Mozilla is advising fans of Firefox to update the stable version of the browser after it released a patch for a security bug marked “critical” today.

Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Firefox 3.6.12 patches a heap buffer overflow that could allow for remote code execution. Mozilla notes that the bug affects the current version 3.6 branch of Firefox, the legacy version 3.5 branch, and could potentially affect Thunderbird users who load Web pages in the RSS reader.

The bug has not been found in the upcoming version 4, currently in beta development and behind schedule. Firefox 4 beta 7 was originally due in the middle of September, then pushed back to the end of September because of a stability bug. Mozilla has since initiated a code freeze on the next generation of its browser but has yet to update the schedule because of multiple critical bugs. It’s expected that Mozilla’s updated JavaScript engine will land in the seventh beta. Called JaegerMonkey, it’s currently available for testing in the Firefox nightlies.

(Credit:
Napster)

Shortly after announcing its gorgeous–but poor-sounding–app for iOS, Napster has released an update for its Android mobile software. Now, Android users who subscribe to the service for $9.99 per month can save playlists and albums for offline playback. With this new feature, the Android app is directly in line with the iOS app in terms of both functionality and interface. Here’s hoping the former offers better audio quality, though.

Originally posted at Android Atlas

Watch your fill of enriching PBS shows with the awesome (and free) PBS app for iPad.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET)

Hey, PBS! How do you expect to make any money if you give away your app?

I’m kidding, of course. I love free stuff, especially when it’s awesome free stuff like PBS for iPad. The new app streams full-length episodes of shows like “Antiques Roadshow,” “Carrier,” “NOVA,” and the much-ballyhooed new “Sherlock Holmes.”

It also serves up “PBS NewsHour,” “Austin City Limits” performances, and previews of nearly everything else in PBS’ prime-time lineup. (Alas, previews are all you get of PBS Kids. If you want full-length episodes of, say, “Sesame Street” and “WordGirl,” you’ll have to pony up for them in the iTunes Store.)

The app provides you with a schedule of current and upcoming programming from your local PBS station. There’s a search option for looking up shows (make sure to look for “Masterpiece” if you want the aforementioned “Sherlock” series) and a bookmark tool for saving your favorites.

The player works like every other you’ve used, with shuttle controls, double-tap zooming, and even a 30-second replay. And, needless to say, the content is spectacular. I started watching the new series “Circus” just so I could test playback, and found myself totally sucked in (which is why this review is appearing so late in the day).

I did find one aspect of the interface confusing at first: how to actually start a video. Although you see the usual assortment of buttons like Share, Add to Favorites, and Buy, there’s no independent “Play” button. Turns out you tap on the thumbnail of the video itself, much like clicking a YouTube vid to start it playing.

Given the amount (and quality) of content available here, PBS could easily charge five or ten bucks for this app. Am I complaining about it being free? Of course not. But I think I’ll donate a little extra the next time there’s a PBS fundraiser.

For now, the PBS app is iPad-only, but an iPhone version is coming next month (yay!).

By the way, if you like this, be sure to check out NFB Films for iPad, which streams (and even downloads) free movies from Canada’s National Film Board.

Originally posted at iPad Atlas

Editor’s note: Panda Security is offering free license keys for Cloud Antivirus Pro 1.3 to users who register using this download link. You’ll be required to enter your name and e-mail address to receive the license key, which is good for one year. Also note that during the registration process, the checkout cart will state at some point, “Your card hasn’t been charged yet.” This is apparently a cart template and does not affect users who are taking part in the license key giveaway.

Panda Security continues to build better features into the company’s Cloud Antivirus lightweight security suite as a Web filter for URL scanning joins the existing protection tools. Available exclusively today from CNET Download.com, Panda Cloud Antivirus Free 1.3 and Panda Cloud Antivirus Pro 1.3 ($29.95), both programs up the ante of what’s expected from cloud-based antivirus programs.

The latest Panda Cloud Antivirus streamlines the menu, introduces a Web filter, and fixes some major bugs.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

There are few other changes the company has made to the program. Automatic transparent engine and program updates have been bumped from Pro to the Free version, and upgrade nags have been removed as well. Sharp-eyed fans of the client will notice a slight interface refresh to the recycle bin and quarantine windows, unifying them.

Certainly, not having nags makes the program less annoying, while risk-enhancing practice of relegating auto-updates to the premium version is thankfully going away. The Web filter bolsters your Web browser’s native malicious site blocking technology, and works in all browsers including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Opera, and Safari.

Unfortunately, during installation Cloud Antivirus commandeers your search provider and opts you in to changing it to Yahoo. Otherwise, the installation process is fast. I did notice a slight hiccup during several installation tests where the program appeared to ready to use, but in fact required another five to seven seconds before the interface opened automatically.

Version 1.3 also fixes several major bugs, including a blue screen of death crash after installing and Windows 7 Start menu slowdowns.

For users who are skittish about security clients that are free and in the cloud, Pedro Bustamante, senior research adviser at Panda Security, said that consumers don’t have to pay for security anymore. “You’re getting better protection, better performance, than with any paid suite out there.” He cautioned, though, that there is a point to still using premium suites. “We still have a lot of users who want tech support, who want to call and get somebody on the other line, or who don’t trust free for whatever reason.”

CNET Labs’ benchmarks determined that Panda Cloud Antivirus Free 1.3 had a small but detectable impact on system performance. Read the full review for a detailed analysis, but in short the program could have less of an impact on computer startup times but does have a very fast scan and caused the least disruption to the Cinebench test.

At this point, no independent efficacy tests are available for recent versions of Panda Cloud Antivirus. Panda’s premium security suites have scored well in recent tests, although the detection engines in the two programs are not identical so to compare Panda Cloud Antivirus and Panda Internet Security based on the merits of the two program’s engines alone would be inaccurate.

Lime Wire posted a note on its site that says it all. Now music labels will seek damages from the company and founder Mark Gorton.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Greg Sandoval/CNET)

The end of Lime Wire as it has existed for years appears to be at hand.

U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood issued an injunction today against the company that operates the long popular file-sharing software LimeWire and orders managers there to disable “the searching, downloading, uploading, file trading…and/or all functionality” of the LimeWire software, Lime Wire announced.

In May, Wood, who serves the Southern District of New York, granted summary judgment in favor of the music industry’s claims that Lime Group, parent of LimeWire software maker Lime Wire, and founder Mark Gorton committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced copyright infringement.

LimeWire, the software, was released 10 years ago and quickly emerged as one of the favorite ways to pass pirated music across the Web. Gorton and his company have acknowledged making millions from offering the software.

“While this is not our ideal path, we hope to work with the music industry in moving forward,” a Lime Wire spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to embracing necessary changes and collaborating with the entire music industry in the future.”

Lime Wire continues to exist but no longer operates as a file-sharing service, the spokesperson said. Exactly what the New York-based company will do in the future is unclear. At this point, the company’s chances of licensing music for Spoon appear to be small and its prospects dim.

Legacy software

Obviously, there is little that the court can do about software that is already released. But in her order, Wood tried to close the door on any further releases, upgrades, advertising of the software, or the creation of any comparable software in the future. She also wants Lime Wire to do its best to discourage the use of the LimeWire software already in the wild, what she called “legacy software.”

“Using its best efforts,” Wood wrote, “Lime Wire shall use all reasonable technological means to immediately cease and desist the current infringement of the Copyrighted Works by Legacy users through the LimeWire System and Software and to prevent and inhibit future infringement of copyright works.”

UPDATE: Click on the image to see how Lime Wire sabotaged users’ software.

(Credit:
Screen shot by Greg Sandoval/CNET)

She ordered Gorton and employees to establish “default settings in the legacy software that block the sharing of unauthorized media files” and offer users tools to remove the software from their hard drives. Wood ordered Lime Wire to create a copyright filter that would work on legacy software. In addition, Wood required Gorton and crew to first get the permission of the music labels before building any new, legal version of LimeWire.

