Following last month's introduction of a native Google+ app to iPhone users, Google's updated that app to work on Apple's iPad tablet and iPod Touch devices as well.

In an update this morning, the same app (iTunes) now works with those models, though in the iPad's case it's just as a double resolution version versus a native, big screen application. Previously iPad and iPod Touch users couldn't even install the application from the App Store.

Along with the compatibility fix, Google's added a settings tweak for Huddle, its group chat offering, to let users pick who can message them, based on what circle they belong to. Google's also pulled together the notifications you get from being added to circles to keep them consolidated.

Related links
• Hands-on: Google+ app on the iPhone
• Google+ speeds to 25 million users in first month
• How to back up your Google+ account

Google's app continues not to work on the developer beta version of Apple's iOS 5, which is expected to be released in the next month or two. With this build, Google's added a convenient pop-up message for users on the test version of that platform that alerts them to this fact.

Google+, which remains invite only, hit the 25 million member mark less than a week ago. The service launched at the very end of June as an alternative to social-networking giants like Facebook, combining a number of Google's properties and technologies under one umbrella.

(via 9to5mac)

Originally posted at Apple Talk

Following last month's introduction of a native Google+ app to iPhone users, Google's updated that app to work on Apple's iPad tablet and iPod Touch devices as well.

In an update this morning, the same app (iTunes) now works with those models, though in the iPad's case it's just as a double resolution version versus a native, big screen application. Previously iPad and iPod Touch users couldn't even install the application from the App Store.

Along with the compatibility fix, Google's added a settings tweak for Huddle, its group chat offering, to let users pick who can message them, based on what circle they belong to. Google's also pulled together the notifications you get from being added to circles to keep them consolidated.

Related links
• Hands-on: Google+ app on the iPhone
• Google+ speeds to 25 million users in first month
• How to back up your Google+ account

Google's app continues not to work on the developer beta version of Apple's iOS 5, which is expected to be released in the next month or two. With this build, Google's added a convenient pop-up message for users on the test version of that platform that alerts them to this fact.

Google+, which remains invite only, hit the 25 million member mark less than a week ago. The service launched at the very end of June as an alternative to social-networking giants like Facebook, combining a number of Google's properties and technologies under one umbrella.

(via 9to5mac)

Skype this morning put out a new update to its Mac client that brings compatibility with Apple's Mac OS X Lion, as well as HD video calling.

The jump to support Lion comes some three weeks after the release of Apple's latest Mac OS X iteration.

As for the HD video calling feature, Skype first brought that in a beta to Windows users in January of last year. The new HD quality can take advantage of FaceTime HD cameras that ship with Apple's newer iMacs and MacBook Pros. Users need to have an upload/download speed of 1.5Mbps to make use of the high definition stream, Skype says.

Video calling has become an increasingly important aspect of Skype, with the company expanding the feature to a number of mobile devices. Last week, for instance, the company bought video call support to some 17 new Android devices, adding to the number that could begin taking advantage of it in June. Video calling is also the headlining feature in Skype's recently released iPad app, which uses the dual cameras in the most recent model as an alternative to Apple's built in FaceTime feature.

Originally posted at Apple Talk

Following last month's introduction of a native Google+ app to iPhone users, Google's updated that app to work on Apple's iPad tablet and iPod Touch devices as well.

In an update this morning, the same app (iTunes) now works with those models, though in the iPad's case it's just as a double resolution version versus a native, big screen application. Previously iPad and iPod Touch users couldn't even install the application from the App Store.

Along with the compatibility fix, Google's added a settings tweak for Huddle, its group chat offering, to let users pick who can message them, based on what circle they belong to. Google's also pulled together the notifications you get from being added to circles to keep them consolidated.

Related links
• Hands-on: Google+ app on the iPhone
• Google+ speeds to 25 million users in first month
• How to back up your Google+ account

Google's app continues not to work on the developer beta version of Apple's iOS 5, which is expected to be released in the next month or two. With this build, Google's added a convenient pop-up message for users on the test version of that platform that alerts them to this fact.

Google+, which remains invite only, hit the 25 million member mark less than a week ago. The service launched at the very end of June as an alternative to social-networking giants like Facebook, combining a number of Google's properties and technologies under one umbrella.

(via 9to5mac)

Skype this morning put out a new update to its Mac client that brings compatibility with Apple's Mac OS X Lion, as well as HD video calling.

The jump to support Lion comes some three weeks after the release of Apple's latest Mac OS X iteration.

As for the HD video calling feature, Skype first brought that in a beta to Windows users in January of last year. The new HD quality can take advantage of FaceTime HD cameras that ship with Apple's newer iMacs and MacBook Pros. Users need to have an upload/download speed of 1.5Mbps to make use of the high definition stream, Skype says.

Video calling has become an increasingly important aspect of Skype, with the company expanding the feature to a number of mobile devices. Last week, for instance, the company bought video call support to some 17 new Android devices, adding to the number that could begin taking advantage of it in June. Video calling is also the headlining feature in Skype's recently released iPad app, which uses the dual cameras in the most recent model as an alternative to Apple's built in FaceTime feature.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to make the sting of paying full price for the TouchPad a bit less painful for early adopters.

Over the weekend, HP announced that it would be offering some customers a $50 credit for the company's application marketplace, the App Catalog. The credit is available to those who bought the TouchPad in the U.S. between July 1 and August 4.

HP's TouchPad has been having difficulty competing against the leader in the tablet space, Apple's iPad. Last week, the company announced that it was offering an "instant rebate" on the TouchPad of $50, dropping the price of the tablet down to $449.99 and $549.99 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively.

That was quickly followed by a $100 discount off the original launch price from Friday to Sunday to help spur demand for its device.

Related stories:
• CNET review of HP TouchPad
• HP TouchPad gets $50 rebate, OTA update
• Get a 16GB HP TouchPad tablet for $379.99

However, by dropping the price of the tablet, HP caught some flak from customers who were displeased by its decision to drop the price of the TouchPad so soon.

But HP hasn't been the only company trying to put out fires over pricing. Earlier this month, Nintendo apologized to early adopters of its 3DS portable after announcing that it would drop the price of the device from $249.99 to $169.99 starting on August 12. To make it right, Nintendo said that it would offer early adopters 20 free games from its Virtual Console.

HP's App Catalog credit is good through the end of the year. Customers who bought the device before the price cut will receive details in an e-mail from HP on how to use the credit.

Originally posted at The Digital Home

Following last month's introduction of a native Google+ app to iPhone users, Google's updated that app to work on Apple's iPad tablet and iPod Touch devices as well.

In an update this morning, the same app (iTunes) now works with those models, though in the iPad's case it's just as a double resolution version versus a native, big screen application. Previously iPad and iPod Touch users couldn't even install the application from the App Store.

Along with the compatibility fix, Google's added a settings tweak for Huddle, its group chat offering, to let users pick who can message them, based on what circle they belong to. Google's also pulled together the notifications you get from being added to circles to keep them consolidated.

Related links
• Hands-on: Google+ app on the iPhone
• Google+ speeds to 25 million users in first month
• How to back up your Google+ account

Google's app continues not to work on the developer beta version of Apple's iOS 5, which is expected to be released in the next month or two. With this build, Google's added a convenient pop-up message for users on the test version of that platform that alerts them to this fact.

Google+, which remains invite only, hit the 25 million member mark less than a week ago. The service launched at the very end of June as an alternative to social-networking giants like Facebook, combining a number of Google's properties and technologies under one umbrella.

(via 9to5mac)

Skype this morning put out a new update to its Mac client that brings compatibility with Apple's Mac OS X Lion, as well as HD video calling.

The jump to support Lion comes some three weeks after the release of Apple's latest Mac OS X iteration.

As for the HD video calling feature, Skype first brought that in a beta to Windows users in January of last year. The new HD quality can take advantage of FaceTime HD cameras that ship with Apple's newer iMacs and MacBook Pros. Users need to have an upload/download speed of 1.5Mbps to make use of the high definition stream, Skype says.

