Google's Cloud Print now is the default print manager in Chrome.

Google's remote printing feature called Cloud Print got a big boost with Chrome 16, the company announced today. Cloud Print now comes directly integrated into the browser, along with a host of useful changes to the service.

The update expands Cloud Print into a more robust tool, which Google said has more than 6 million connected printers and numerous Android and iOS apps to support it since its debut in April. Along with the Chrome integration, the new Cloud Print update gives Chromebook users a full, traditional Print Preview option, and the service now lets you save Web pages such as receipts and confirmation pages to Google Docs.

Cloud Print now can share and control printer access; its interface has been tweaked to be more tablet-friendly; and the Print button has been developed into an element that site designers can add independently to their Web sites.

Hitting Control+P (or Command+P on a Mac) will now default to the Cloud Print interface, although your local printer will still be selected. Cloud Print is an option from the drop-down on the left, and there's an option below it t... [Read more]

Yesterday Microsoft released updates for Office 2008 and Office 2011 for OS X, which include patches for a couple of vulnerabilities in PowerPoint and Word.

In the security bulletin accompanying the Office 2011 update, Microsoft warned that the vulnerabilities include exploits in which an attacker can use specially crafted Word files to gain access to the system. In addition, the updates address the reliability and stability of Excel and Outlook, fixing problems in which the programs could exit unexpectedly or give improper password expiration notifications.

Microsoft's AutoUpdate utility should show the updates as being available.

For the Office 2008 update, the vulnerability is similar in that opening a specially crafted file could allow an attacker to take control of a system, except for the files are PowerPoint instead of Word.

While these vulnerabilities will not affect people who only use documents they create, the potential is there for documents from third parties that could contain the exploits, so Microsoft has labeled these updates as critical and recommends all users of Office 2... [Read more]

The vastly improved Netflix 2.0 for iPad.

Last month, Android tablet owners were treated to a Netflix interface overhaul, one designed to help users "more easily discover the content they want to watch."

Now it's the iPad's turn: just-released Netflix 2.0 brings a refreshed interface to Apple's tablet. The update is available now, and it's a required download: you can no longer run the previous version of the app.

According to Netflix Product Manager Zal Bilimoria, "The new app is really a big step forward; it is much more immersive and provides greater focus on our growing catalog by displaying twice as many titles than the previous interface. In addition, through optimization for touch-enabled tablets, Netflix members can now swipe through rows and rows of titles featuring larger artwork."

In my mind, the biggest improvement is the Continue Watching carousel, which shows thumbnails of the last six shows you were watching and lets you resume any one of them with just one tap. Previously, the app showed only the most recently viewed video.

... [Read more]

The new look for Firefox for Android won't strike many as hugely different, but maybe that's because it looks more like a native Android app.

It wasn't an easy call for Mozilla to scrap the Android interface it had been using for its mobile version of Firefox, but today the company released the first images of what Firefox for Android could wind up looking like in the near future.

At first glance, it may appear that not much will be changed. In the standard browser window, tab management will be moved from the left side of the location bar to the right, and the location bar itself will get rounded corners. Many Firefox-specific pages, such as the add-on manager and the default Start page, will undergo bigger redesigns. The open tab management window, for example, will take up the width of the screen, instead of being crammed into a left-side gutter as it is now.

Firefox for Android's new clothes

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Touch the gear icon to add your signature or set up a vacation e-mail responder.

The Gmail app (free) for iOS received an update today adding useful features like signatures and a vacation responder system.

When the Gmail app came out not too long ago, Google said it was just getting started. Released today in the iTunes App Store, an update to the Gmail app adds a few new features that make the popular e-mail app even better.

Along with (what Google says are) numerous UI improvements and bug fixes, a few features were added that will be welcome additions for Gmail users. You'll now be able to create nested labels; similar to a hierarchical folder system, nested labels give you the advantage of being able to create subcategories of labels. This means you can have a top-level category of Family, for example, then subcategories for your wife, son, daughter, and grandpa.

Draw a little picture or diagram and attach it to an e-mail.

Google has also added two new options to settings (the gears icon that shows up when you touch Menu). You'll now be able to add your signature to e-mails (if you've already set one up in the Web-based Gmail) or you can create a... [Read more]

A bad memory module (RAM) can cause unpredictable behavior in a Windows system, including the dreaded blue screen of death. If you suspect that your RAM may be faulty, you can run a memory test to confirm that you have a bad memory module.

Laptop and desktop PC makers occasionally provide preinstalled utilities that sometimes include a memory test. Feel free to try out those utilities, especially if your computer is under warranty and you want to make a warranty claim. Manufacturers will often require you to run their support utilities first, before agreeing to replace hardware or move forward with a trouble ticket.

In our tutorial, we're going to use a widely-used memory testing application called memtest (memtest86+). Reputable memory makers like, Corsair, Patriot Memory, Crucial, and others, recommend memtest to test their memory products.

1. Get memtest To use memtest, you have to download it and create the bootable media first. You'll need to decide whether you want to download the ISO image file and create a CD/DVD or if you want to download the auto-installer for USB keys to create a bootable USB flash drive.

2. Create memtest bootable media If you want to create a memtest CD or DVD, unzip the downloaded ISO and use your favorite ISO-burning program to create the disc. In Windows 7, simply right-click on the ISO file and select "Burn disc image," then f... [Read more]