With a virtual flood of new apps and updates coming in to the iTunes App Store every day, a few are bound to slip through the approval process that maybe should not have--or at least would not have passed muster with Apple guidelines. I personally don't think Apple needs to filter apps (as long as they work), but, at the same time, if they have a family-friendly vision of the App Store, I have no problem with that.

Two days ago an app that slipped by the App overseers was a real winner, but probably made a few too many people in high places angry. The app in question is called MiTube, formerly available to jailbroken iPhones only, that lets you easily search for and download YouTube videos. A couple of us here heard about MiTube (free) Wednesday morning, downloaded the app, then noticed later that it got pulled by Apple at around 7 p.m. By 5 p.m., MiTube was already No. 11 on the top-free-apps list.

I guess we all know why something like this usually doesn't get accepted. YouTube wants page views, submitters want to make money, and letting people download videos to local drives (like the iPhone) defeats their business purposes. It's sad, really, because as much as I'd like to recommend MiTube, it's no longer available.

Do you think Apple/YouTube/Google should let these apps get posted and not worry or do you think they have every right to keep these apps under wraps? Let me know in the comments.

This week's apps--both 99 cents--are a utility to bring your desktop browser bookmarks to your iPhone and a surprisingly fun and challenging labyrinth game sequel.

Xmarks for iPhone (99 cents) lets you bring your favorite browser bookmarks with you wherever you go. Already a huge hit for desktop Firefox users, this simple utility lets you sync your bookmarks to the Xmarks server, then sign in from a different location to display your bookmarks and open tabs on another computer's browser. With this iPhone version, you'll be able to bring in your favorite sites or export your bookmarks elsewhere (depending on which location has the most updated list). Don't worry about erasing bookmarks in any location, though, because you can choose to save over what's on your computer, what's on your iPhone, or merge both.

Xmarks requires that you sign up to get started and you'll need to have it running on your desktop computer as well, but there are no extra fees and only the iPhone version costs money. If you're not someone who already saves a lot of bookmarks, this app probably won't be much use to you. But Xmarks for iPhone was a welcome addition for my app library; I so rarely save bookmarks when surfing the iPhone, and I've often longed to have my home desktop bookmarks available when away from the computer. Overall, if you have a big bookmark collection and want to be able to use them wherever you are, Xmarks is probably the best, and now you can use it on your iPhone, too.

Dark Nebula: Episode 2 (99 cents), the sequel to Dark Nebula: Episode 1, takes iPhone labyrinth games to the next level by giving the accelerometer-based game mechanic a platformlike feel. The object of the game is to tilt your iPhone to roll a marble through intricate mazes, over precarious bridges, and past dangerous obstacles to get to the level goal. Unlike other labyrinth games, Dark Nebula doesn't limit the action to what's on the screen when you start; you roll through a huge level as fast as you can, picking up bonus items, unlocking doors, and hitting switches to get to the goal. When you reach the end, you're rated on speed, how many items you picked up, and how many lives (or shields) lost.

All alone, this might be enough to keep you coming back for more, but to add to the intricate levels, with Dark Nebula: Episode 2 you now have a way to fight back against spiked baddies that chase you down. Rolling over a colored set of tiles gives you a fireball that orbits around your ball that you can use to hit bad guys. The color is important because only a fireball that matches the color of your enemy will kill it. Some levels will have you switching to different fireballs as you go, adding to the challenge.

I completely missed Dark Nebula: Episode 1 when it came out, but after having played Dark Nebula: Episode 2, I immediately spent another 99 cents to check out the first one. I wasn't sorry; both of these games are excellent and well-made time wasters.

If you're looking for something a little more than your average labyrinth game on the iPhone, both Dark Nebula episodes are worthy of your money. With fun and unique levels, a gold, silver, and bronze rating system, and global records to break, these will keep you coming back for more.

