Download.com has been bringing you collections of "starter kits," the best downloads to get you going on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, since 2008. Along with semi-regular updates to our picks, we've also given the collections a new look so they're easier than ever for you to use.

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The vertical strips indicate scheduled events from your mobile device's calendar.

Quirky and innovative travel search service Hipmunk has just updated its mobile apps (Android | iOS) with a nifty new calendar integration feature. As of today, the already powerful travel apps can now take inventory of your Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, or Apple iCal events, and overlay its findings on your travel search results pages. This can be an especially useful tool for business travelers with difficult schedules.

If you haven't used Hipmunk before, it's a Kayak-like travel search service on the Web and mobile devices. What makes it unique is its capability to factor in things like departure time, arrival time, stopovers, and price, to return travel itineraries based on level of "agony." What's more, it presents its results on a visual chart rather than text listings, making it easy to compare several travel options and weigh several criteria all on one screen.

And now that the Hipmunk app integrates your mobile calendar events, it's even easier to see which flight options fit your schedule, thanks to the vertical strips overlaid on your search results.

(Credit:... [Read more]

While OS X was relatively void of malware for the first 10 years of use, recently malware scares have cropped up that have affected a significant number of Mac systems.

One of the first was the MacDefender fake antivirus scam, which had people issuing credit card information out of fear their systems were infected. This scam morphed quite rapidly as it tried to avoid detection and continue coercing people to offer personal information. Another scam was the DNSChanger malware that affected millions of PC systems worldwide, and which ultimately directed affected systems to malicious Web sites, and like the MacDefender malware tried to get people to offer personal information.

The latest malware to hit OS X has been the Flashback scam, which initially started as a fake Flash player installer application that was relatively easy to avoid. However, the threat quickly morphed into a more serious threat by taking advantage of unpatched security holes in Java (... [Read more]

German security suite maker Avira has bought SocialShield, which makes software that enables parents to monitor the social-network activity of their children.

Avira said in a prepared statement last week that it intends to incorporate SocialShield into the free version of its security suite, which has around 100 million people actively using it. SocialShield scans numerous social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, MySpace, and FormSpring, analyzes the activity it has access to, and alerts parents when red flags arise. The company did not reveal a timeline for integration.

(Credit: HowtoOutlook.com)

The official Gmail client for Android is relatively complete; you can handle most of your e-mail tasks without ever needing to sit in front of a PC. Unfortunately, there's one specific task where the app falls short: downloading attachments.

Sometimes you'll be able to preview and download an attachment, and other times you won't. Instead of letting you grab an MP3, PDF, or even DLL from an e-mail, it just opens the files -- or worse, it's a file type you can't preview. So here's a look at a plug-in for the mobile Gmail client, which will allow you to download these types of files and any others you may need to save or pass on:

Note: This app will not work with EXE or ZIP files; these are blocked by Google.

This is how Gmail looks without the plug-in.

Step 1: Install a copy of Gmail Attachment Download https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.poofinc.gmailattach

The extra buttons in your Gmail app after installing the app.

Step 2: Open an e-mail you need to save... [Read more]

Tired of splitting checks when eating out? Venmo greatly simplifies making payments to your friends using your Android or iOS device, for free.

(Credit: Screenshot by Eddie Cho)

It originally began as a text-message-based payment startup, but Venmo has been gaining steady traction among smartphone users looking for payment utilities without the use of NFC chips and external card readers and sliders. With Venmo, you can easily send money to your contacts and other Venmo users directly from your phone. Venmo enables you to transfer funds, leave personal notes or reminders, and even brag about your payment activities on your social networks -- if letting the world know about how debt-free you are is your cup of tea.

To begin using Venmo, simply download the app and follow its quick registration process. After registration, you're given four basic options: make a payment, send a charge notice, view your payment history, and cash out. Although these are standard options that most users can find from their own individual bank services, Venmo allows users to send and receive payments from any of their friends, regardless of who uses which bank. The result is a seamless and universally accessible payment experience th... [Read more]

When it comes to downloading apps, most smartphone users think there are exactly two places to go: the iTunes App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android. But what many of these users might not know (or what they may be choosing to ignore) is that there's actually another shop on the block that is slowly growing its catalog (and I'm not talking about BlackBerry App World).

With over 70,000 apps and games available, and roughly 300 new titles added every day, the Windows Phone Marketplace certainly looks like it's on an upswing, which is great. But for anyone thinking of picking up a Windows Phone device, the number of apps is probably not quite as important as the actual titles that are available. So, what I want to know is, if I swap my HTC Evo for that sweet new Nokia Lumia 900, will I be able to get all the apps I need?

To help answer that question, I took a look at 20 popular apps (across all categories) that are available on iOS and Android devices, and I looked to see if I could get them from the Windows Phone Marketplace. Here's what I found:

Next-gen Chromebooks built on faster Ivy Bridge chips? Posted: 05 Apr 2012 02:45 AM PDT (Credit: Coreboot.org) It looks like Google will fulfill its promise of faster Chromebooks by using Intel's Sandy Bridge and imminent Ivy Bridge processors, a big step up from the current Atom-based products. Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS, a browser-based operating system that runs only Web applications. But under the covers, handling the hardware itself, is the Linux operating system. Google's plans can be divined from an even lower-level open-source project called Coreboot that handles the earliest stages of firing up a computer. To work, Coreboot needs to know how to talk to a computer's hardware, and yesterday, Michael Larabel of Phoronix spotted a big Google contribution to Coreboot. That contribution lets Coreboot handle Cougar Point and Panther Point, the Intel chipsets that accompany Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge, respectively, to handle some communication chores. I've found the ... [Read more]