With more and more computing devices becoming mobile or located in different areas besides the desktop, the need for online storage and syncing options to manage files created or edited on these devices is increasingly important. To tackle this need, Apple has explored various approaches to online document management and sharing with its MobileMe and .Mac services, but these options have been phased out in favor of newer and more integrated approaches to online storage and syncing options.

Apple has its online storage offerings that so far have culminated into its iCloud service, but there are others as well, which include Amazon's Cloud Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and SugarSync. While Apple's iCloud is built into versions of OS X that support it, the other options can quickly and easily be set up by downloading and installing a small tool.

• iCloud If you are a Mac user, one of the first options for online storage that you will be presented with is Apple's iCloud service, which offers quick syncing of immediately generated content like photos taken with an iPhone, or music or applications purchased from Apple's iTunes and App stores. iCloud is convenient, but does have its limitations. For one, it is only accessed through applications that have integrated it, so users cannot make use of it directly in the OS X Finder. Therefore, if you have a cu... [Read more]

Apple is preparing updates to its Java 6 runtime for OS X 10.6 and 10.7, which will allow it to better co-exist with future versions of the Java runtime. These updates will soon be available for OS X 10.6 as "Java Update 9" and for OS X 10.7 as "Java Update 2012-004."

The Java SE 6 runtime that Apple provides for OS X 10.6 and 10.7 users will be the last in-house developed version of the Java runtime for OS X. For future versions starting with the upcoming Java 7 runtime, OS X users will have to obtain releases from Oracle.

This development is good for Mac users from a couple of perspectives. The first is that as with other operating systems, the Java runtime and support for it will be readily available from Oracle if needed, and the second and more important is that the Java runtime for OS X should stay more current than it has been in the past. Apple has received criticism for its persistent lag in development for the Java runtime, and the runtime being only available through Apple has forced Mac users to use older and unpatched versions of the runtime.

Using older versions of Java left Mac users vulnerable to exploits, and resulted in a far more widespread malware attack with the recent Flashback threat, than what ought to have happened.

In a message to Java developers, Apple today announced the availability of the next Java updates for both OS X 10.6... [Read more]

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 brings the console experience to iOS.

I'm a full-grown adult, and I must confess that some of my favorite Xbox games have "Lego" in the title.

Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones -- these games may be aimed at kids, but they're funny, clever, and thoroughly entertaining for all ages.

Alas, although they're available for nearly every platform known to man, only one has made its way to iOS: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4. It was great -- but it was also 18 months ago.

Finally, finally, there's more Lego goodness for iOS, even if it's just a sequel: Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7.

Needless to say, this is a port of the console game that debuted just a few months ago, which GameSpot awarded an 8.0 rating.

The iOS version brings much of the same adventuring, fighting, and spell-casting to your iPhone and iPad (and make no mistake -- it's a much better experience on the iPad's larger screen). T... [Read more]

Ever fantasized about being Godzilla so you could go out and knock over some buildings? Maybe you wish you could blow up an army of tanks and alien invaders. Well, the Freeware Crew is here to make all these dreams come true.

This week's top free titles let you unleash havoc and destruction (in a legal and physically harmless fashion, of course) upon urban environments as a giant boxing 'Zilla, a super fighting robot, and as a gangster in a game that should rekindle memories of your early gaming days.

Roar Rampage

Imagine you've turned into a 60-foot dinosaur and your son's just been kidnapped. Now, imagine you were also a former boxer. Those buildings in front of you aren't going to destroy themselves! Trample through the city, smash skyscrapers to the ground, and swat helicopters down like flies in this free, brightly animated browser game. Use the mouse to smash anything that stands in your way and safely reach the end goal for bonus points. Did I mention that you can also enhance your destructive fists with bombs?

(Credit: Screenshot by Eddie Cho/CNET)

Attack of the 50ft Robot

In this game designed to replicate the feeling o... [Read more]

Check the version of Adobe Flash you have installed on your system, and if it's less than version 11.2.202.235, be sure to download the latest update that Adobe has made available today (you can do this using Adobe's Flash version checker). This update addresses a vulnerability in the program that is currently being exploited by malware developers to compromise systems.

