Mozilla is advising fans of Firefox to update the stable version of the browser after it released a patch for a security bug marked "critical" today. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Firefox 3.6.12 patches a heap buffer overflow that could allow for remote code execution. Mozilla notes that the bug affects the current version 3.6 branch of Firefox, the legacy version 3.5 branch, and could potentially affect Thunderbird users who load Web pages in the RSS reader.

The bug has not been found in the upcoming version 4, currently in beta development and behind schedule. Firefox 4 beta 7 was originally due in the middle of September, then pushed back to the end of September because of a stability bug. Mozilla has since initiated a code freeze on the next generation of its browser but has yet to update the schedule because of multiple critical bugs. It's expected that Mozilla's updated JavaScript engine will land in the seventh beta. Called JaegerMonkey, it's currently available for testing in the Firefox nightlies.

Shortly after announcing its gorgeous--but poor-sounding--app for iOS, Napster has released an update for its Android mobile software. Now, Android users who subscribe to the service for $9.99 per month can save playlists and albums for offline playback. With this new feature, the Android app is directly in line with the iOS app in terms of both functionality and interface. Here's hoping the former offers better audio quality, though.

Originally posted at Android Atlas

Hey, PBS! How do you expect to make any money if you give away your app?

I'm kidding, of course. I love free stuff, especially when it's awesome free stuff like PBS for iPad. The new app streams full-length episodes of shows like "Antiques Roadshow," "Carrier," "NOVA," and the much-ballyhooed new "Sherlock Holmes."

It also serves up "PBS NewsHour," "Austin City Limits" performances, and previews of nearly everything else in PBS' prime-time lineup. (Alas, previews are all you get of PBS Kids. If you want full-length episodes of, say, "Sesame Street" and "WordGirl," you'll have to pony up for them in the iTunes Store.)

The app provides you with a schedule of current and upcoming programming from your local PBS station. There's a search option for looking up shows (make sure to look for "Masterpiece" if you want the aforementioned "Sherlock" series) and a bookmark tool for saving your favorites.

The player works like every other you've used, with shuttle controls, double-tap zooming, and even a 30-second replay. And, needless to say, the content is spectacular. I started watching the new series "Circus" just so I could test playback, and found myself totally sucked in (which is why this review is appearing so late in the day).

I did find one aspect of the interface confusing at first: how to actually start a video. Although you see the usual assortment of buttons like Share, Add to Favorites, and Buy, there's no independent "Play" button. Turns out you tap on the thumbnail of the video itself, much like clicking a YouTube vid to start it playing.

Given the amount (and quality) of content available here, PBS could easily charge five or ten bucks for this app. Am I complaining about it being free? Of course not. But I think I'll donate a little extra the next time there's a PBS fundraiser.

For now, the PBS app is iPad-only, but an iPhone version is coming next month (yay!).

By the way, if you like this, be sure to check out NFB Films for iPad, which streams (and even downloads) free movies from Canada's National Film Board.

Originally posted at iPad Atlas

Editor's note: Panda Security is offering free license keys for Cloud Antivirus Pro 1.3 to users who register using this download link. You'll be required to enter your name and e-mail address to receive the license key, which is good for one year. Also note that during the registration process, the checkout cart will state at some point, "Your card hasn't been charged yet." This is apparently a cart template and does not affect users who are taking part in the license key giveaway.

Panda Security continues to build better features into the company's Cloud Antivirus lightweight security suite as a Web filter for URL scanning joins the existing protection tools. Available exclusively today from CNET Download.com, Panda Cloud Antivirus Free 1.3 and Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro 1.3 ($29.95), both programs up the ante of what's expected from cloud-based antivirus programs.

There are few other changes the company has made to the program. Automatic transparent engine and program updates have been bumped from Pro to the Free version, and upgrade nags have been removed as well. Sharp-eyed fans of the client will notice a slight interface refresh to the recycle bin and quarantine windows, unifying them.

Certainly, not having nags makes the program less annoying, while risk-enhancing practice of relegating auto-updates to the premium version is thankfully going away. The Web filter bolsters your Web browser's native malicious site blocking technology, and works in all browsers including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Opera, and Safari.

Unfortunately, during installation Cloud Antivirus commandeers your search provider and opts you in to changing it to Yahoo. Otherwise, the installation process is fast. I did notice a slight hiccup during several installation tests where the program appeared to ready to use, but in fact required another five to seven seconds before the interface opened automatically.

Version 1.3 also fixes several major bugs, including a blue screen of death crash after installing and Windows 7 Start menu slowdowns.

For users who are skittish about security clients that are free and in the cloud, Pedro Bustamante, senior research adviser at Panda Security, said that consumers don't have to pay for security anymore. "You're getting better protection, better performance, than with any paid suite out there." He cautioned, though, that there is a point to still using premium suites. "We still have a lot of users who want tech support, who want to call and get somebody on the other line, or who don't trust free for whatever reason."

CNET Labs' benchmarks determined that Panda Cloud Antivirus Free 1.3 had a small but detectable impact on system performance. Read the full review for a detailed analysis, but in short the program could have less of an impact on computer startup times but does have a very fast scan and caused the least disruption to the Cinebench test.

At this point, no independent efficacy tests are available for recent versions of Panda Cloud Antivirus. Panda's premium security suites have scored well in recent tests, although the detection engines in the two programs are not identical so to compare Panda Cloud Antivirus and Panda Internet Security based on the merits of the two program's engines alone would be inaccurate.