The new New Tab page in Firefox 13 finally brings a Speed Dial-style, frequently-visited sites to a blank tab.

Firefox 13 has moved to the browser's beta channel today, bringing with it default support for SPDY, some elbow grease on default landing pages like the Home page, and better memory management for open tabs.

Firefox 13 beta can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux).

Having SPDY active by default means that, for sites that support it, they will appear in your browser faster than before. SPDY is also a more secure protocol than HTTP, which it's the successor to, because it uses SSL encryption for all sites.

The new Home page, available at about:home, puts many core Firefox features in an easily-accessible location at the bottom of the page. These include Downloads, Bookmarks, History, Add-ons, Sync preferences, and Settings.

The new Home page in Firefox 13.

The New Tab page finally gets some interactivity to it, l... [Read more]

New gadgets in Jetpack Joyride include items like the X-ray specs (green glasses) and the Gravity Belt.

Jetpack Joyride (Free), from Halfbrick Studios, makers of hit iOS games Fruit Ninja and Monster Dash, has now added Gadgets -- tools you can purchase with earned coins that help you get further into the game.

Now, when you go into the Stash (the store where you can buy new jetpacks, outfits, and more), there is a new Gadgets category. There are a total of 15 gadgets to choose from (once purchased with earned coins), but you only have 2 slots on any given run. Each of the new gadgets have specific properties that help you on your run. For example, you can use the Air Barrys gadget that make Barry Steakfries jump higher on first touch, making it easier to jump over low obstacles. A Gravity Belt makes you fall faster, helping you get out of the way of obstacles higher in the air. The Free Ride gadget lets you choose a vehicle before you even start your run. Many of the gadgets are useful and some are just plain silly, but the ability to mix and match will definitely add to replayability as you figure out the best co... [Read more]

Twitter has just updated its iOS and Android apps, adding a few nifty features to the Discover, Search, and Notifications functions.

Now, under the Discover tab users will find a new Activity stream, just below the Discover stories that we're all used to seeing on the page. It shows who your connections follow, updates to their lists, and their retweets and favorites. This makes it easy to quickly see what your friends are up to on Twitter, as well as elsewhere around the Interwebs.

With today's update, Search also boosted its powers, as it now offers suggestions for different spellings and related terms for your queries. But perhaps more importantly, the update adds autocomplete for people you follow whenever you search for someone under the Connect tab. To me, this is big because I can't tell you how many times I've begun typing out a Twitter handle only to realize that I don't remember the exact spelling.

For iOS users only, the search box in Discover also adds recent queries and a direct link to a user's profile when you're searching in Connect.

And last but not least, both the iOS and Android apps now offer push notifications for things like retweets, favorites, or when somebody new starts following you.

By midafternoon, I usually have so many tabs open, I can't keep track of them all. It's really a nuisance when I have music playing on one of my many tabs and can't locate it quickly to mute the song that's playing to answer the phone. Enter Music Controller, a Chrome extension that adds a button to the right of your URL bar. The button, which features a music note, provides access to any song currently playing on any tab in your current Chrome window.

Music Controller claims to work with Google Music, Grooveshark, Mog, Rdio, Pandora, and YouTube. Using a Mac, I could not get it to work with Google Music. And it recognized Rdio but failed to list any tracks played with that service. For the others, however, it worked as advertised. Click on the button to open a small window that lists any song (with artist info) currently playing or paused in any of the above services. Next to each song listed is a pause button and, if you are listening to a playlist, fast-forward and rewind buttons. Thumbs-up and -down buttons are present if the music service has a rating system. A mute button at the top lets you quickly mute any song playing, and if you click on a song, you'll be taken to the tab where that song is playing.

Music Controller works only with music servi... [Read more]

Pickle Jump: Quite possibly the best game involving pigs and pickles ever created.

My vision for the best iOS game ever created: a platform-jumper in the spirit of Doodle Jump, but with a flying pig who bounces ever-skyward on a series of pickle slices.

Genius, right?

Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about programming, so it's not likely my vision will ever become reality.

Or so I thought, until I got my paws on Sketch Nation Studio. This free app lets you create iOS games -- right on your device -- using your own ideas and artwork, and even allows for the possibility of publishing them in the App Store.

It starts by walking you through a game-building tutorial for a simple jumper. First you create your "player" (which can be a goat, a spaceship, a jelly doughnut, or whatever), then design the platform on which he/she/it will jump or fly over. Finally, you draw a background: a cityscape, a factory, outer space, you name it.

With those steps done, boom, you've got your game. With something approaching zero artistic talent, I created Pickle Jump in under 10 minutes. I don't expect it'll outsell Angry Birds Space (not for a few months, any... [Read more]

Klout has released an iPhone app that allows users to track their Klout score while on the go.

Klout tracks your influence over various social networks, offering perks for true "Influencers" as well as advice on how to increase your Klout and influence.

After installing the Klout app on your iPhone, you'll see there isn't a whole lot to it. You are able to view who has given you a +K and in what topic. You can then view that individual's profile and share the +K with your social networks. You won't be able to return the +K in the app, however.

The settings for the app are fairly basic. You're able to control push alerts for +Ks and when your Klout score changes. You can also enable an alert badge, which will be displayed on the app's icon, that will show your current Klout score. Perfect for those Klout users who obsess about their score.

An Android version of the app is in the works, according to Klout, along with the ability to give +Ks in app.

Klout for iPhone is available in the App Store right now, for free.

Recent malware attacks targeting Macs haven't tarnished the machine's reputation as the safer alternative to a Windows PC. But for many Mac users, the Flashback Trojan has dispelled the myth of Mac invulnerability.

The most recent Java-based iteration of Flashback appears to be easy to catch: just visit the wrong Web page and your machine's infected, as Josh Lowensohn describes in his Flashback FAQ.

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The FAQ explains that Flashback's creators may have exploited Apple's go-it-alone strategy. Apple refuses to preinstall Adobe's Flash player, so Mac users are prompted to download and install the plug-in when they encounter a Web site... [Read more]

The Sony Tablet S is now running Ice Cream Sandwich.

Sony's Tablet S has a new flavor.

The company announced today that the tablet, which boasts a 9.4-inch screen and support for a host of Sony services like Music Unlimited, is now upgradeable to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The next time Tablet S owners connect to a Wi-Fi network, they'll be prompted to update the software, Sony says.

With the addition of Ice Cream Sandwich, Tablet S owners will now have direct access to the contents on their SD card, and an enhanced lock screen that offers easy access to notifications. Ice Cream Sandwich also boasts support for a panoramic camera mode and the ability to create folders by dragging icons together, among other features.

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• Ice Cream Sandwich update to flavor Sony S Tablet
• Sony colorfully reveals Android 4.0 schedule for tablets
• CNET's review of the Sony Tablet P
• ... [Read more]

What's to come in Opera 12

Opera has released the first beta of its next-generation browser, code-named Wahoo. Opera 12 beta 1 for Windows, Mac, and Linux, contains many improvements that modernize the browser. It also abandons several quirky features that die-hard fans are likely to miss.

Much of the browser simply brings it in line with its competition, but there is one stand-out new feature. Formerly known as Opera Reader, it takes a few lines of CSS code to allow you to lay out a Web page like a book. It also allows for page resizing without losing the formatting. Opera has decided to open its Reader to public scrutiny, renaming it ... [Read more]