However Lime Wire disables their client, there are plenty of alternative file-sharing software and networks available. Indeed, BitTorrent has emerged over the last few years as a much more popular way to share files.

Spoon

But for Gorton, the injunction is not the end of his or his company’s troubles. The Recording Industry Association of America, which filed the copyright complaint against Gorton and Lime Wire in 2007, will now seek damages that could easily top $1 billion. That phase of the trial is scheduled to begin in January. A group of music publishers has also filed a copyright complaint against Lime Wire.

According to music industry sources, Gorton and the RIAA were in settlement negotiations for a long time as the judge deliberated over whether to impose the injunction.

Gorton offered to license music from the top four record companies for Spoon, Lime Wire’s little-known legal music service. The deal fell through after Gorton’s lawyers insisted that the music labels allow LimeWire to continue to operate for a year so users could be moved over to Spoon.

The labels totally rejected the idea. RIAA lawyers have told the judge that LimeWire costs the record labels about $500 million every month in lost revenue. They wouldn’t wait a year. They wouldn’t wait a month. They assert they have taken a beating from Lime Wire for too long.

“For the better part of the last decade, Limewire and Gorton have violated the law,” the RIAA said in a statement. “The court has now signed an injunction that will start to unwind the massive piracy machine that Lime Wire and Gorton used to enrich themselves immensely.”

Originally posted at Media Maverick

VLC Media Player, which lets you watch videos in just about any format, now works on newer iPhones and iPod Touches as well as the iPad.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Rick Broida)

As you probably know, the iPhone and iPod Touch make terrific video players–but they’re limited in terms of the video formats they support. If you’ve got, say, Divx or MKV files you want to watch, you’re out of luck unless you run them through a converter first–a time-consuming hassle, to say the least.

Last month, the VLC Media Player app for iPad enabled users to work around this limitation by playing virtually all video formats, no conversion required.

I’m happy to report that VLC just went universal, meaning it’s now available for iPhone and iPod Touch as well. (Specifically, it’s compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and “recent” iPod Touches–which appears to mean third- and fourth-gen models.)

As with the iPad version, you copy videos to the app by way of iTunes’ File Sharing feature:
connect your device, click the Apps tab, scroll down to the File Sharing area, and then choose VLC. Click the Add button and find the video(s) you want to load up. They sync instantly (and quickly).

The app itself is pretty basic, offering little more than basic shuttle controls. It lacks a zoom-to-full-screen button like you find in most video players, but at least this updated version does allow you to delete videos right on your device, rather than having to manage them within iTunes.

I threw all kinds of videos at VLC, and it played each one without a hiccup. Your mileage may vary, especially with more obscure file formats, but I think it’s a safe bet that if you want to watch a video–any video–on your late-model iPhone or Touch, this should do the trick.

Amazingly enough, VLC is free.

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

As an Evernote user on several platforms (Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android, Web), I’ve always felt as if the software has had a Jekyll-and-Hyde divide between its offering on the Mac and PC. The Mac version ran better, and had a more consistent interface, while the PC version looked and ran like it had been pieced together out of spare parts.

Luckily, that’s about to change.

Evernote is set to release a new version of its note-taking and Web-clipping Windows software this morning that improves speed, looks, and functionality. In short, it leapfrogs the old version, and then some.

The biggest change you’ll see up front in Version 4.0 is that the interface has been given a thorough overhaul. Central navigation items that once took up two rows now take up one. It’s the same story for the side bar, which contains your list of notebooks, tags, attributes, and saved searches; these items now take up less vertical space, letting you see more on laptops where your screen real estate may be limited.

Along with the app’s core navigation, the editing interface–where users spend most of their time composing, has been thoughtfully trimmed down. The formatting menu is identical, but v4 gives the buttons a uniform look, as well as ditches the tagging and source URL options, which previously could not be minimized. This change gives you a considerable boost in workspace–especially if you’re working in full screen.

Evernote's look has been tweaked substantially in version 4.0. You'll now find much more vertical room for your work with a slimmed-down navigation menu.

(Credit:
Screenshots by Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

But looks are one thing–it’s the speed where you can really tell a difference. The application now launches almost immediately, even on some legacy hardware. It also takes up less memory, which in some casual testing was about five times less than the previous version with one note opened and in edit mode. Even more impressive is the built-in search tool, which now provides instantaneous results. Just these three things right here make the software much more enjoyable to use, whether you keep it running all day, or simply want to fire it up to find something you wrote or clipped a long time ago.

Windows 7 users also get a few perks, including support for Windows Jump Lists and automatic geolocation detection. This geolocation item is particularly neat, as with the old version you’d have to manually plug in your latitude, longitude, and altitude. Now, you can click a button and it taps into your computer’s coordinates, or whatever home position you’ve plugged in as the default. It’s also nice to have Jump List support, as it means no more fumbling to find Evernote’s task tray icon to do something like clip a screenshot, or start a new note.

Earlier this month Evernote picked up $20 million in a Series C round of financing, led by Sequoia Capital. The company now has 4.7 million users, and is available on eight different platforms including its browser interface. Its last major interface overhaul on Windows came in September 2009, and brought some of the features and functionality over from the company’s Mac version.

Version 4 of Evernote will not show up as an automatic update for all users of v3.5 in the next few days. But if you’re itching to get your hands on it today, you can simply download the new version directly from Evernote.

Originally posted at Web Crawler

There’s a lot to like about iLife ’11, Apple’s just-updated suite of media sharing and editing applications. We got our grubby mitts on it last week, and posted the full review on Friday.

Click here to read it.

Apple had a long history of releasing a new version of the suite every January for four years, then it was six months late for the ’08 version before getting back on track for ’09. This version comes a year and nine months off that cycle. The big question you’re probably wondering is whether it was worth the wait?

The short answer is yes, but if you were itching for updates to iDVD or iWeb, you’ll be disappointed. Just three of the applications–iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand–were given new features in iLife ’11. iDVD and iWeb remain untouched since the last version, which would be more of a pain point except for the fact that Apple has cut the price of the software by $20, down to $49, and $6.99 for those who bought a Mac within the last several weeks.

At its core, Apple’s updates to iLife ’11 are definitely more evolutionary than revolutionary, with all three of the updated apps looking much like they did in ’09. However, new to the table are some advanced features that have been added without over-complicating things. There are also more ways to fix your digital media after it’s been recorded–be it video you’re cutting in iMovie, or audio tracks in GarageBand.

Read the full review to find out more about what’s new, what’s different, and what makes it worth the upgrade.

Originally posted at Web Crawler

Google reached a significant milestone for its Android mobile operating system today: 100,000 applications are available in the Android Market.

The company announced the news in a post to its Android Developer Twitter account, nearly two years to the day since the Android Market formally opened for business. An unofficial estimate of Android applications by AndroLib had pegged the number at 50,000 in April, but it’s not clear how accurate that was, as AndroLib currently predicts that 150,000 applications are available in the market.

Google is still well behind Apple when it comes to mobile applications, of course, with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad owners having access to over 280,000 iOS-based applications at last count. (UPDATED 1:37 p.m PDT – Apple e-mailed in to clarify that on its earnings call last week, CEO Steve Jobs said there are now over 300,000 applications in the App Store.) Still, the milestone is worth noting as Android continues to cement its role as the Apple alternative for developers and consumers.

Before Google made the formal announcement The New York Times posted a story noting the milestone and pointing out some of the challenges that remain for Android developers, such as the subtle-yet-important differences between the hundreds of different Android devices on the market as well as payment issues with Google Checkout.

Originally posted at Relevant Results

Apple today introduced the Apple Store in China, the easiest way to shop online for Apple products including the revolutionary iPhone 4 and the magical iPad. Apple’s online store in China features free shipping, free personalized engraving on any iPod or iPad, and the ability to custom configure any Mac with just a few clicks. The online Apple Store also offers a wide selection of third-party products and is the only place online to buy the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED.