Remember MapQuest? You know, it was everyone's Google Maps before Google had ever invented Google Maps?

Well, now's your chance to get reacquainted, as MapQuest has recently launched a brand-new HTML5 mobile browser experience for iPhones and Android devices. With its more intuitive navigation and new features, the updated mobile site might just push MapQuest back into the realm of relevance.

So why would you want to use this revamped MapQuest rather than Google Maps? For one, when you get directions using MapQuest, the site gives you landmarks in addition to street names and numbers. For instance, it'll tell you that "Bangkok Noodles is on the right" and "if you reach Cyril Magnin Street, you've gone a little too far." This is a huge feature that I had been hoping Google Maps would implement for a long time.

(Credit: MapQuest)

Also, the new mobile site makes it easier than ever to find hotels, food, gas stations, and more, since all of the search options are presented right at the bottom of the main interface. Tap a category and you can get ratings and reviews for restaurants and hotels or gas prices for stations in your area.

One other feature I like is the ability to choose your own "you are here" icon. It's not all that useful, but it does add to the overall experience.

(Credit: MapQuest)

While the new MapQuest mob... [Read more]

Microsoft began distancing itself from browser plug-ins last year starting with Internet Explorer on Windows 8's Metro interface, but it spoke more definitively today: plug-ins are bad for the Web.

"Metro-style IE runs plug-in free to improve battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers," said John Hrvatin, Internet Explorer program manager lead, in a blog post. "A plug-in free Web benefits consumers and developers and we all take part in the transition."

The upcoming IE10 browser doesn't just run in Metro, Microsoft's next-generation, touch-centric interface geared for tablets and touch screens. It also can run in a classic Windows mode, and Hrvatin described some code that Web developers can drop into their Web sites so the Metro version of IE can show a one-touch button to switch to the classic Windows.

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Unless you have a home theater PC, you're probably using your mouse and keyboard to control the music on your computer.

How would you like to control playback and volume using your Android device? Here's how to remotely control music on your PC with Android:

On your PC

Step 1: Download and install Winamp on your PC.

Step 2: Download and install the remote control plug-in for Winamp on your PC. You may be prompted to update the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 and Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 software during the installation. Both are included in the plug-in setup file.

Step 3: Launch Winamp and make a note of your local IP address from the RemoteControl server.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

On your Android device

Step 1: Install the RemoteControl for Winamp app to your Android device from the Android Market.

Step 2: Launch the RemoteControl for Winamp app and under the Settings tab, enter the local IP address you noted from the RemoteControl server.

(Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee)

Step 3: In the Overview tab, click the Connect button.

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Web developer site-building tools are only sexy to developers, but they get a big makeover in today's update to Firefox and that will affect how developers connect to the people who use their sites.

Firefox 10 (download for Windows | Mac | Linux | Android) also dramatically streamlines add-on compatibility, includes a new Full Screen API, and updates WebGL. The Android version, meanwhile, makes some minor improvements as the bulk of development on the mobile version focuses on the native Android interface, currently scheduled for the next stable release.

The biggest change that most Firefox users will see in version 10 is that you'll stop seeing most add-ons marked as incompatible with each new version of Firefox. Around 80 percent of all add-ons will be marked compatible, starting with today's Firefox 10. This follows changes in Firefox 8 that prevented third-party add-ons from installing without permission. The changes in Firefox 10 fix a small but annoyin... [Read more]

Apple has released a couple of updates for its AirPort Utility software for OS X Lion, and also has released new firmware updates for its AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule router devices.

AirPort Utility 6.0 is available to edit and configure both AirPort Base Station, Time Capsule, and AirPort Express networking devices. Apple has updates the prior version to version 5.6 that resolves issues with accessing passwords in the system keychain, but has also released version 6.0 which implements support for configuring iCloud to remotely access mass storage attached to the AirPort and Time Capsule devices. The updates require OS X Lion version 10.7.2 or later to install.

AirPort Utility is available via Software Update. The firmware updates are available within AirPort Utility.

(Credit: Screenshot by Topher Kessler)

The firmware updates are available to address problems with wireless performance, and also provide support for accessing AirPort disks and the Time Capsule storage remotely through its iCloud service. The updates require AirPort Utility 5.5.3 or later to install, and in order to set up the remote storage access features you will need AirPort Utility 6.0 or later. The update is applicable to all AirPort Express and AirPort Base Station models that support the 802.... [Read more]

Browsium's new browser add-on for supporting legacy IE6 corporate apps without the security risks is called Ion.

(Credit: Browsium)

While many are cheering the impending death of Internet Explorer 6, including Microsoft itself, large businesses aren't. Replacing corporate apps built for IE6 could cost tens of millions of dollars, and that's where Browsium's new Ion browser add-on comes in.

Originally known as UniBrows, Ion ditched Browsium's locked-down, more secure IE6 engine, once engineers realized that it wasn't necessary. Ion utilizes a merged IE8-and-IE9 engine to enable corporations to run their proprietary sites and apps without having to deal with complications like sluggishness from virtualization.

Gary Schare, president and chief operating officer of Browsium, explained that the problem is related to the magnitude of the cost of upgrading those proprietary tools. "The larger apps can cost millions per app to update or replace. Many large companies still have 10 to 20 apps that won't run in anything but IE6 or IE7, so they can't upgrade to Windows 7 because these apps break."

