Swype 3.0, the latest beta of a keyboard replacement app found in many Android phones, features two new notable features. It introduces predictive text for tapping, not just swiping, and a horizontal word choice list (following the Android model) that replaces the app's previous pop-up window for narrowing down your word selections.

A special version of Swype 3.0 for Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablets (with WXGA resolution) includes a keyboard that you can move and resize.

Although Swype is preinstalled by the manufacturer on a variety of Android phones, you can download the beta for free if your Android phone has one of the following screen resolutions: HVGA, WVGA, FWVGA, QVGA, WQVGA, WSVGA, qHD.

Originally posted at Android Atlas

Apple's iCloud announcements at last week's Worldwide Developers Conference had one product casualty in the form of MobileMe, but a piece of software the company ships with every Mac could be on the chopping block, too.

In a purported e-mail response to a customer asking if they should plan on going elsewhere to build their sites and get them hosted, Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed that the company is doing away with its iWeb site building software and connected hosting services.

As with other e-mails allegedly from the CEO, Apple does not comment on their authenticity and did not immediately respond to an inquiry on this one. MacRumors, which posted the e-mail thread, said the e-mail headers looked legitimate.

iWeb was added to the iLife suite in 2006 as a way for Mac users to design Web sites with a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) editor. For users with a MobileMe account, the software would allow them to push a site design straight to Apple's servers, or elsewhere using FTP. Apple last week announced that MobileMe would be closing up at the end of June 2012, though made no mention of iWeb coming down with it.

Compared to other components of the iLife suite, which include iPhoto, iMovie and Garageband, iWeb tended to get less attention, receiving just one major update in 2009. Nonetheless, like iDVD (which is another infrequently updated part of iLife) it provided a solution for customers to build a commonly-needed project with all their media, something Apple's gone after with its products and software since the early days of the Mac.

Apple's iCloud, which succeeds MobileMe, launches later this year alongside iOS 5. Unlike MobileMe, it's not a destination like .Mac and iTools that came before it. Instead, Apple is positioning it as a cloud service to keep user media, settings, apps, and music in sync across multiple devices. The company said last week that it would be providing more details about the eventual closure of MobileMe at a later date.

Originally posted at Apple Talk

This week, we saw a major update in browsing as Google pushed Chrome 12 out to its stable browser channel. While Chrome 12 doesn't contain any surprises from its beta release a month ago, it does bring more hardware acceleration support and better browsing security. It also marks the end of public support for Google Gears, the offline Web app tool.

If you like your digital life in the browser, then the Chrome OS could be a clarion siren that's hard to resist. It's fast, it's geared for an Internet tether yet able to function on its own, and it's a bold step into the future of how operating systems work. The Chrome OS will be available to the public on June 15, and Google and Samsung gave CNET an early look at the coming Samsung Chromebook.

In Mobile news, Microsoft has unveiled a tool designed to help Android developers port their apps over to Windows Phone. While it's by no means a magic wand, the Android to Windows Phone API mapping tool can take some of the pain out of the porting process. Also, be sure to check out our roundup of notepad apps for iOS.

You'll find plenty of keyboard-shortcut launchers floating around for Mac OS X, but Quicksilver's stylish interface, small footprint, and many customization options set it ahead of the pack. You activate this open-source program via a user-assignable hot key that spawns a small text field for entering abbreviations to locate applications, documents, or anything else. Want to get to files and folders quickly? Quicksilver is the answer.

Also this week we have the latest version of OnyX, a handy utility for conducting routine maintenance and tweaking the interface on your Mac. Our game this week is Lux Delux, a remake of the classic strategy game Risk, but with tons of user-created maps, challenging gameplay, and an active community.

Don't forget to check out this week's collection of apps: Top note-taking apps for iOS.