Microsoft today made available for download a new release of its free anti-virus/anti-malware program for Windows PCs, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE).

The MSE 4.0 release is available via the Microsoft Download Center and the MSE Web site. (I learned of its availability from a post on Neowin today.) The latest version runs on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.

The 4.0 version has been in beta since late 2011. As ZDNet sister site TechRepublic reported back in December 2011, Microsoft officials said the 4.0 release would include a streamlined interface; a renamed version of the SpyNet service (now slated to be known as Microsoft Active Protection Services); new automatic remediation functionality; and overall improved performance and detection capabilities.

I've asked Microsoft officials if there's anything else worth noting that is part of the new release. Here's the statement from a spokesperson:

This update to Microsoft Security Essentials is part of the standard product update release cycle. This service update contains product enhancements to improve performance and user experience. We have improved on Microsoft Security Essentials' Automatic Remediation, which wi... [Read more]

Chrome for Android overlays multiple tabs if you tap the tab button in the upper right.

Google expects to bring its Chrome browser for Android out of beta testing "in a matter of weeks."

So said Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome and Apps, in an interview yesterday, shortly after Google released a Chrome for Android update that lets people view the desktop version of a Web page and add bookmarks to the browser's home screen.

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"We launched beta 2. We addressed a few things," Pichai said. "Mainly right now, I'm driven by bug quality and stability. We are triaging, tracking, and trying to make it v... [Read more]

See this? Not for much longer, Firefox users on Windows.

Mozilla has updated Firefox to version 12 today, completing a cycle of changes to how the program updates and bringing some serious elbow-grease to its developer tools.

You still have to you approve the User Account Control (UAC) the first time you install Firefox, but for all subsequent versions, it will automatically update without your approval. This is the same update procedure that Google Chrome has been using on Windows for more than a year with few if any known negative consequences.

You can download Firefox 12 for Windows | Mac | Linux.

Besides cutting down on the your interaction with the update process, one potential benefit of automatic updates is that if Mozilla must release a security patch, the browser's security will not be dependent on your interaction.

This follows changes made in January's Firefox release, which marked about 80 percent of add-ons as compatible by default. Doing so prevented most add-ons from slowing down the browser u... [Read more]

New Clip Speed effects let you slow down or speed up footage to add more drama with a simple drag and drop of the effect to the timeline.

Camtasia for Mac received an update today that makes it easy to create professional screencasts (capturing all actions on screen) for demonstration videos, instructional videos, and other screen-recording projects. Some new features offered in version 2.1 of the software should make it even more useful, adding new Clip Speed and Remove a Color options to add to your screencasts.

Clip Speed lets you adjust play speed easily The new Clip Speed feature can be accessed from the Video FX tab, and lets you speed through slow processes in a demonstration or slow down a faster process you want your audience to see. Say you're creating a presentation that includes a visually uninteresting task like filling out a form. You can drag and drop the Clip Speed feature from the Video FX tab on to your timeline, then speed up a portion of the clip so that it flies through filling out the form. This will be especially useful when you want to skip through a section or, alternatively, slow down a more visually pleasing portion of your presentation for your audience. From what we've seen, the drag-and-drop interface for the tool is very easy to use and requires only a few st... [Read more]