Skype change list for version 4.0.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

A popular choice for VoIP users and those who make international and video calls, Skype (free for iPhone or iPad) received a few improvements today that tweak the interface and give you more control over your video calls.

The overall interface has been slightly tweaked to look a bit smoother with a new header and buttons that are more aesthetically pleasing and better match the colors of the rest of the interface. The contact view now shows more contacts on screen, with smaller icons that don't take up as much space as they did in previous versions.

The most noticeable new enhancement is the ability to touch and drag your video preview (the picture in picture view where you can see yourself during a video call) so you can move it anywhere on the screen during a call.

Skype will now also relaunch if the app is unexpectedly shut down while running in the background. The folks at Skype say the app has also been upgraded with better accessibility options, and several bug fixes.

The updates in version 4.0 apply to all iOS versions of Skype, so your iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch will all share these new features. Both the update and the full ap... [Read more]

If you've ever been curious about the price of a particular house in America, chances are you've been to Zillow.com. That's the site that lets you type in an address to find out its estimated sale price (called a "Zestimate") along with details about the house and, in most cases, the exact date and price it last sold for as well as information about property taxes, nearby schools, and neighboring homes.

In addition to sale prices, the company also estimates rental prices and displays rentals in your area.

Zillow Rentals Android App displays listings of nearby rental units

(Credit: Screen shot by Larry Magid) Having all this on the Web is great, but if you're looking for housing -- whether to buy or rent -- at some point you have to go out and look at properties, which is when mobile apps are key. The company had earlier released listing apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, iPad and even the Kindle Fire. But now it's offereing a rental app for Android, designed to help people who are looking to rent houses, apartments, condos, or townhouses.

The new app allows users to enter their location or draw on a map to select the area they're searching in. They can specify the type of housing they're looking for and get notifications when new rental homes that meet their criteria come... [Read more]

The free and paid versions of Lookout Mobile Security (download) have added two new features today that work together to protect you against malicious apps, especially those installed by side-loading or from third-party marketplaces.

While Lookout scans apps installed from Google Play by default, it now asks you if you want it to scan apps from other sources with Install Monitoring. This is for people who have changed their Android settings to allow non-marketplace apps on their phones. Side-loading is when you download an app to your phone and manually tap on the APK to install it. You can also optionally set Install Monitoring to scan all side-loaded apps.

The second feature is File System Monitoring, which sits in the background and watches your SD card for file changes. When a new app is downloaded to your card but before it has installed, it will automatically scan the APK. However, it doesn't work in situations when you have to un-mount your SD card to transfer an app manually. During those situations, Install Monitoring would provide the security scan.

File System Monitoring can be disabled in Lookout's preferences, while Install Monitoring can be toggled the first time you use side-loading with it installed. Unless you're more adventurous with your app installation practices, there's a good chance you won't ever use either option -- but its goo... [Read more]

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

If you're an avid online gamer, it's likely that you and your friends show up at your computer desks for scheduled events. By scheduling a time to show up, everyone can enjoy the company of people they know, instead of always relying on random players from the Interwebs.

While playing your game of choice, you also are likely to use some form of voice chat, since it is much faster and more efficient than typing. One of the most popular choices for this type of communication is Ventrilo -- a real-time voice client. The ability to chat on Ventrilo from your Android phone is helpful when running late to an event, or just for fun.

There are currently two app choices for Ventrilo on Android, and deciding which one to use comes down to aesthetics and one or two feature differences.

Ventriloid

This app is perhaps the closest you'll get to the look and feel of the Ventrilo on your computer. The interface is black text on a white background. Additionally, multiple servers and usernames can be saved in the app for easy access.

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

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Ste... [Read more]

(Credit: Symantec)

Norton Identity Safe is not a password manager in the traditional sense. It's more of a log-in manager, able to automatically plug in your username and password when you sign into various sites that require them -- all the while keeping that info secure and synced.

Originally, the software came bundled with various Norton security suites, but now it's a standalone product with a surprising (for Symantec) price. As long as you grab it before October 1, you can get Norton Identity Safe absolutely free.

The tool is available not only for Windows and Mac, but also Android and iOS. It's a direct competitor to the likes of LastPass and RoboForm, the latter a $30 product.

However, those tools include a feature I consider essential: a desktop password manager that can be used to organize more than just Web credentials. Norton Identity Safe can do likewise, maintaining things like credit card numbers and software registration codes, but you need your browser and Internet access if you want to retrieve them.

As for the Android and iOS apps, they're basically replacement Web browsers with hooks to your Norton Vault, accessing and inserting your stored credentials when necessary. That's not the same thing as an actual password manager (something I rely on almost every day), though it's defini... [Read more]

Angry Birds Space is a phenom.

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Rovio's success with the Angry Birds franchise continues to impress.

The development firm announced today that Angry Birds Space, which is currently sitting atop Apple's App Store, has hit 50 million downloads in just 35 days of availability. According to Rovio, the feat has made the game the "fastest-growing mobile game" ever released, and has broken all sales records set by previous Angry Birds iterations.

"We extend our deepest gratitude to all fans of Angry Birds everywhere," the company wrote in a blog post today. "While numbers like this certainly say something about the popularity of Angry Birds, for us the main goal is to keep creating fun new experiences that everybody can enjoy!"

Angry Birds Space, which launched last month, delivers the same slingshotting, pig-hating fun found in previous games in the franchise, but adds a space element that includes gravitational pull. The app launched with 60 levels, and Rovio recently added 10 new levels to the iOS and Android versions. The application is also available to PC and Mac owners.

[Read more]

The Ugly Meter app in action.

(Credit: Dapper Gentlemen)

An application that makes its goal to tell you how ugly you are is riding high in Apple's App Store.

Ugly Meter, which has been around for quite some time, has suddenly found itself threatening Angry Birds Space for the top spot in Apple's App Store. For a period of three weeks recently, the application topped China's listing of top iPhone apps, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail. As of this writing, it's in second place in the U.S. store.

Ugly Meter first made headlines last year after raising concerns among anti-cyberbullying organizations. The application allows users to snap an image of their face, and then scans it for symmetry, contours, and other elements to determine how good- (or bad-) looking a person is. Ratings are handed out on a scale of 1-10, and include some not-so-nice quips about a person's looks.

Although Ugly Meter had maintained some relevance in the App Store, the app became a phenom nearly overnight recently due mainly to none other than Howard Stern. According to the Dai... [Read more]