The Download Blog

"I dabble in a high-risk area of the 'Net...I click links for money. That, in itself, opens me to tons of security issues."

So begins Patricia's personal Spyware Horror Story (see all.)

But despite the risk, it's Patricia's family that faces undoing, not by a devastating link, but by a harmless-looking "X" button on a sinister pop-up window. Patricia knows how to cap the pop-up--do you? Test your knowledge in "Nix the 'X'."

Although Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox are the most popular Web browsers, there are lots of surfers who prefer the style and features of Avant Browser, a customizable app that's based on on the same layout engine as IE.

Integrated search engines have quickly become one of the most used features in Web browsers, and Avant Browser's search is a bit different than Firefox or IE. Brian Cooley demonstrates how to customize your built-in search engines with Avant Browser.

RoboForm is a popular browsing companion that saves time and finger flexing by filling your passwords and data into online forms and log-ins. Your personal data is securely stored, of course.

Watch RoboForm in action in the First Look video below. The RoboForm trial lets you use the full-featured version of the software, with a limit of ten passwords, two identities, and one profile. If you want unlimited data storage, you'll need to purchase the full version for $29.95.

"You may be an Olympic-level jumper when it comes to leaping from reading your RSS feeds to reading your e-mail, but two Web sites now offer a way to eliminate the wasted time switching from one app to the other. RssFwdand R-Mail drive your feeds directly into your email, simplifying the need to have two separate programs open, or at least two tabs with Gmail and Google Reader." Trying to reduce the differences between reading e-mail and reading RSS feeds is a big but important task for those of us who jump from one to the other--in the way it's important for a jackrabbit to avoid a mountain lion. RssFwd and R-Mail are two Web-based solutions that drive your feeds directly into your e-mail, eliminating the need to have two separate programs open (or two tabs, in the case of Gmail and Google Reader).

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AOL has upgraded its classic messenger AIM to version 6.5, building on the makeover the program got last year when it rose up from its deathbed to version 6 with a host of long-overdue improvements. Unless you're a die-hard AIM fan, though, these latest changes might not be readily apparent.

They might not be worth it, either.

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Google has just announced the latest project to bubble up out of Google Earth--International Cleanup Weekend, a coordinated global effort taking place Saturday, October 13, and Sunday, October 14, 2007, at locations throughout the world.

Who's doing the organizing? You are, naturally, using Google Maps to plot cleanup sites.

What began as an internal corporate eco-venture for local involvement has now been embraced by communities in 15 countries. Google Earth's outreach team is asking groups of six to 10 people to pick a modest project close to home, do it, then share their accomplishments by posting photos and videos to the team's Google Map.

Individuals can coordinate their own events or try to contact Google's partner organizations, like Idealist.org, Sierra Club, and The Scout Association in the U.K., which are urging their members to form local projects.… Read more

Update: we have added a video of the Photoshop Express demo.

CHICAGO--Adobe Systems gave a public viewing Tuesday night of an online version of Photoshop, its popular image-editing application.

During a sneak peek session at its Max 2007 developer conference, Adobe product manager Geoff Baum gave a demo of Photoshop Express, the Flash-based image editor that runs inside a Web browser.

The application is aimed at consumers, rather than professional developers, and complements existing versions. Baum showed how people can quickly make changes to images with the program.… Read more

Tubes, the powerful peer-to-peer synchronization service we first covered in January, now has a hosting service, as well. Once you create a "tube" on your PC and synchronize it, other users will be able to view it on the Web. They no longer need the Tubes software.

This means that Tubes is now a Web-publishing platform, which is an interesting development. You will be able to create a site using Tubes, and then update the site just by dragging files or directories from your PC. Whenever you're connected to the network, your site gets the new files straight from your PC, and the Web site is immediately updated.

This feature can be used to create fairly deep, professional sites, or just for keeping family members up to date with vacation photos. The drag-to-publish function reduces the hassle of keeping a site up to date.

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A couple of weeks ago, I gave you some of the top antivirus apps for your PC. The programs I listed were my picks for reliable free and shareware antivirus software that you could use right away.

Though having a good virus program is crucial to online safety, it's not enough to stop all intruders. Another extremely important line of defense is the software firewall. Some believe you need a hardware firewall (like as a function of your router, for example) to keep all intruders away from your system. But for most people (me included), a good software firewall offers plenty of protection against attacks and also against software on your hard drive that might be trying to contact "the mother ship" without your knowledge.… Read more