In an e-mail to CNET yesterday, Schare estimated that 10 to 20 apps could cost a large company $50 million to upgrade; Browsium often sees estimates of $3 million to $5 million per app. "We can do it for about $7 per PC per year, including support. For 50,... [Read more]

Multicam editing as part of Apple's latest Final Cut Pro X software update.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple is pushing out an update to its Final Cut Pro X software this morning that brings back a feature pros feel was left out in the company's remake of its high-end video editor.

Now among the video editing software's tricks is support for multicam editing, the feature--which as the name suggests--lets editors view, cut together, and synchronize footage from multiple cameras.

Multicam editing was present in previous versions of the Final Cut Pro suite, dating back to 2005 but was not included in this latest version of the editing suite. Under the new system, multicam works with up to 64 different camera angles and can do video or still clips at any resolution, format, and frame rate that's supported by the software.

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Brand Thunder offers skins from many clients so fans can customize their browsers.

(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Fancy a Shakira-themed browser?

As of today, you can get it from Brand Thunder, a company that creates themes to let people reskin their browsers to declare allegiance to bands, colleges, sports teams, and more. That's because Brand Thunder just acquired its biggest rival, BrowserNation.

The acquisition means Brand Thunder has 25 percent more brands to tout, the company said today, giving it more clients in Europe and Asia and giving it a foothold in Latin America. Among its new clients are EMI, UMG Latin, and Epic Records.

"Given the changes in the once-stable browser market, it makes sense to combine efforts and deliver this powerful communication tool across all leading browser platforms," said BrowserNation chief operating officer Romain Rousseau in a statement.

Brand Thunder offers skins for Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome. In addition to the themes it creates, it lets people make their own.

[Read more]

(Credit: CyberLink)

CyberLink, maker of some of the most popular multimedia software titles for Windows, today released a massive update to its PowerDVD line.

PowerDVD version 12 Ultra brings with it increased 3D support and improved playback controls. At the same time, it switches its game up by offering tools for organizing and managing all of your media. Now you can use your desktop PC as a server for all of your content (regardless of type), and with PowerDVD Mobile 4 for Ultra, browse and play that content from any of your supported Android devices.

PowerDVD's bread and butter has always been its movie playback capabilities, and with version 12 that hasn't changed. The program can still play DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and an impressive number of video file formats quite well. But now, it adds playlists, the capability to zoom in on video, and some pretty nifty 2D-to-3D conversion for Blu-ray discs (glasses required).

Beyond typical movie playback functions, PowerDVD 12 comes with dramatically improved syncing and streaming. Now PowerDVD can act as a media hub for all of your media content--videos, photos, and music--and can sync across your various PC's and Android devices. Also, you can now push media content from PowerDVD to selected devices. This means that from your desktop, you can push a video out to play on your Android tablet and vice versa.

What's more, Pow... [Read more]

Being able to automate tasks is a very convenient option when using computer systems, which is one of the reasons why Apple included its Automator tool in OS X that can various scriptable tasks within applications and therefore do things like organize files and contacts, create documents with specific items in them, and manage calendar events.

While Automator and other scripting options like shell scripting or AppleScript are convenient, they are missing the triggering tool that will run them. Apple supplies its Apple Events options where you can have the system run a script when a folder's contents are changed, or on demand from an application like running an Automator workflow when an iCal alarm sounds, but other options require more details to get running. Apple's main scheduler in OS X is its launchd system launcher process, which can conditionally run various scripts or programs based on the user's or developer's needs; however, this option requires knowledge of launchd and familiarity with the Terminal to get running.

As a result of this complexity, many tasks in OS X that could be highly customized end up going unattended and requiring users to manually start them in order to get completed, but Griffin Technologies, which makes a number of peripheral devices for Mac OS and iOS systems, has a tool called Proxi that makes triggering scripted tasks far easier.

The tool is set up similar to Automator, where you create a list of triggers fol... [Read more]

Keeping track of your computer work is easy for some, but for most of us, it can be a real challenge. We work in multiple browsers, use files spread out over many different computers or cloud platforms, and somehow need to track down that one file or site we used two weeks ago on a regular basis. History Viewer is a small, free app for Windows that lets you browse your browsing and file-use history easily. Here's how to use it:

• Download and install History Viewer here.
• To check your history in IE, Firefox, or Chrome, just click on any of them in the left sidebar. The info is pretty similar to what you'll find in-browser, but it's quicker and easier than opening two or three programs if you're trying to find something.

History Viewer: Browser History.

• To check for files used in Windows, click any of the tools under Windows in the sidebar. Recent Documents is your best bet, though some of the other tools are nifty, like USB Storage History, which might be useful if you're concerned about others using your computer.

History Viewer: Recent documents.

... [Read more]

Photoshop CS6 will get a new dark look, but it's not required. This view also shows the visual and numeric information about brush settings. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Adobe Systems has published a glimpse of the forthcoming Photoshop CS6, an update that brings the dark workspace and raw-image editing tools from the new beta of its sister program, Lightroom 4.

Bryan O'Neil Hughes, an Adobe senior product manager, showed off a bit of the new software in a YouTube video published yesterday. Photoshop CS6 is set to debut along with the sixth version of Adobe's Creative Suite in the first half of 2012.

Darker photo backgrounds are all the rage for photo software since they make photos stand out nicely; the darker interface used in Lightroom and the consumer-oriented Photoshop Elements is matched by Phase One Capture One, DxO Optics Pro, and others. But Photoshop users can be a conservative bunch, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear some squawking. Fortunately, the interface can be changed to lighter tones for those who are change-averse or who fear their tonal judgements wil... [Read more]