Firefox 4 beta 11 has landed a useful security feature for people who are sick of "stalkertizements," those cookie-based ads that use your browsing history to target ads at your perceived tastes. The new "Do Not Track" feature in Firefox 4 beta 11 for Windows, Mac, and Linux sends out a header that tells Web sites that you want to opt out of behavioral tracking, though Mozilla cautions in a blog post that it will take some time for sites and advertisers to respond to the header.

The feature can be toggled via a check box in the Advanced tab of Firefox's Options window.

Mozilla privacy lead Alex Fowler said that the engineers decided to base the feature in the header sent from the browser because it's something that all Web pages read as they load. A blacklist or cookie-based solution would be harder to implement across different browsers. He acknowledged that successful implementation of "Do Not Track" also depends on advertisers and site owners respecting that incoming header.

He added that the initial stages of a legislative fix are under way as at least one member of Congress--Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.)--plans to introduce a bill ordering the Federal Trade Commission to create a "Do Not Track" program for advertisers. However, a second bill also being proposed does not include the "Do Not Track" option. Both might have a hard time passing in today's antiprivacy climate, although a bill with "Do Not Track" would be the harder sell because of its stronger privacy controls.

Mozilla security and privacy engineer Sid Stamm has documented the technical implementation of "Do Not Track."

Other changes in Firefox 4 beta 11--which Mozilla hopes will be the penultimate Firefox 4 beta--include moving connection status messages to a small overlay window, re-enabling WebGL on Linux, disabling automatic switching to offline mode when no network connection is detected, and a redesign of the default about:home page. The full changelog is available here.

If you're struggling with languages at home or abroad, the new Google Translate app for iPhone is a faster way to untangle your tongue than the iPhone-optimized Web app that was previously your ticket out of confusion.

The app has a handful of main features. First, you can speak into the app (in 15 languages) to translate words and phrases into one of 50 languages.

Second, you can listen to translations read aloud in 23 languages. (Sadly, Catalan isn't one of them, so the playback feature isn't pictured in the image to the right.)

Third, you can view dictionary results for individual words. Fourth, you can access a history of translations even when offline.

Fifth, there's a full-screen mode for magnifying the translation for better readability.

Google Translate for iPhone is globally available for free, for the iPhone and iPod Touch running iOS 3 or higher. It follows the release of Google Translate for Android.

Buenisimo, Google!

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

For a game with "angry" in the title, Angry Birds sure does make people happy. Maybe it's because of the steady supply of extra goodies developer Rovio Mobile continues to push out--like the new Valentine's Day addition to Angry Birds Seasons. (That's the iOS version; it's also available for Android!)

Like an unexpected gift from that special someone, Seasons 1.2.0 rolled out with little fanfare yesterday. If you already own the game, check the App Store app (or Android Market) for the update. For everyone else, the game is still 99 cents--and it includes the previous Halloween- and Christmas-themed levels.

The newly updated Seasons features 15 lovey-dovey "Hogs and Kisses" levels, complete with a romantic new theme song and pink, heart-filled settings.

Once you blast through those, you'll be treated to three additional levels--though it appears those might require unlocking by way of Facebook "liking." (I haven't gotten that far yet--if you have, let your fellow readers know the scoop.)

Maybe it's just me, but the new levels are hard. I had a devil time just getting past the first one. So perhaps these will keep you busy until the next holiday update.

Any guesses as to what that will be? My money's on Easter, what with the egg theme and all, but maybe Rovio Mobile will surprise us with a little Purim love. Or perhaps Arbor Day. Cinco de Mayo?

In the meantime, I'm still having great fun with Cover Orange. Have you tried it yet?

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas