Torrents are source of much legal controversy, which is a shame because the format is a great way to distribute all kinds of content. BitTorrent is working on raising awareness of torrents that share content legally with its Vodo network, and the company has now provided an Android companion app.

uTorrent Remote works with the next generation of the uTorrent client to find and manage torrents on your computer from your phone or tablet. The killer feature? uTorrent Remote's playback. Watch this episode of Tap That App to see what it can do.

The World Wide Web Consortium has approved and published a new browser privacy feature from Microsoft, according to a new IE blog post, opening up for discussion and debate whether the feature should become a Web standard.

Found in the recent release candidate of Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft's new Tracking Protection Lists offer IE users a type of "do not track" feature to help them block advertisers and Web sites from tracking and capturing certain data. The feature works via lists of Web site domains that are downloaded to the browser. If a domain name is on the list, the browser will "call" that site only if the user visits it directly, thereby controlling the information that can be collected by third-party sites.

Responsible for defining Web standards, including those for the nascent HTML5, the W3C has of late been turning its attention to the area of online privacy and sees Microsoft's proposal as "both timely and well-aligned" with its own goals and priorities.

With online privacy such a hot-button issue, other parties have naturally been getting into the act as well.

The Federal Trade Commission has been calling for a "do not track" option for browser users. Google recently added a new extension to Chrome to help people opt out of online ads, while Mozilla has implemented a type of blocking feature in its latest beta build of Firefox 4.

Though such "do not track" features offer clear benefits to consumers and Internet users, online advertisers and other third parties have naturally expressed some concerns. As such, the W3C will open the floor for a variety of different players to chime in on Microsoft's proposed solution.

"We expect to engage a broad set of stakeholders, including implementers from the mobile and desktop space; large and small content delivery providers; advertisement networks; search engines; policy and privacy experts; experts in consumer protection; and developers and operators of Services on the Web that make use of consumer tracking," the consortium said.

Moving forward, the W3C added that it will host a workshop at Princeton University on April 28 and 29 to determine the level of support for the proposed feature, with an official announcement expected in early March.

Originally posted at News - Microsoft

Mac owners can now download FaceTime for video chats with friends.

Apple said today that FaceTime for Mac is available in its Mac App Store for 99 cents. With the help of the app, those using Mac OS X Snow Leopard can engage in video chats with people using the FaceTime app on the iPhone 4, the latest iPod Touch, and other Macs.

Apple first announced FaceTime for Mac back in October. At the time, the software was in beta. As of today, it is officially out of beta.

FaceTime for Mac lets people see video in standard definition or in HD up to 720p resolution. If someone calls a person on the Mac, the computer rings, regardless of whether FaceTime is running or not. In addition, if an Apple account is linked to multiple installations of FaceTime, calls ring on all the computers running the software.

Originally posted at The Digital Home