Although MotionX GPS Drive relies on a data connection for its maps, it lets you preload a route.

In the face of a few solid free navigation apps for the iPhone, such as Bing or MapQuest, MotionX GPS Drive would seem to have trouble justifying its price, even at only 99 cents. But it has proven a popular enough navigation app that Pioneer integrated it with the AppRadio head unit.

Two features of MotionX GPS Drive give it an edge over the free apps, its destination search capabilities and the ability to preload maps. MotionX GPS Drive is a connected navigation app, meaning it relies on an iPhone's data connection to get its maps. However, it is not completely useless without a data connection. After finding a destination, it gives the option of preloading maps for the route, so with a little foresight the app remains useful away from cell towers.

Testing the preload option, the app took 14 minutes on a Wi-Fi connection to download the maps for a destination a little more than 50 miles away. Over a 3G or even 4G connection, that amount of time would only increase, limiting the practicality of preloading maps on the fly.

The excellent variety of maps available in MotionX includes basic 2D and 3D views, satellite imagery, and a view that overlays... [Read more]

It's easy to browse privately on desktop and laptop computers by using Chrome's Incognito mode or other tools, but many Android users can't use Chrome yet. It's not so hard to get Dolphin HD Browser to keep your browsing private, though. Here's how to do it:

1. Install Dolphin HD Browser here.
2. Run the app and run through the setup screens.
3. When you finish setup, tap the Menu button, then select "More," then "Settings," then "Privacy & Security Settings."
4. You should see six check boxes; check them so that only the last one ("Browsing without history") is checked.

Step 4: Change Dolphin HD Browser settings.

(Credit: Rob Lightner/CNET)

That's it! Remember that there are still ways for others to figure out what you were browsing if they're intent on it, but this does make you somewhat more secure. For more info on private browsing, check out this video by Kara Tsuboi (also embedded below).

Tips for keeping your browsing private

Related stories

• Samsung Galaxy S III: Hands-on
• Samsung unveils Galaxy S III phone with quad-core, Android ICS
• Flipboard: Your Social News Magazine

After much speculation that Flipboard was finally making its way to Android, app geeks were disappointed today, as the highly anticipated news reader did not debut at Samsung Mobile's London press event.

Rumblings in the industry suggested that Samsung Mobile would make the big announcement shortly after showing off its forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S III device, but those rumblings proved false as the show closed with nary a peep about preloaded app partners.

However, our colleagues at CNET UK and CNET Asia did get a glimpse of Flipboard for Android preinstalled on their S III demo units, so it certainly looks like its release is imminent. We haven't yet received official confirmati... [Read more]

Google Drive's shortcut in Windows 7/Vista shows up in your Favorites folder, while in Windows XP, it shows up in your My Documents folder. The shortcuts are easy enough to use, but if you find using a specific drive letter to be more convenient, there's an easy way to map one to your Google Drive account.

If you're comfortable using the command prompt, you can use the DOS command: subst. A better and easier way to create the drive association is using a small program called Visual Subst. It's basically a GUI front-end to the subst command.

Here's how to use Visual Subst to associate a drive letter to your Google Drive account:

Step 1: Download and install Visual Subst.

Step 2: Select the drive letter you want to associate, then type in the path of your Google Drive account, or browse to the path. In Windows 7/Vista, it should be C:\Users\Username\Google Drive, where Username is your Windows username.

Step 3: Make sure to check the box next to "Apply virtual drives on Windows startup," then hit the green plus button to add the association.

Step 4: After the association has been added, the virtual drive will appear in the Visual Subst list.

That's it. You should now se... [Read more]