Video calling has become an increasingly important aspect of Skype, with the company expanding the feature to a number of mobile devices. Last week, for instance, the company bought video call support to some 17 new Android devices, adding to the number that could begin taking advantage of it in June. Video calling is also the headlining feature in Skype's recently released iPad app, which uses the dual cameras in the most recent model as an alternative to Apple's built in FaceTime feature.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to make the sting of paying full price for the TouchPad a bit less painful for early adopters.

Over the weekend, HP announced that it would be offering some customers a $50 credit for the company's application marketplace, the App Catalog. The credit is available to those who bought the TouchPad in the U.S. between July 1 and August 4.

HP's TouchPad has been having difficulty competing against the leader in the tablet space, Apple's iPad. Last week, the company announced that it was offering an "instant rebate" on the TouchPad of $50, dropping the price of the tablet down to $449.99 and $549.99 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively.

That was quickly followed by a $100 discount off the original launch price from Friday to Sunday to help spur demand for its device.

Related stories:
• CNET review of HP TouchPad
• HP TouchPad gets $50 rebate, OTA update
• Get a 16GB HP TouchPad tablet for $379.99

However, by dropping the price of the tablet, HP caught some flak from customers who were displeased by its decision to drop the price of the TouchPad so soon.

But HP hasn't been the only company trying to put out fires over pricing. Earlier this month, Nintendo apologized to early adopters of its 3DS portable after announcing that it would drop the price of the device from $249.99 to $169.99 starting on August 12. To make it right, Nintendo said that it would offer early adopters 20 free games from its Virtual Console.

HP's App Catalog credit is good through the end of the year. Customers who bought the device before the price cut will receive details in an e-mail from HP on how to use the credit.

Apple has been sued for the Mac OS X startup process.

Operating Systems Solutions, a Florida company, recently sued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that the Mac maker's desktop operating system violates a patent it owns for quickly booting an OS. The patent was originally issued to LG Electronics in 2002.

The patent reads, "a method for fast booting a computer system, comprising the steps of: A. performing a power on self test (POST) of basic input output system (BIOS) when the system is powered on or reset is requested; B. checking whether a boot configuration information including a system booting state which was created while executing a previous normal booting process exists or not; C. storing the boot configuration information from execution of the POST operation before loading a graphic interface (GUI) program, based on the checking result; and D. loading the graphic user interface (GUI) program."

Patently Apple was first to report on the suit.

Operating Systems Solutions doesn't cite a specific version of Apple's Mac OS X in its suit. However, the company does claim that "Apple sells or offers to sell within this district, computer systems, including but not limited to the MacBook Pro, that utilize the Mac OS X operating system that infringes" its patent.

It's currently unclear what Operating Systems Solutions actually does. Several Google searches by CNET yielded no results for the company. The firm also doesn't appear to have contact information. However, CNET did contact the company's attorney, who has not immediately responded to a request for comment or for information on the firm.

Related stories:
• Apple sued over location tracking in iOS
• Apple sued over use of iCloud name
• Apple sued over multitouch patent
• How Google can do more than beef about patents
• From ZDNet--Software patents: Lots of whining, but reform unlikely

One of the more surprising elements of the suit is the patent's history, given that it was originally issued to consumer electronics giant LG in 2002. However, as Operating Systems Solutions points out in its lawsuit, the patent was reissued in 2008, and the company now owns "all right, title, and interest" in the patent.

It doesn't appear that LG is included in the lawsuit. The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

According to the court filing, Operating Systems Solutions wants injunctive relief. The company is also seeking damages and the immediate "destruction [of] all remaining advertisements, circulars, brochures, or other promotional or advertising items, Web site, or other materials for the infringing method."

Like many other large companies, Apple has been a lightning rod for lawsuits over the last several years. The company is currently entangled in suits related to everything from its mobile devices to the name of its cloud-based service, iCloud.

Apple has not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the lawsuit.

Originally posted at The Digital Home

Following last month's introduction of a native Google+ app to iPhone users, Google's updated that app to work on Apple's iPad tablet and iPod Touch devices as well.

In an update this morning, the same app (iTunes) now works with those models, though in the iPad's case it's just as a double resolution version versus a native, big screen application. Previously iPad and iPod Touch users couldn't even install the application from the App Store.

Along with the compatibility fix, Google's added a settings tweak for Huddle, its group chat offering, to let users pick who can message them, based on what circle they belong to. Google's also pulled together the notifications you get from being added to circles to keep them consolidated.

Related links
• Hands-on: Google+ app on the iPhone
• Google+ speeds to 25 million users in first month
• How to back up your Google+ account

Google's app continues not to work on the developer beta version of Apple's iOS 5, which is expected to be released in the next month or two. With this build, Google's added a convenient pop-up message for users on the test version of that platform that alerts them to this fact.

Google+, which remains invite only, hit the 25 million member mark less than a week ago. The service launched at the very end of June as an alternative to social-networking giants like Facebook, combining a number of Google's properties and technologies under one umbrella.

(via 9to5mac)

Skype this morning put out a new update to its Mac client that brings compatibility with Apple's Mac OS X Lion, as well as HD video calling.

The jump to support Lion comes some three weeks after the release of Apple's latest Mac OS X iteration.

As for the HD video calling feature, Skype first brought that in a beta to Windows users in January of last year. The new HD quality can take advantage of FaceTime HD cameras that ship with Apple's newer iMacs and MacBook Pros. Users need to have an upload/download speed of 1.5Mbps to make use of the high definition stream, Skype says.

Video calling has become an increasingly important aspect of Skype, with the company expanding the feature to a number of mobile devices. Last week, for instance, the company bought video call support to some 17 new Android devices, adding to the number that could begin taking advantage of it in June. Video calling is also the headlining feature in Skype's recently released iPad app, which uses the dual cameras in the most recent model as an alternative to Apple's built in FaceTime feature.

Hewlett-Packard is trying to make the sting of paying full price for the TouchPad a bit less painful for early adopters.

Over the weekend, HP announced that it would be offering some customers a $50 credit for the company's application marketplace, the App Catalog. The credit is available to those who bought the TouchPad in the U.S. between July 1 and August 4.

HP's TouchPad has been having difficulty competing against the leader in the tablet space, Apple's iPad. Last week, the company announced that it was offering an "instant rebate" on the TouchPad of $50, dropping the price of the tablet down to $449.99 and $549.99 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively.

That was quickly followed by a $100 discount off the original launch price from Friday to Sunday to help spur demand for its device.

Related stories:
• CNET review of HP TouchPad
• HP TouchPad gets $50 rebate, OTA update
• Get a 16GB HP TouchPad tablet for $379.99

However, by dropping the price of the tablet, HP caught some flak from customers who were displeased by its decision to drop the price of the TouchPad so soon.

But HP hasn't been the only company trying to put out fires over pricing. Earlier this month, Nintendo apologized to early adopters of its 3DS portable after announcing that it would drop the price of the device from $249.99 to $169.99 starting on August 12. To make it right, Nintendo said that it would offer early adopters 20 free games from its Virtual Console.

HP's App Catalog credit is good through the end of the year. Customers who bought the device before the price cut will receive details in an e-mail from HP on how to use the credit.

Apple has been sued for the Mac OS X startup process.

Operating Systems Solutions, a Florida company, recently sued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that the Mac maker's desktop operating system violates a patent it owns for quickly booting an OS. The patent was originally issued to LG Electronics in 2002.

The patent reads, "a method for fast booting a computer system, comprising the steps of: A. performing a power on self test (POST) of basic input output system (BIOS) when the system is powered on or reset is requested; B. checking whether a boot configuration information including a system booting state which was created while executing a previous normal booting process exists or not; C. storing the boot configuration information from execution of the POST operation before loading a graphic interface (GUI) program, based on the checking result; and D. loading the graphic user interface (GUI) program."