Described as an "object confusion vulnerability," Adobe claims that the exploit allows an attacker to crash the Flash application and execute code that could potentially allow the attacker to take control of the system. In object-based programming languages, associated functions and variables in a running program are packaged together in what is referred to as an object, whose properties are defined as a "class."

Related stories

• Skype exploit reveals user IP addresses
• How to determine if a Flash update notification is legitimate
• Apple's Flashback malware remover now live

In an object-confusion vulnerability, the object's class is changed so any objects defined by it are incorrectly interpreted and return incorrect... [Read more]

Whether you're a fan of social video apps or not, there's something to be said for short, quick videos you make on the fly and then share with your friends. These apps are a lot like Twitter in that you can post your own short videos, follow other video creators, and view a feed of your favorites to see their latest updates.

This week's iOS apps have been out for some time, but over the past couple of weeks, social video app fans are choosing sides, downloading their favorites, and even posting to social networks to talk about which app reigns supreme.

I'm going to take a look at the two top apps currently locked in battle for supremacy (Socialcam and Viddy) and perhaps by the end, you'll have a better idea of which app to choose if you're ready to start recording quick videos and following other users' videos.

Browse through your feed for the latest videos from your friends. Clearly, our very own Sharon Vaknin likes Socialcam Video Camera.

Socialcam Video Camera (free) lets you create videos, share them with a community, and offers several cool features to make your personal videos pop. At the time of this writing, Socialcam is currently at the top of the Free Apps list in the App Store, but I don'... [Read more]

(Credit: j4velin)

There are some very interesting wallpaper options and apps in the Google Play Store. However, this doesn't mean you'll find one that you never get tired of. Instead of settling for one wallpaper choice, why not check out Wallpaper Changer for Android.

With this app you can choose from a handful of your photos or even complete albums to show in the background of your Android's Home screen. If you're trying to think of which collection of photos to use, here are some ideas and how to get started:

You can choose photos of:

• your last vacation spot.
• things that inspire you.
• your kids doing kid stuff.
• family pets being cute.
• the things you love.
• a combination of all these things!

Step 1: Grab a copy of ... [Read more]

Language Immersion for Chrome.

You've probably heard that immersion is the fastest and most comprehensive way to learn a new language. However, immersion is not an easy task when you don't live in a country where your target language is natively spoken. To help with this issue there's an awesome extension called Language Immersion for Chrome.

With this extension you can add as much or as little of a new language to your everyday Web surfing habits as you like. The extension supports most of the languages offered by Google Translate (roughly 64 of them), and can help you learn the target language by translating random words, sentences and even paragraphs. So as you read a Web page on the novice setting you'll see a word or phrase in your chosen language every 30 to 40 words of your native language. And in case you're a little more advanced than that, you can turn the difficulty level up to Intermediate or even Fluent so larger chunks of the text will be translated.

Settings for Language Immersion for Chrome.

First you'll need to grab a copy of the ... [Read more]

(Credit: Lemon Inc.)

Keeping track of everything you buy, especially if you run a business or get reimbursed for costs, can be really tedious. There are usually receipts in different sizes for each item purchased, and trying to remember to put them in a certain place doesn't always happen. Additionally, since many receipts are printed on thermal paper, their information may fade away before the next time you evaluate spending or when doing your taxes. So why not try a different approach to receipt and record keeping?

Lemon is a useful app for Android that will allow you to take snapshots of your receipts for later use. Photos are stored in your Gallery and within the app so you can view them at any time. Here's how to get started:

Step 1: Grab a copy of Lemon for your Android device.

Step 2: Sign up for a free Lemon account. You will receive an e-mail indicating your new account has been created, but you won't need to take any further steps except logging in to the app.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 3: After logging in, touch the camera icon in the top right-hand corner to take a photo of your first receipt. A box will appear to line up the receipt, which helps yo... [Read more]