We have to hand it to Mozilla; their mobile team has recently been hauling out tweaks and updates to its mobile Firefox browser for Android and (two) Nokia Maemo devices.

Mozilla unveiled the hotly-anticipated Firefox for Android app (called Firefox 4 beta) early last month. It was a good first effort, but we balked at the beta software's huge installer, slower performance, and scrolling inefficiencies. We weren't the only ones, and Mozilla has gone to lengths to redesign its app in this second attempt.

Android-like interface
Although we'll get around to the backend changes, what really stands out is the app's visual overhaul on its default start screen. The design has remained static for so long, since its early days as the Fennec alpha for Nokia's Maemo platform in fact, that we can't help but blink.

The app, as viewed on a Droid Incredible Android phone, still retains the "Awesomebar" up top, but now opens with an all-new start page that carries a similar look and feel as other Firefox pages online. There's space to show previously-visited tabs, promoted add-ons, and tabs from your other computers, assuming you use Firefox Sync. The start screen will henceforth be your first browser tab by default, though you can change this in the settings.

You'll also notice that pages are now organized differently to provide combined or separate access to your bookmarks, browsing history, and synced computer tabs. Mozilla has also added favicons, small icons that can help you visually identify a URL by a thumbnail representation of its site logo. The multiple search engines (like Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, and Twitter) have moved from the bottom of the interface into the search bar; you'll be able to switch among them after you start typing a query.

In addition to all we've mentioned above, the Firefox mobile team has polished up design to make it better fit in to the Android look and feel. That means reshaped toolbar buttons, bubbly popups, and reworked context menus.

New features
A few new features also find their way to the new Firefox for Android (and Maemo as well.) One is being able to resurrect an accidentally closed tab. Swiping left into the tab management gutter in Firefox Mobile will show you a thumbnail of the closed tab overlain with an "undo" button--you can tap that to revitalize the tab.

In addition, holding a link or Web page (a long press) will open the context menu, which now lets you share the content using the usual avenues of e-mail, Facebook, text, Twitter, and so on.

Smaller installer
The front-end additions and enhancements are always welcome, but a pokey Firefox won't make it in the real world. To that end, Firefox 4 beta 2 for mobile has a notably smaller installation size. Mozilla was able to reduce the APK file from roughly 43MB to 17MB, making it 60 percent of its former self. Android users will need to uninstall any previous versions and then reinstall, Mozilla cautions. It took us about eight minutes to download over Verizon's 3G network on our Droid Incredible prior to a speedy installation.

Mozilla has also done backend work to make Firefox Mobile load pages faster; Mozilla claims it's close to 25 percent faster on the SunSpider Javascript benchmark than the default Android 2.2 browser. The team also did work on pinch-and-zoom and rendering text.

Still needs work
Pet peeves usually take a few days of heavy use to develop, but there are a few we're noticing right away. We found text- and image-rendering still choppy, especially on CNET's optimized mobile site. Mozilla also also needs to address Firefox Sync on mobile. Signing in through the Settings menu is intuitive enough so long as you remember the security key you used when registering Firefox Sync on your desktop. Recovering that information isn't an option from this Firefox beta version.

You can download Firefox 4 beta 2 for Android or Nokia/Maemo; but keep two things in mind. First, as beta software, you're almost guaranteed to run into some sort of instability or unpolished feature. Second, Android users should keep in mind that it only runs on Android 2.0 or later. If you do try it, let us know in the comments what you like or don't like.

Originally posted at Android Atlas

For those of you befuddled as to why Apple didn't support calendars in the latest version of iPhoto, wonder no more.

Apple just today sent us a note saying that it has pushed a software update that adds calendars to iPhoto '11. There's no explanation as to why they were missing in the first place, but it's a safe bet that it just wasn't ready when Apple introduced the latest version of the photo software along with iLife '11 and two new versions of the MacBook Air on October 20.

In addition to the calendar option, there are now a dozen more letterpress card design options--a feature new to iPhoto '11--including (of course) holiday themes.

For a comprehensive review of the entire iLife '11 software suite, don't miss CNET's review.

Originally posted at Circuit Breaker

Like crossword puzzles? Put down that archaic newspaper and pencil and pick up your iPad. As I discovered recently, there's no better platform for crossword play.

Think of it: tons of puzzles on demand, zero trees sacrificed, hints and clues when you need them, and solutions on the spot (no need to wait for tomorrow's paper).

I also discovered that one of the best crossword apps--definitely the best free one--is hidden inside an app that has nothing to do with puzzles: USA Today for iPad.