What's your favorite iPhone app? Do you think an app like MiTube should be allowed in the iTunes App Store? Are you happy to finally be able to bring your bookmark collection anywhere? What do you think of the Dark Nebula games? Let me know in the comments!

With the summer in full force, we wanted to bring you some hot sizzling summer deals to cool you down. As a Partner Manager on CNET Downloads, I've been working with our developer community to design some special promotions that our readers might find useful. Previously, we've had special offers for Norton 360, AVG Internet Security, IObit Advanced SystemCare PRO, to name a few, and we are looking to bring you many more great deals going forward.

In an effort to accommodate everyone's different software needs, we've come up with a new way to deliver these special deals to you. On the front page of CNET Download.com, you will see a CNET Downloads Deal of the Day widget that highlights a different offer every day. You can get up to 70 percent off on selected products, so be sure to check it out and provide us with any comment to help us make this experience better for you.

These offers will change on a daily basis, so make sure you come back to check out the new offer every day. If you have any suggestions on future promotions, please send me an e-mail.

The child stars of Gamerizon's Chop Chop series look like angry-eyed refugees from "South Park." But, man, do they know how to bring the fun.

Witness Chop Chop Soccer, the fourth game in the series. It's little more than single-player soccer with three-man teams--but it's a blast.

I say that as someone who's not particularly fond of playing the actual game and can't stand to watch it (unless my daughter's playing--she's a superstar).

Give proper credit to the gloriously vivid color palette, the perfectly timed crowd cheers (they groan after a near-miss and cheer wildly after a goal), the reasonably simple controls (more on that in a minute), and the fast-moving, indoor soccer-style gameplay (which lets you bounce shots off invisible sideline walls).

Controls can make or break a game like this; Chop Chop Soccer keeps them admirably simple. You move the selected player by dragging a finger around the screen and pass, shoot, and steal with flicks in the proper direction. You can even pull a one-timer by passing and flicking before the receiver gets the ball. Pretty easy, right?

Yes and no. Like a lot of sports games, Chop Chop Soccer can feel a little claustrophobic on an iPhone or iPod. Many times I couldn't see an open teammate because my finger was in the way.

On an iPad, however, that's much less of a problem. And, in fact, the HD version of Chop Chop Soccer is even more dazzling. It's definitely the best way to enjoy the game.

The only thing that would make it even better is multiplayer. Chop Chop Tennis has it, so I'm hoping it's on Gamerizon's to-do list.

Even without it, Chop Chop Soccer is well worth the 99-cent launch price ($1.99 for the HD version). I won't come right out and say it's the best soccer game in the App Store--simply because I haven't played all the others--but it's definitely one of the most fun and accessible. (If you think there's a better one, by all means name it in the comments!)

Same goes for all the Chop Chop games. I think Gamerizon could develop Chop Chop Curling and make it fun.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

It is now harder to blank on computer security with the newest version of Luxund's facial-recognition log-in program, Blink!. The newest version supports Windows Vista and Windows 7 64-bit, in addition to the original 32-bit version. On Luxand's Web site, the company promises "more stability, more reliability, and thus more security."

This free application uses advanced biometric identification, allowing users to log into their computer simply by looking into a Webcam. Blink cleared numerous tests, including sunglasses. The program has multiple security functions, such as support for multiple users and the capability to create a log of those who access the computer. It is great for people who have trouble remembering passwords, as well as those who want an added layer of log-in security.

The lack of support for Web site log-ins is an obvious deficiency, but maybe that is coming next to the handy app.

Users of location-based social network Loopt who are looking for discounts or other deals in their neighborhood now have an easier way to find them.

The service is expected to launch a new feature on Friday for its Looptstar application, which differs from Loopt's core app in that it's focused on finding nearby deals. The update takes the idea of showing you what deals are in your immediate vicinity and puts them into one large directory that users can browse without actually having to be at those places.

"Users had been asking us to see all the stuff in their city," Loopt co-founder Sam Altman said during an interview with CNET earlier this week. "One of the things we've discovered is that users don't search for places very much, but they like things that are recommended to them." To that end, the deals that users would normally find when checking in to a location can now be seen up to 20 miles out from where they can be redeemed.

Loopt is giving retailers the option to surface variations of these deals based on user location, so as Altman explained, a store can provide a slightly different reward depending on how near or far you are.

But does that mean advertisers can try to steal you away from a rival business if they can get an idea that you're there? "One thing that we're not doing, although we get tons of requests for it, is that people want to kind of own other people's virtual real estate, or target-based on the customers of competitors," Altman said. "So if you go to Starbucks a lot, Peet's would want to show you their specials. We're not doing any of that, yet."

However Loopt has an incredible amount of information at its disposal that it can use to make sure you're really where you say you are. For the companies that are partnering with the site, which include large brands like Starbucks, Paul Frank, and Gap, that's often a pre-requisite for the deeper discounts that can be had on a user's second and third check-in. "Right now, we basically can verify that you're on a very precise location fix by making it use the Wi-Fi, which doesn't have a very long range," Altman explained. "However, we're just beginning some experiments very, very short-range stuff, making sure you're actually at the point of purchase, like within five feet of that."

Loopt's iPhone effort remains one of the few apps out there that updates user location in the background--a recent addition to the iOS SDK, and something just a handful of developers have managed to roll out into their social applications (some have not been so lucky). To make users more comfortable with the idea, Altman and company have built in several safeguards, including granular controls over who can see your location, as well as for how long you want to keep the setting active. When asked if those settings were something Apple had asked for, Altman said simply "we did it because it's the right thing to do. There's definitely some sort of responsibility about doing this kind of stuff."

Loopt continues to compete against services like Foursquare, Yelp and Gowalla, all of which have also begun partnering with companies and local businesses to offer rewards. Beyond acting as a middleman to these companies, Loopt and the others like it own and control the data, and analyze a large amount of data that chronicles users habits. That data can then be turned into new business opportunities, though Altman downplayed some of that activity as being mundane.

"People are incredible creatures of habit. One of the most interesting things we've ever seen from looking at our data set is that we have this certainty of where you're going to be at any given point after you've used the service for a while," Altman said. "The depressing thing is that people don't vary much." Though by showing people where they could go to save some money, and if it's nearby to friends, Altman is hoping to change that.

Originally posted at Web Crawler

Microsoft will issue 14 security bulletins on Tuesday to plug 34 holes, including eight that are critical, in Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, SQL and Silverlight, the company said on Thursday.

"This will be the most bulletins we have ever released in a month; we have released 13 bulletins on a couple of occasions," Angela Gunn, security response communications manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. "However, in total CVE [common vulnerabilities and exposures] count, this release ties with June 2010, so there's no new record there."

Affected software includes: Windows 7; Windows XP; Vista; Windows Server 2003 and 2008; Windows Server 2008 release 2; IE 6, 7 and 8; Office XP Service Pack 3; Office 2003 Service Pack 3; 2007 Microsoft Office System Service Pack 2; Office 2004 and 2008 for Mac; Office Word Viewer; Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint; 2007 File Formats Service Pack 2; Microsoft Works 9; and Silverlight 2 and 3.

The IE, Office, and Silverlight updates fix an increasingly used type of flaw "where attackers and malware go through the installed applications rather than through the core operating system," said Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek.

"Windows XP SP2 users do not have any patches supplied to them, even though the five critical vulnerabilities for XP SP3 most likely apply to their discontinued version of the OS as well," he said. "Windows XP SP2 users should upgrade to SP3 as quickly as possible."

Earlier this week, Microsoft released an emergency patch for a critical Windows vulnerability that was being exploited by a fast-spreading virus and other malware. The so-called "shortcut" vulnerability could be used by attackers to take control of a computer.

Originally posted at InSecurity Complex