Patently Apple was first to report on the suit.

Operating Systems Solutions doesn't cite a specific version of Apple's Mac OS X in its suit. However, the company does claim that "Apple sells or offers to sell within this district, computer systems, including but not limited to the MacBook Pro, that utilize the Mac OS X operating system that infringes" its patent.

It's currently unclear what Operating Systems Solutions actually does. Several Google searches by CNET yielded no results for the company. The firm also doesn't appear to have contact information. However, CNET did contact the company's attorney, who has not immediately responded to a request for comment or for information on the firm.

Related stories:
• Apple sued over location tracking in iOS
• Apple sued over use of iCloud name
• Apple sued over multitouch patent
• How Google can do more than beef about patents
• From ZDNet--Software patents: Lots of whining, but reform unlikely

One of the more surprising elements of the suit is the patent's history, given that it was originally issued to consumer electronics giant LG in 2002. However, as Operating Systems Solutions points out in its lawsuit, the patent was reissued in 2008, and the company now owns "all right, title, and interest" in the patent.

It doesn't appear that LG is included in the lawsuit. The company did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.

According to the court filing, Operating Systems Solutions wants injunctive relief. The company is also seeking damages and the immediate "destruction [of] all remaining advertisements, circulars, brochures, or other promotional or advertising items, Web site, or other materials for the infringing method."

Like many other large companies, Apple has been a lightning rod for lawsuits over the last several years. The company is currently entangled in suits related to everything from its mobile devices to the name of its cloud-based service, iCloud.

Apple has not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the lawsuit.

LAS VEGAS--A 10-year-old hacker who goes by the pseudonym CyFi revealed today at DefCon 19 a zero-day exploit in games on iOS and Android devices that independent researchers have confirmed as a new class of vulnerability. The girl from California first discovered the flaw around January 2011 because she "started to get bored" with the pace of farm-style games.

Speaking to CNET about an hour before her presentation, CyFi said, "It was hard to make progress in the game, because it took so long for things to grow. So I thought, 'Why don't I just change the time?'" Most of the games she discovered the exploit in have time-dependent factors. For example, planting corn might take 10 real-time hours to mature in the game. Manually advancing the phone or tablet's clock forced the game further ahead than it really was, opening up the exploit.

She is not revealing at this time which games are affected because of reasonable disclosure, thus giving the vendors that make the affected games a chance to respond.

While many games will detect and block this kind of manipulation, CyFi said that she discovered some ways around those detections. Disconnecting the phone from Wi-Fi made it harder to stop, as did making incremental clock adjustments.

CyFi's mother, who must remain anonymous to protect her daughter's identity, told CNET that at the end of CyFi's presentation at DefCon Kids they would offer a $100 reward to the young hacker who found the most games with this exploit over the following 24 hours. The reward is sponsored by AllClearID, a identity protection company that is also sponsoring the DefCon Kids. This is the first year of DefCon Kids programming at the conference, a reflection of the fact that members of the hacking community are getting older and raising families.

Already an artist who has performed an improvised, 10-minute-long spoken word piece in front of 1,000 people at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a Girl Scout, and a state-ranked downhill skier, CyFi revealed that she was only a little bit nervous about having to speak in front of the 100 or so expected attendees. She admitted that while it was probably different publicly speaking about a topic with such a specific focus, it would be hard for her to imagine what those differences might be. "Well, I haven't done it yet," she said.

This past week was mostly about security, as CNET covered both the Black Hat Security Conference and DefCon 19 Hacking Conference. At Black Hat, we learned a bit about some of Chrome OS' vulnerabilities, and got an inside scoop on Windows Vista's security level. Meanwhile, at DefCon 19 we got a rare look at an archaic piece of technology housing the original PC virus, and a mobile game vulnerability discovered by a 10-year old hacker who calls herself CyFi.

In other news, Mozilla Thunderbird 5 hit shelves. Check out our First Look video here. Also, if you're an Android user and you're into social networking, you won't want to miss our take on the battle between Hootsuite, TweetDeck, and Seesmic.