Granted, the print version of the paper runs a daily crossword, but its counterpart's App Store description mentions nothing about them (even though the puzzles were added two updates ago, back in August). What's more, it's easy to miss them even when you're in the app--especially if you tend to bypass the Life section, which is where they're kept.

Indeed, though you might expect to find a Crossword button on the app's "front page," perhaps in the column with the weather, scores, and pictures badges, it sits unobtrusively beneath the Life section banner. Tap it, and it's like you're in a whole different app.

And a terrific one at that. USA Today Crossword automatically downloads the current day's puzzle and keeps a library of them for at least a few weeks (I haven't had it long enough to know exactly how far back it retains them). You can view all the available puzzles or just those that are in-progress or completed.

Thankfully, puzzles are stored in memory, so you can play them offline--like when you're on a flight. If you get stuck, the app has two hint options: "check letter for error" and "reveal letter." (These options are also available for words.) There's also a timer option for those who like to challenge the clock.

As for the puzzles themselves, I find they offer the perfect level of challenge: not too easy, not too hard. Sometimes I solve them, sometimes I need a clue or two.

There are other crossword-puzzle apps for the iPad, but most of them cost at least a few bucks. (Stand Alone's top-rated Crosswords is $9.99.) USA Today remains free, and its built-in crosswords are icing on the cake. Definitely a must-have for puzzle fans.

Originally posted at iPad Atlas

Skype's VoIP calling is by now well known to most Mac users, and the ability to make computer-to-computer calls anywhere in the world for free is already extremely popular to international users. Skype's official version on the Mac is 2.8 and is still a bit behind its Windows counterpart (Skype 5 for Windows). But a beta release today brings the software to version 5.0 on the Mac, and the Skype team has added some great new features to get excited about.

Sporting a familiar, more iTunes-like interface, Skype makes it easy to search through contacts and communicate with people via chat client, a USB or Bluetooth handset, or video calls. But new features in this latest beta add more flexibility and make the program even easier to use.

All the elements of the program are now unified in one window, doing away with the chaotic multiwindow interface. They've added full integration with your Mac Address Book, making it a lot easier to find and use existing contacts without the need for a separate contact list. A new call control bar now pops up when you receive calls or other communications that floats above browser pages or other programs so you can see who's calling at a glance. A new Dial Pad gives you an easy way to initiate calls or chat with a contact quickly.

But perhaps the biggest change is the ability to to make group video calls by connecting to one person then adding contacts for a multiwindow video chat session. It's important to note that everyone participating in a group video call needs to be running the latest Skype 5 beta for Mac or Windows. Skype also points out that the group video-calling feature is still a work in progress.

Skype still requires that you pay for calls to landline and mobile phones, which you can sign up for with either pay-as-you-go or subscription-based packages. But if you want an easy way to communicate with people around the world for free, Skype's computer-to-computer telephone and video calls are still incredibly convenient, and the added features in this beta make the deal even sweeter.

Though beta software can sometimes be risky, we experienced no issues with Skype 5 beta on our test machines. Still, it's a good practice to back up your data before experimenting with even the most trusted beta software.

Skyfire for iPhone ($2.99) may be one of the shortest-lived apps in the iPhone App Store, surviving only five hours today before Skyfire pulled it from the marketplace after noticing strain on their servers that resulted in poor user experience.

"The servers haven't crashed," a Skyfire spokesperson said, but they did stutter as customers who bought the browser streamed Flash video. The Webkit-based Skyfire app (also available for Android) delivers Flash video to users--ordinarily forbidden by Apple--by streaming it through their own servers first in a process known as proxy browsing.

Skyfire issued a press release earlier tonight declaring that the app has "sold out," and that the company will issue "a new batch" of downloads once Skyfire increases its server capacity. In reality, video streaming demand was too much for the Bay Area-based Skyfire's servers, delivering a sub-par video experience to users. Skyfire didn't provide CNET with its first-day download numbers, which Apple should make available tomorrow. In the meantime, Skyfire is "working around the clock to get the servers back up," CNET was told.

This is hardly the first time Skyfire has attempted to dodge slings against its ability to scale the proxy service. Browser-competitor Opera has been calling Skyfire's bandwidth into question since the early days when Skyfire was a green startup for Windows Mobile phones, just enlisted in the browser wars--and Skyfire has predictably averred its readiness since then. We had hoped that years of seasoning had taught the company to prepare their back end for this demand.

Still, it's a sad day when a company survives Apple's app-approval gauntlet just to fall--even if only temporarily--at its own hand.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas