While it's got Sync, tabs on top, and a menu button, Firefox still lacks one feature that all the other major browsers have in one form or another: the "speed dial". Originally from Opera, the feature is the visual implementation of your most recently or most frequently visited Web sites on the new tab page. Firefox add-ons have stepped up to fill the dial void, but implementation in each is uneven.

Speed Dial 0.9.5.8 (download) is the most robust of the four add-ons we're looking at today. It's highly customizable, offering the deep range of customizations that come with the best Firefox add-ons. Among the multitude of choices is the option to control whether it opens in new tabs or new windows; set the number of "dials," create dial groups and hook them to hot key combinations for quick launching; and customize the look of each dial's thumbnail. It comes with a default weather dial in the number one position, although you can change that.

It has two problems, though. One is that it lacks the ability to automatically read your most frequently visited Web sites or most recently visited Web sites, which means that it requires your input before the dials get created, and the dials will never "learn" from your browsing habits. The second is that it appeared to slow down the browser's behavior slightly.

Auto Dial 9 (download) goes in the opposite direction. It looks solely at your most frequently visited and most recently visited Web sites, and provides little in the way of ancillary customizations. There are some tweaks that are available in about:config after you install the add-on, and the extension's More Info page in the add-ons manager provides details on those. They are not an impressive set of customizations, though, dealing with button size and row width.

When you mouse over a link, which have been arranged in a slightly chaotic text cluster with inconsistent favicon support, a red X appears in the corner. Click it to remove the link from the list. While I like the concept of a pure frequently and recently visited list, this particular implementation is too disorganized to be overly useful.

Fast Dial 3.4 (download) behaves similarly to Speed Dial, but with fewer customization options. It also lacks the frequently and recently visited automation, and I actually had to restart the browser twice before it would show up in a new "new tab" page. You can add a new dial by right-clicking on an Web site you're currently looking at, and choosing the Fast Dial option. Or from a new tab, double-click on the dial and you can manually add a site. When getting started, I found that adding the toolbar button made accessing the dial page much easier than without it. It does let you do things like expand the grid, and set a custom favicon and URL, small tweaks that some may appreciate. It didn't present any of the performance hang-ups that can annoy in Speed Dial.

The add-on that most closely resembles speed dial implementation in other browsers is Sugestron Speed Dial 0.9.12. It's limited to eight dials, and it has kludgy, awkwardly large icons for pinning sites to the dial and removing them. However, it does read your history accurately for frequently visited and recently visited sites. In fact, it's so accurate it'll pick up on visits to internal browser tools like the add-ons manager (about:addons).

If you're looking for a simple port of the basic dial features in your speed dial add-on, Sugestron's version is the way to go. Otherwise, Speed Dial offers the in-depth options that most people will want, while Fast Dial can provide you with a lightweight alternative to Speed Dial.

Got a favorite Firefox dialer? Tell me in the comments below.

Some interesting Apple news this week from AppleInsider revolves around Apple's acquisition of the iCloud domain name. Apparently, according to sources, Apple paid Sweden-based company Xcerion an estimated $4.5 billion for the domain. It is rumored that the cloud service will be announced this summer at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference here in San Francisco.

There have already been plenty of rumors that Apple's cloud service would enable users to stream music to iOS devices, but according to the article, it may also offer a personalized "locker" where you can keep photos and videos as well. It will be exciting to see how this all pans out at WWDC, and whether people will be more inclined to sign up with iCloud than with MobileMe, which received a somewhat lukewarm response from users.

What kind of things would you like to see offered in an Apple-based cloud service? What would be a reasonable price for such a service? Let us know in the comments.

This week's apps are an instant voice mail messenger and a full-featured MMORPG that closely resembles one of the most popular games of all time.

HeyTell (Free) is a voice mail messaging app that's been out for quite some time, but a friend told me about it recently and I thought more people should check it out. The idea with HeyTell is, instead of calling or sending a text message to a friend, you can send an instant voice mail--as long as your friend has HeyTell installed. Start by touching the green-on-white person-shaped icon to add people from your contact list. You also have the option to connect HeyTell to your FaceBook account, but I wonder whether people really want everyone they've ever known sending them voice mails. When selecting friends from your iPhone contact list, HeyTell offers a premade invite you can send via text message to have your friend download the free app.

Using HeyTell is obviously a different way to communicate--replacing text messages with voice mails--and it is definitely fun to hear how people respond to rapid-fire voice messages. The interface plays into the fun: to send a voice mail, you simply press the big orange Hold and Speak button and HeyTell records your message until you let go, kind of like using a walkie talkie. The app keeps all of your shared replies so you can go back and listen to individual messages. You can even save favorite messages to enjoy later.

