(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Last week Apple showed off the new iPad's higher-resolution display and showcased a series of new apps that take advantage of those added pixels. If you have an iPad, I'm sure you're relishing the chance to see the new display in action, but before you get too excited, don't expect to get the full experience on day one.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but don't be surprised if some of your favorite apps aren't ready to hit the ground running, even if you are.

Crystal clear consequences So why do we wait? For starters, the new iPad has four times as many pixels as the iPad 2 (for a total of 3.1 million pixels), which makes for extremely sharp text and richer colors whether you're reading a book, browsing photos, or playing a video game. While the iPad renders things like text for the sharper screen automatically, other parts of applications like textures and other art assets need to be redone to better utilize the extra pixels.

As a result, some applications have ballooned in size, which includes Apple own apps. For instance, Pages--the word processor app in Apple's iWork suite--went from 95MB to 269MB while Numbers--Apple's spreadsheet app--increased from 109MB to 283MB. So in addition to the extra work for developers, users will see longer download times and they'll have to consider the impact on their iPad's available storage.

To help alleviate that fi... [Read more]

Recently Apple updated iPhoto and other software packages to make it possible to delete photos from the Photo Stream feature that is part of its iCloud service. Today Apple has further supported this option by adding it to its Aperture professional photo management tool in an update that is available today.

The Aperture update also addresses small performance and stability issues, and is recommended for anyone using Aperture, especially for those who make use of iCloud.

The Aperture update is around 635MB in size, and should be available via Software Update if you have Aperture 3.2 installed on your system, but can also be obtained from the update's Web site. The update also requires the latest versions of OS X Snow Leopard and Lion, so if you have not already done so, be sure to update your operating system software before installing this update.

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In addition to the Aperture update, Apple has made available driver update... [Read more]

Trend Micro's password managing DirectPass offers something new for the category: a restricted, secure browser built in.

(Credit: Trend Micro)

DirectPass (download) is a new password manager from Trend Micro that promises a battery of features that could shoot it to the top of its class. The catch? It's not cheap.

Debuting yesterday, DirectPass has a lot key options that make a good password manager great. It's got password generation, a 256-bit AES encrypted form-filler, encrypted secure notes, browser integration via add-on, and one-click master password login. The master password include a hint option to help you remember it, but you best not forget it unless you want your passwords locked away permanently.

Like competitors, DirectPass syncs across platforms and devices, so you can use it on Windows, Android, and iOS. It has keystroke encryption always on by default, and it's got one feature the others don't: a built-in secure browser.

Built in-house, the secure browser is designed for performing financial transaction safely. It automatically turns off threat vectors like third-party plug-ins and DLLs.

DirectPass provides an unlimited trial that lets you use all of its features, but there's a catch: you only get to save five passwords. Upgrading to an unlimited number of passwords will set yo... [Read more]

Add-on sync and two new developer tools are the hallmarks of today's update to Firefox.

The stable version of the browser that you can download now, Firefox 11 (download for Windows | Mac | Linux) allows you to mirror the same add-ons across multiple desktops. While it's true that Google Chrome has been able to sync add-ons since late 2010, its implementation has been notably uneven. It'll be interesting to see how well Firefox handles it. You can toggle add-on synchronization from the Sync tab in the Options window.

A Mozilla representative told CNET that there would be no major update to Firefox for Android today. Although the mobile version of the browser had been on the same six-week release cycle as the desktop version, Mozilla's decision to change to a native Android interface has prevented more major updates from being pushed to the browser since January.

Along with add-on sync, Firefox now marks most add-ons as compatible by default.

Firefox 11 also adds two new options to a developer's toolbox. The first is the 3D Page Inspector View nicknamed Tilt. Not unlik... [Read more]

Turn-by-turn navigation on an iPhone

(Credit: Nokia)

Introduced last summer, the Nokia Maps mobile site, m.maps.nokia.com, has pretty much been the Google Maps knockoff that nobody knew about. It has given mobile users the ability to search for places, get directions, and share items with friends--all fairly standard stuff. But starting today, the Nokia Maps mobile site may have differentiated itself, as it now offers voice-guided, turn-by-turn walking navigation for all, something that Google's mobile site doesn't provide.

In order to use the navigation, all you have to do is go to m.maps.nokia.com, give it permission to access your location, and agree to a short Terms of Service sheet. Then, whether you're on an iPhone, iPad, Nokia smartphone, or any other device with a mobile browser, Nokia Maps will be able to shout out directions as you walk.

My question is, why only walking navigation? I mean sure, iOS users in particular should be happy to be getting any turn-by-turn navigation at all, but I can't think of many use case scenarios that call for this. Except maybe biking? Or maybe it's a cold day, and you'd rather store your phone in your beanie than hold it out in front of you? In any case, it's still something. And it could be that Nokia is just testing the waters before releasing its driving navigation fea... [Read more]

Chrome will come to Windows 8 Metro when Microsoft's in-development operating system is released to the public, a Google representative has confirmed with CNET.

"Our goal is to be able to offer our users a speedy, simple, secure Chrome experience across all platforms, which includes both the desktop and Metro versions of Windows 8. To that end, we're in the process of building a Metro version of Chrome along with improving desktop Chrome in Windows 8, such as adding enhanced touch support," wrote the representative in an e-mail to CNET.

As first reported by Mashable, this indicates so far that Google will be following Microsoft's lead by developing two interfaces for Windows 8: one for Metro, and one for the desktop view. Beyond that, Google would not confirm any other plans for Chrome in Metro.

However, Mozilla revealed last Friday many of the challenges in developing a third-party browser for Windows 8 that go beyond just two different interfaces. Problems include a "very large" amount of new code, according to Mozilla developer Brian Bondy, but also a limitation imposed by Microsoft that currently prevents third-party browsers from running in Metro mode unless they're chosen as the default browser.

Opera is also keeping a close eye on Windows 8, altho... [Read more]

During most work days, I have dozens of tabs open, and Chrome can start to feel a bit sluggish under the weight of my hunt for helpful tips and tricks and, this time of year, Cincinnati Reds news among other distractions. With TabMemFree, Chrome unloads inactive tabs so they don't take up CPU and memory resources.

TabMemFree puts a small button in Chrome's toolbar, and its favicon appears on unloaded tabs.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

After installing TabMemFree, a small button gets added to Chrome's toolbar. Right-click on it and select Options. There are only two settings to tweak: Timeout and Tick. For the first, set the number of minutes you'd like TabMemFree to wait before it forwards a tab to a blank page to upload it from your system memory. The Tick setting sets the interval for when TabMemFree checks for inactive tabs. Lastly, you can turn the extension on and off by simply clicking on the button (TabMemFree is on when the three arrows appear about the little black rectangle).

TabMemFree's settings are but a pair of sliders.

(Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET)

In my testing, I found TabMemFree to be inconsistent. In fact, the developer states in the description in the Chrome Web Store, "WARNING: Un... [Read more]

(Credit: Photo by Josh Miller/CNET)

Pin It

Sometimes it's difficult to decide if you should spend money on the pro or full version of an app. The free version may be "good enough," but sometimes you can get rid of annoying ads or gain extra features for just a few bucks. In many cases, the way to decide on buying an app will differ for each app and each person. Here are the points I consider, along with some from an article on Lifehacker, before I buy an app:

Read the list of benefits

What sort of new features will you get once you purchase the app? When I'm considering the Lite vs Pro version of an app, I look for a list of upgraded benefits in the description area. When an app is only 99 cents, I usually go for it--even if no ads is the only benefit. This seems to be the magic price for a lot of apps. If the app costs more than ... [Read more]