feeds, but the layout of this app is especially intuitive, making it easy for people unfamiliar with newsreaders to get started quickly. Your Pulse home screen is completely customizable so you can reorder your feed list to show your most read sites first. If you've spent some time reading through stories and want something new, you can always hit the refresh button at the top of the interface to see if new stories have been posted while you were reading. Overall, if you want a slick and elegant way to quickly read news stories from all your favorite Web sites, Pulse News Mini takes only a little bit of setup to have the latest headlines laid out for you when you launch. For big screen news reading, grab Pulse News Reader for iPad.

Monster Dash (99 cents), from the makers of hit iPhone game, Fruit Ninja, challenges you to jump from building to building to go for the greatest distance, all while monsters try to thwart your mission. The game mechanics in Monster Dash are much like the popular Web game Canibalt (also available for iPhone and iPad), in which your character automatically runs while you carefully time your jumps from platform to platform. But with Monster Dash, you're also given a fire button so you can shoot monsters that get in your way while you struggle to stay alive.

Monster Dash is a very easy game to pick up and play because of its simple game mechanic, but the developers of the game added plenty of variation by including themed areas (all randomly generated) so you won't get tired of running through the same location again and again. You'll fight zombies, demons, and vampires as you travel through well-designed levels that each give the game a different feel. You also can find weapon pick ups as you run through the levels including Mr. Zappy (a lightning gun) and The Pacifier (a large handgun), as examples. To keep the game interesting as you run, your character (did I mention his name was Barry Steakfries?) teleports to a different themed world every 1,000 meters you run, making for varied gameplay as you advance and the pace gets faster. Overall, if you like running games like Canibalt, or just want a simple, but fun game with tons of variety, Monster Dash is a challenging and addictive option.

What's your favorite iPhone app? Any guesses for what the unknown hardware might be? Do you have a better newsreader than Pulse News Mini? What do you think of Monster Dash? Let me know in the comments!

For Mozilla users who want to control their browser,Mozilla Add-on Builder is a free tool that lets users create their own add-ons. Using the relatively new Jetpack SDK and Bespin code editor, Mozilla has created this Web-based SDK for the masses. As fun as it sounds, however, it is not intuitive, and some may want to stick to using premade add-ons.

Mozilla requires registration to use this tool. This process is fast; all you need is basic information like your name and e-mail. Before creating your add-on check out the tutorial provided by Mozilla. It will give you a code to paste into the canvas. Though there are other instructions after these, if you have never written code before, you may be lost. Of course you can browse other people's creations and the library of codes provided by Mozilla, but this language is not a quick one to learn. Even sorting through other people's codes in the library is difficult; there is no organized way to search through it.

The interface is attractive; test, download, save, and revise buttons are located above the canvas for easy access. It is nice to be able to test the newly created add-on once you are done; Mozilla provides a built-in testing feature. When you try to test, Mozilla will require that you download the Add-ons Builder Helper extension; this is a small extension that integrates the add-on builder with Firefox. There is a widget module, which "provides a consistent, unified way for extensions to expose their user-interface in a way that blends in well with the host application," located in the side panel. The side panel is also where users can add attachments and codes found in libraries.

The Mozilla Add-on builder is great for people experienced in the art of SDK; however, those who want to try to make their own add-on for the first time might have some trouble.

Movie sequels almost universally suck, but video game sequels? More often than not, they improve on the original.

So it is with Top Gun 2 ($2.99), the unexpected but very welcome follow-up to last year's widely praised Top Gun. It's essentially the same game, but just plain better in nearly every respect.

As before, you pilot your jet from a chase-plane view, tilting the iPhone for decidedly arcade-style steering. Top Gun 2 is more like a racing game than a flight simulator, as you're effectively on a straight-line track in the sky the entire time.

But what lovely skies they are. Top Gun 2's landscapes and seascapes are much prettier than the original's, with effects like antialiasing and shaders onhand to make everything smooth and detailed.

There's also a lot more variety in the game itself, starting with your choice of three jets: the F-14, F-16, and F-18. Each one comes equipped with upgradeable weapons and unique offensive and defensive capabilities, so your mission success can indeed depend on the fighter you choose.

The missions have interesting objectives--rescue Iceman! Stop an ICBM before it reaches the United States!--but ultimately they play out the same: blast attacking tanks and jets before they shoot you down, then survive the "boss" at the end of the level.

A little cliche, sure, but still tons of fun. If you liked the original Top Gun, you will, without a doubt, like Top Gun 2. I think my only complaint is with the platform itself: my iPhone's screen feels a bit cramped for this much action. Note to Paramount: I'd really like to see an iPad HD version of this game.

In the meantime, let's play another game. Hit the comments and name one movie sequel that sucked and one game sequel that rocked. I'll start: "Matrix Reloaded" (and, for that matter, "Matrix Revolutions"); System Shock 2.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Google patched 11 vulnerabilities--three critical, seven high-risk, and one medium--in a new version of Chrome released Thursday.

All but one of the problems was in Chrome itself. The additional issue handled in Chrome 5.0.375.127 (Windows | Mac | Linux) is a workaround for a critical Windows kernel bug, according to a blog post Thursday by Jason Kersey of the Chrome team.

Chrome has an automated update process that periodically checks for updates, downloads new versions, and installs them when a person restarts the browser. For a quicker update, people can follow Google's instructions to check for and install a Chrome update.

The critical Windows kernel bug and the two other critical problems each merited bounty payments of $1,337 for the discoverers. Although Google has added an "e-leet" payment option of $3,133.70 for very severe problems, it hasn't awarded any bounties that high so far.

The program has been lucrative for Sergey Glazunov, whom Google credited for discovering two of the critical and two of the high vulnerabilities that were patched Thursday. Glazunov, who also won the first $1,337-level bounty, is the clear leader so far in the Chrome security hall of fame and has earned a total of $8,011 in the program.

Clarification at 8:45 a.m. PDT: The number of vulnerabilities was increased by one, based on an interpretation of a fix that was tied to two bugs.

Originally posted at Deep Tech