Beyond its main functions, HeyTell offers a few for-pay Extras (tab on the bottom right of the interface). For $1.99 each, you can add a Voice Changer to create silly-sounding messages; Emoji support to add fun icons to your name (seems overpriced to me); Message Wipe to have messages expire after a specified amount of time; and (for $2.99) Group Broadcast, which lets you send out voice messages to your designated groups of friends. I only downloaded the Voice Changer add-on, but was honestly not very impressed by the results. Any one of these purchases will turn off the in-app ads, but the ads are pretty easy to tune out when using HeyTell.

Overall, HeyTell is an interesting way to communicate and is definitely more efficient than sending text messages. If you like the idea of quick voice mails to get your point across, you should definitely check out this free app.

Order and Chaos Online ($6.99) is Gameloft's answer to World of Warcraft on the iPhone, borrowing liberally from what has been called the most popular MMORPG of all time, and however you feel about Gameloft, I think it did a great job. The graphics on the iPhone 4 Retina display are as smooth as can be, and the touch-screen interface will be familiar to anyone who's played an FPS (or other 3D RPG) on the iPhone--use the joypad on the left to move and swipe a finger on the right to control direction and to look around.

Along with basic movement, Order and Chaos does an admirable job of making all of your interface elements easy to access. A tap on your character's avatar in the upper left brings up most of your main options, including viewing your inventory, looking at your quest log, checking out your character skills and attributes, sorting through spells, and creating groups. For actions, Order and Chaos does away with the "action bar" found in many desktop RPGs and instead uses a scrollable wheel of buttons in the lower right, which--while handy--is a little hard to navigate when in the heat of combat. You also have a chat window at the bottom and two extra hot bars at the right where you can place things like potions and food for easy access.

You start by choosing from four available races, then pick from four classes: Warrior, Mage, Monk, or Ranger. You also can pick your gender, choose from a few different hairstyles, and alter the features of your character's face with a few different presets. Once you've chosen a name, you'll be dropped into a beginner area of the world and the game does a good job of showing you the ropes for movement, obtaining quests, and engaging in combat.

As you complete quests, you'll gain experience and be able to level up your character with new skills (or spells depending on your class) and unlock items you couldn't use at lower levels. Each character has two skill trees that slowly unlock as you advance in levels, giving you the option to pursue specific skills to specialize your character.

Gameloft borrowed just about everything from Blizzard's hit game: the cartoonlike artistic style, the look of the landscape, the character design, the onscreen text colors, and just about everything else. But Order and Chaos Online lacks the imagination and storyline of World of Warcraft; you end up feeling more like you're working to advance than like you're playing a game. Every quest has the familiar "Kill six of these monsters" or "Gather 10 of these minerals" kind of feel, with little in the way of an interesting storyline to pull you along.

Even with these issues, new skills and spells will probably be enough motivation for most players to continue grinding away. Order and Chaos Online is easily the best MMO available on the iPhone, with a very smooth RPG experience that anyone who plays games from the genre will enjoy. As with any game with this much depth, I have to wonder how much time people are willing to spend playing on the small iPhone screen (if you have an iPad, the larger screen will definitely help), but either way, having a full-fledged MMO in your pocket is a pretty amazing thing.

It's important to note that when you log in you are given a free three-month subscription, but after that you'll need to subscribe for 99 cents per month, $1.99 for three months, or $2.99 for six months. While you might be put off by a subscription, my guess is that most people won't mind paying for a few months and then canceling once the next big game comes along.

What's your favorite iPhone app? Do you agree that HeyTell is a fun way to communicate with friends? What do you think about long and involved games on such a small device? Let me know in the comments!

If you're struggling to decide between Android or Windows, BlueStacks has a solution for you: choose both. The unique piece of software ties a matrimonial knot between a full version of Android and your Windows machine, allowing you to jump at will between the two operating systems. The marriage is so smooth, in fact, you can create Android app shortcuts on your Windows desktop.

In a conversation today at CNET's San Francisco offices, BlueStacks Senior Vice President Apu Kumar said that BlueStacks is a response to what his company perceives as two complementary needs: the consumers' desire to have their apps available everywhere, and the desire for a unified device.

BlueStack Systems Inc., which is based in Silicon Valley, has created a software tunnel that allows bidirectional communication between the Android side and the Windows side. This means that it can use Windows print drivers to print while in the Android interface, and create shortcuts for Android apps on the Windows desktop.

BlueStacks supports over-the-air updating, too, so the company can push out Android updates to its users automatically. Kumar said that he expected to get updates to users faster than the phone companies have been.

It hasn't been an entirely smooth ride for the company. Besides the "heavy lifting" that Kumar said involved development difficulties of getting the software to work with different screen dimensions, scale correctly, different configurations, and multiple devices, there were other problems. One of the big hangups was caused by Google restricting its marketplace to specific ARM-powered devices. The company got around that problem when Amazon.com opened its Android app marketplace. "Amazon was chosen," Kumar said, "because they have transaction mechanisms, and it's a heavy brand across the world."

BlueStacks is hardly vaporware. The company is currently talking with multiple OEM computer and tablet manufacturers, Kumar said, and he added that BlueStacks plans on making a release announcement at CompuTex in Taipei later this month. Because of the manufacturer discussions, Kumar was unable to say if, when, or how much BlueStacks would cost to the average consumer.

I'll be writing up a full hands-on experience with BlueStacks as soon as I get a build. After playing with it for a few minutes, though, it was apparent that the integration was seamless. Switching from Windows to Android was an effortless task achieved by double-clicking on the BlueStacks shortcut on the Windows desktop. Kumar mentioned to me that BlueStacks' conversations with hardware manufacturers involves customizing the jump between operating systems. Among the options being explored are a split-screen approach that could involve swiping to go full screen, or a turned-page corner option with one operating system visually hiding beneath the other.

The implications of the integration could be massive. As Android use grows, people will want their Android apps available on their desktops, Kumar said. Developers could benefit from the virtualization program, as well as consumers who are expected to be presented with a greater variety of tablets in the coming months, including Windows 7-powered ones. Even as a novelty, though, the seamless virtualization presents a nifty way to experience Android without giving up the comforts of Windows.

Everything from troubleshooting applications to virus protection to utilities are being bundled for Mac users, saving them between 80 and 90 percent. These deals are the result of three different software bundles featuring some Mac user favorites such as Data Rescue, Contactizer Pro, MacTuneUp, and SuperCal.

The first bundle is brought to you by TheMacBundles and features a variety of troubleshooting, utility, and extension applications for your Mac. You'll get 10 programs for just $39.95, and you've only got 23 days left to cash in on the deal. The full list of applications:

• A-Dock X
• Automaton
• BookMacster
• Deliver Express
• Master Key
• Photo Recovery
• Print Magic
• SuperCal
• SwitchResX
• WebStart

Next up is MacBundlePro, offering nine applications that retail for $183 for just $19.90. The applications include maintenance programs, document management applications, and disk space management tools. For this deal, you've got just over 14 days to purchase. The full list of applications:

• Speedy Mac
• WhatSize
• AppDelete
• Raskin
• Breeze
• MacTuneUp
• Protect Files
• Quokka
• Share

Finally, the MacLegion Spring Bundle offers quite a few quality applications that range from Data Rescue's hard-disk recovery software to ScreenFlow's screencasting software. The total bundle would retail for $552 but is being sold for only $49.99. For this deal, you've got to act in the next 13 days. The full list of applications:

• Data Rescue
• ScreenFlow
• Contactizer Pro
• Virus Barrier
• Forklift
• LaunchBar
• Amadeus Pro
• Radio Gaga
• Printopia
• MacPilot

Will you plan on beefing up your software stable with any of these bundles? What would be your perfect bundle? Let me know in the comments!

Originally posted at MacFixIt

Onavo is an intriguing new app that works a little money-saving magic. It compresses your iPhone's data stream, in some cases significantly, resulting in less total data consumption overall. Upwards of 80 percent less, according to developer Onavo Mobile.

That means if you're in a roaming area, like overseas, you stand to pay less for data. And if you subscribe to AT&T's DataPro plan, you might just be able to downgrade to the cheaper DataPlus. Do I have your attention yet?

The first time you run the app, it installs a new profile on your iPhone, one that allows the service to act as a proxy server. Translation: all your data gets routed through Onavo's servers.

(Privacy junkies, take note: the company does collect certain kinds of traffic-related information, like session durations and IP addresses, but doesn't sell any "personally identifiable information" to third parties. I highly recommend reading the company's privacy policy if you have concerns.)

Onavo compresses inbound data to apps like Safari, Mail, Facebook, and Google Maps, and does so entirely in the background. In my tests, I noticed no performance hit while using these and other everyday apps.

That said, I've been using it for only a few hours, so I can't say for sure what the overall impact might be. (One minor glitch: my TweetDeck app now crashes every time I run it. Not sure yet if it's related.)

I can say that the app provides interesting stats on your data usage (including an app-by-app breakdown) and how much of it you've saved overall. Alas, for the moment it doesn't support streaming or VoIP apps like Netflix and Skype, but the developer says, "stay tuned, we're working on it."

Same goes for Android and iPad versions of the app, which, according to a company rep, will be available in 2-3 months. For iPad users in particular, this could be huge, as it might let you get more 3G time with a less-expensive plan.

For now, AT&T iPhone owners who can't quite get by on the $15/month DataPlus plan might find that Onavo makes the difference. If so, you'll save an extra $120 annually.

The Onavo app is free, though it won't always be--the company has yet to decide when the "premium model" will start and how much it will cost. (I hope that doesn't mean there's some kind of subscription plan in the works, as that would kill much of the app's appeal.)

