There's some good news and some bad news in Mac malware land: the number of machines estimated to be infected has dropped, but that number hasn't gone down as fast as experts expected.

In a blog post today, software maker and security firm Symantec lowered its estimate of machines that still have the malware to 140,000, which is down considerably from estimates of more than 600,000 less than two weeks ago. Even so, the firm said it was expecting a lower tally.

"The statistics from our sinkhole are showing declining numbers on a daily basis. However, we had originally believed that we would have seen a greater decline in infections at this point in time, but this has proven not to be the case," the company wrote.

The lowered expectations were due, in part to Apple releasing two separate software tools to users last week that both detect and remove the malware. Additionally, ahead of those official tools, Symantec, and security firms F-Secure and Kaspersky... [Read more]

Chrome for Android beta.

Google has pushed out a new version of the Ice Cream Sandwich-only Chrome for Android beta today, with minor feature changes that will nevertheless make it more usable.

Along with broad multilanguage support, the browser now lets you reload a Web site in Desktop mode. The support for the desktop user agent means that the occasional site that looks funny on your phone or tablet can appear in its more familiar Chrome-for-desktop clothes.

You can also now add Chrome bookmarks as shortcuts on your Android Home screen, so you can launch directly into frequently visited sites. App support has improved, too, as links opened in Chrome that recognize a complementary app installed on your phone give you the option in most cases of jumping into the app. This can be useful on sites like Yelp.

On the more technical side, Chrome now properly interacts with the device Wi-Fi proxy, if you have one configured. Web developers ought to take note: this version of Chrome for Android also tweaks the user-agent specification, which is the code that tells a Web site which browser is being used to vie... [Read more]

The Windows 8 Metro Start screen can quickly get overrun with a huge number of tiles, making it hard to find the app you need. How can you manage this mishmash?

Users who have taken the Windows 8 beta for a spin already know that the Metro Start screen poses certain challenges. For every app you install -- Metro or non-Metro -- one or sometimes several tiles are plopped onto the Start screen. Each Web site you pin gets its own Start screen tile. Displaying features such as Administrative Tools adds even more tiles.

Windows 8 is designed with a tablet in mind, so the vast array of tiles spread out horizontally rather than vertically. And since Metro doesn't support folders, you can't neatly tuck a group of tiles into their own individual homes. I've been using the Consumer Preview for the past month and a half, and I already have to navigate through countless screens worth of tiles.

Although you can't change the behavior of the Start screen, you can work with it to keep your apps better organized and easier to find.

First, any Start screen tile for an app you don't regularly use can be deleted. Simply right-click on the tile, and choose the Unpin from Start option. If you ever want the app back on your Start screen, you can always find it in the Apps menu (right-click on an empty area of the Start screen, and then select the option for All Apps. Right-click on ... [Read more]

(Credit: Alex_Ogle on Instagram)

With Facebook's Instagram acquisition grabbing headlines and the photo-editing app finally being available for Android, millions of people have started using Instagram in just the past few weeks.

It doesn't take much to get started, and the interface is pretty straightforward, but without a proper guide, you might have missed some of the essential tools that make an Instagram experience that much better. Check them out:

1. Double-tap to like. As you scroll through the Instagram feed, you can quickly "like" a photo by double-tapping it. A white heart will pop up to let you know it worked. To unlike a photo, double-tap again.

2. Mention another user. There are two places you can tag (or "mention") another Instagram user: in the caption and in a comment. To mention someone in a caption, just type @ followed by the username. For example, "Duck watching in Golden Gate Park with @mrcippy." When you publish the photo, "@mrcippy" will be clickable, the user will be notified he or she was tagged, and the tagged name will lead your followers to his or her Instagram page.

Another way to use tags is in the comments. So, if you want to reply to someone's comment (or caption) on a photo, tap and hold the username and select "mention user." You'll then be able to reply directly to that person's comment or caption.

... [Read more]

Apple has won a patent for the look and feel of its iTunes Store.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published patent 8,161,411 related to a "graphical user interface for browsing, searching, and presenting media items." Apple filed for the patent back in 2004, when the online retail venue was still known as the iTunes Music Store.

The patent appears to be quite broad, but focuses solely on the graphical user interface, and not the way in which people might buy songs on the platform or its general functionality. That said, the patent abstract says that the user interface is "suitable for previewing or purchasing media items in an on-line manner."

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WordCam for Android.

These days, you can find tons of different photo-editing tools in Google Play. Most apps will take or import a picture, add some filters, maybe do a crop or two, and it's done. But what if you're looking for a different approach to making art with your Android device?

WordCam offers a way to add messages to images in a unique way: making the words color and shape the entire picture. Here's how to get started:

Note: The free version of the app will not allow you to add custom words to images. However, you can see how "WordCam" fills an image of your choosing.

First you'll need to grab a copy of WordCam for Android. You can use the free version to check it out, and if you like it, the Pro version will let you add custom words or phrases.

This is how a photo will look with the free WordCam app.

If you're working with the free version:

Choose a picture from your personal Gallery or take a new one. Once chosen, the app will apply the words to the photo... [Read more]

iTunes is a convenient way to rip CDs into compressed audio files in Windows, but it certainly isn't the only way. LAME is an open-source encoder and is considered one of the best, if not the best, MP3 encoders available. It can be used with a free CD-ripping program called Exact Audio Copy (EAC) to create high-quality MP3s. Here's how:

Installation

Step 1: Download the Windows executable of LAME to a folder on your PC and unzip it.

Step 2: Download and install Exact Audio Copy. You'll need to have an audio CD in your optical drive in order for EAC to configure the drive for use. Accept all the defaults and when you're prompted, enter the location of the LAME encoder you unzipped in Step 1. You'll also want to enter your e-mail address so you can use the freedb CD database.

Step 3: Go to EAC > Compression Options (or F11) and click on the External Compression tab. Change the bit rate to your desired setting. I recommend 192kbps at a minimum, though anything above 320kbps is probably overkill and the resulting file size will be very large. (Credit: Screenshot by Ed Rhee/CNET)

Rip/encode a CD

Step 1: After you've inserted an audio CD into your optical drive, look up your CD in the freedb database so you don't have to enter the al... [Read more]

Meet Pocket, the successor to the megapopular short-term bookmarking tool Read It Later. Just as simple and platform-compatible as Read It Later, this new incarnation adds extra features and shows off a completely redesigned interface.

If you're not familiar with Read It Later, it's an incredibly convenient app that's useful in countless scenarios. Say you're on your morning commute and you come across a lengthy article that you can't quite (or don't want to) finish reading. Just add it to your RIL list, and go back to it later. Or say you come across an HD movie trailer while surfing on your phone. Go ahead and add it to your RIL list; then you can watch it when you get back to your desktop. The beauty of Read It Later has always been its simplicity and cross-platform compatibility. It was easy to use anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

Fortunately, with today's news we don't lose any of the features we came to love in Read It Later. In fact, in Pocket we get all of the previous app's core functionality, plus a number of significant improvements. Most noticeably, Pocket is head and shoulders above Read It Later when it comes to visual interface. With sleeker colors, icons, panels, and fonts, not only is content more attractive in the new app, it's also easier to read.

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