An exponent of artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Ladytron, Little Boots has some pretty big dancing shoes to fill. But the 29-year-old British synthpop singer (born Victoria Hesketh) is definitely on her way. Her sophomore album "Nocturnes," following on the heels of her UK Top 5, Gold-selling debut "Hands," finds Boots working with DFA Records co-founder and production visionary, Tim Goldsworthy, Hercules and Love Affair's Andy Butler, and Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford, on nine tracks so danceable they'll wear out your boogie shoes.

Little Boots spreads the dance pop gospel.

Using "Nocturnes" as our North Star, Download.com used the album tracks as our guide to uncovering the apps that make Little Boots dance, her favorite gaming apps, the one she could never do without, and how her shows have become Grindr hotspots.

With opening number, "Motorway," you talk about going to that special place. I was wondering, A) what's that special place for you and B) if there was an app that could take you there? I guess when you travel so much, you just want to be home, so it's lame...but I love my home in London. When you're flying around the world, it becomes the place you miss the most.

For an app, I know this is a boring answer, but TomTom. It would be... [Read more]

In case it wasn't clear before, a Google decision has shown the writing is on the wall for plug-ins such as Java and Silverlight that for years have been used to extend what browsers can do.

Starting in January 2014, Google will ban all but the most widely used browser plug-ins in favor of programming methods that use standards built directly into the Web, Chrome security engineer Justin Schuh announced in a blog post Monday. And those plug-ins will be barred "over the coming year," he said.

Most Chrome plug-ins (not to be confused with the lighter-weight add-on option called extensions) use a technology that predate Google's browser by years: the Netscape plug-in application programming interface, or NPAPI. Chrome, unique among browsers, has a second interface called Pepper (PPAPI) that isn't affected by the change -- and that's how Google connects Adobe Systems' Flash Player, by far the most widely used plug-in.

Related stories

• Chrome password security issue stirs debate
• OK, Google: Now app offers glimpse of hands-free future of search
• ... [Read more]
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Marco Arment, the developer behind the wildly popular Web-page-saving app, has decided to build something new.

Arment announced on Monday that he's currently working on a new application, called Overcast, that will attempt to replace the iOS-based podcast apps already running on Apple's platform. According to Arment, while he might "like some iOS podcast apps," he doesn't "love any of them."

"So I'm making my own," he wrote on the Overcast site. "It'll be released when it's ready. Maybe later this year."

Arment's Overcast will pit him directly against Apple's own Podcast application. Apple made some waves when it launched the application, since it put its own service in direct competition with those from other developers. Apple has done the same with its Maps app.

Arment plans to provide more Overcast details on his Twitter and Facebook page.

[Read more]

Mozilla is adapting Firefox for the touch-centric Windows 8 interface.

Mozilla has released a new "touch-friendly" test version of Firefox geared for the new interface of Windows 8, and it's hoping the public will help squash its bugs.

The new Firefox Aurora version 26, which later will become the beta and then final version of the open-source browser, includes a number of features geared for the newer version of Windows.

Related stories

• Guest browsing coming to Android Firefox
• Tech Minute: How to create an Amazon Universal Wish List
• iCloud can now sync bookmarks with Firefox and Chrome

"It has a tile-based Firefox Start experience and supports Firefox Sync, Windows 8 touch and swipe gestures, Snapped and Fill views, and Windows Share integration all delivered with a streamlined, modern, and beautiful interface," Mozilla said in a weekend blog post. It also comes with a new icon geared for the monochromatic style of Windows 8 start-page tiles.

... [Read more]