I think this thing has the potential to be a game-changer. Your thoughts?

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Among the growing list of services dedicated to syncing and storing your files in the cloud, there are two that consistently register as top dogs: Dropbox and SugarSync. Both offer comprehensive (and different) suites of syncing and sharing tools, both have their benefits and drawbacks, and both offer free Android apps. Let's take a look at what each of these apps offers in the way of mobile file-syncing.

When looking at a mobile application as an extension of a greater program or service, there are a few things it's important to keep in mind. First, how well does the app perform its core functions? Second, how does it take advantage of mobile-specific tools and contexts? And third, is it stable and secure in a mobile environment? Considering these criteria and others, let's see what each of our two subjects brings to the table.

Dropbox for Android is simple. It's your good old magic Dropbox folder, but on your mobile device. Cleanly designed and straightforward, the app makes it easy to upload and delete files, or create new files using your phone's camera, audio recorder, notepad, and so on.

For the well-connected among us, it's also great for sharing files (or links to files) through e-mail, text message, Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, or whatever else you've got installed. In this regard, Dropbox makes fantastic use of the applications available on your mobile device. And as a plus, there's a security password option in case your Dropbox folder contains sensitive information and your phone falls into the wrong hands.

Overall, Dropbox for Android performs its core functions perfectly and without any stability issues. It integrates well with your mobile device's hardware, plays extremely well with other installed applications, and offers some extra security.

Meanwhile, SugarSync for Android is slightly more involved, since the SugarSync service itself offers so many more syncing options than its rival. It doesn't revolve around a single carry-all folder the way Dropbox does. Rather, SugarSync allows you to pick and choose any folders on any of your devices to sync, which means tons of flexibility, especially with the built-in Android File Manager. As a whole, it may not be as simple as Dropbox's app, but it's certainly more feature-packed.

And then there's the AutoSync Photos option, which, if you're an avid phone photographer, is awesome, to say the least. Enable it, and every time you snap a photo it'll automatically get backed up in the cloud--all in the background, without any pop-up confirmations.

Overall, SugarSync is a powerful app with a built-in File Manager and a really nifty AutoSync tool. While we did experience a few stability problems when testing AutoSync, for the most part it performed solidly, and is a worthwhile download.

Now, remember--while both Dropbox and SugarSync offer powerful suites of services that likely satisfy different file-syncing needs in different ways, this comparison is about their respective Android applications. So what's the verdict? If you're looking for a way to automatically back up photos as you take them, SugarSync is a no-brainer choice. Otherwise, Dropbox appears to be the simpler and more stable and secure file-syncing option for Android users. But hey, if you still can't decide, why not just download them both?

Originally posted at Android Atlas

An app that offers a range of features including low-cost SMS and international calls, phone callback, voice mail with transcription, and conversation-recording features sounds a bit like a magic bullet for many of the ailments that plague smartphone users. A new iOS app released today by Southern California-based VoxOx includes those features and others, and it's offering them for free in a partial port of its desktop software called VoxOx Call (iTunes Store link).

Following the desktop program revamp that the parent company Telcentris Inc., released at CES 2011, VoxOx Call offers a stunning range of free features. Users can initiate "callbacks" from the iOS app to any other phone, both in North America and worldwide. VoxOx says that its rates are competitive with those offered by Skype and Google Voice, and sometimes cheaper. The callback feature lets you initiate a call from the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, then have it ring a different phone such as your office landline. Once you pick up that phone, it will automatically complete the call to whichever contact you chose to connect to.

You can also send low-cost text messages worldwide. Where most phone carriers charge 5 cents to 10 cents per SMS, VoxOx charges you one to two pennies per message, even those sent internationally. There are no charges for incoming texts. The app supports multiple "star" commands initiated with the asterisk key, including conference calls that can host up to 20 participants and device transfer so you can walk into your home talking on your iPhone and switch it to your home landline without dropping the call. There's a star command for call recording, too, which e-mails you an MP3 of your phone call after you hang up.

Another feature ported to the iOS app is Find Me, which is an automated call-forwarding service. You can set it up to forward calls to multiple numbers if you don't pick up at the first number reached.

Other features include fax support, changing caller ID at will, e-mailed SMS transcriptions, built-in country-code lookup, and Google Voice-style voice mail transcription. VoxOx Chief Technology Officer Kevin Hertz said in a phone interview about the new app yesterday that VoxOx's transcriptions are better than Google Voice's. He also advised that although users can use any caller ID number they want, that they stick to numbers they actually own.

The app lacks some of the core desktop features, which Hertz said was why they called it VoxOx Call instead of simply VoxOx. The missing features include the instant message and social networking aggregation, although Hertz said he expects to add those soon. Telcentris is working on an Android version, he added, although he didn't have a timeline for its release.