browse

Google+ gets update for iPhone and a new iPad version

Built as a Universal update, Google+ version 3.0 adds new features to the iPhone app and is the first version that is made for the iPad with its own unique interface features.

On both iOS devices, you'll now be able to create and manage Google Events. You can create an event, manage comments, add photos, and see who is coming to the event. All the info from past events is saved as well, so you can go back and revisit them later.

Google Hangouts are now supported on both iOS devices as well, which means you'll be … Read more

How to browse sensitive subjects without being tracked

A reader commenting on a Q&A about the rise in behavioral tracking for targeted advertising asked a great question: How does one browse sensitive subjects without being tracked via cookies?

For most Web activities, many people won't be bothered that they are served up ads for cars or even acne cream if they have been reading news about the newest Tesla or visiting dermatology Web sites. But what about when someone is researching a hereditary or embarrassing medical condition that one would not want revealed to advertisers, shoulder surfers or, worse yet, insurance companies?

Private Mode You … Read more

Google finds 9,500 new malicious Web sites a day

Google prides itself on being proactive in protecting its users from malware and other attacks (even government-sponsored ones) on the Web via its Safe Browsing API and other technologies over the past five years. In a blog post today, the company reveals the numbers behind some of its anti-malware initiatives:

Google finds about 9,500 new malicious Web sites per day, either innocent ones that have been compromised by hackers or sites built specifically to distribute malware or for phishing. About 600 million users of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari see several million warnings per day about malware and phishing on … Read more

Visual Web browsing on Yahoo's Axis

Axis, Yahoo's new standalone Web browser for iOS (and extension for desktop versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari), embodies some really neat ideas about surfing the Web, especially on the touch screen. The app keeps the bloat to a minimum, and offers tools that make searching and browsing a snap. Unfortunately, like every third-party browser, Axis suffers from Apple's restrictions in that it can't be set as the default browser.

Axis has a helpful tutorial overlay when you get started, but it doesn't take long to explore the cool and unique features of this Web … Read more

The best way to browse news and social on iOS

Flipboard is a must-have newsreader and social network hub that lets you organize the info you want to look at and then flip through it like a magazine. Get started by creating an account with Flipboard, then sign in to your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Once you're all signed in, Flipboard presents you with an intuitive layout of your social networks and some default news categories to browse. Touching a panel lets you browse through any of the default categories. But touching and holding a panel lets you delete it and replace it with whatever you want. To customize … Read more

Keep track of your hardware with Hardware Asset Tracker

Whether you're in charge of managing hardware for a whole company or you have your own extensive collection, it makes sense to have a way to keep track of what you have on hand. Hardware Asset Tracker is a simple program that lets you record the details of your computers, monitors, printers, and more. It's not the most elegant program we've ever seen, but it's not bad for what it is.

Hardware Asset Tracker has a tabbed interface that categorizes hardware as Computers, Laptops, Modems, Monitors, NICs, Printers, and Workstations. If you don't like those … Read more

Automatically close Private Browsing sessions with a Firefox extension

If you have ever got up and left a Private Browsing session unattended, your private information is sitting there for any passer-by to see. With PB Exit, a Private Browsing window will close after 10 minutes of inactivity, either the last page load or tab switch.

This Firefox extension could not be easier to use; simply install it and let it run in the background. In my trial, it worked as advertised, closing Private Browsing tabs after I let them sit idle for 10 minutes. There are no settings to muss with, though the developer has a note on the … Read more

Augmented reality could transform Web browsing (video)

What will Web browsing look like in the future? Augmented reality, or AR, could be the next big leap.

Think of it as a more interactive Internet experience, taking in our physical environment and adding a layer of digital information. Companies like Aurasma are using the concept to develop a new way to browse.

SmartPlanet's Sumi Das explains how augmented reality will help museum paintings turn into talking art teachers and ordinary billboards play movie trailers.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "The Future Of.... Browsing."

Related SmartPlanet links:

The Future Of... Gift Cards … Read more

Manage bookmarks and more with AcqURL

AcqURL is a free bookmarks manager, but it does much more. For instance, you can use it to bookmark and quickly access practically any application, file, or data on your PC. It includes a user-defined metasearch engine, FTP client, file launcher, and HTML generator. However, at the time of writing it offered limited support for Chrome, and a missing online Help file made this flexible yet complex program more difficult to use than it should have been. Many users may like its predefined bookmarks, though, and find themselves taking advantage of AcqURL's other features as well.

AcqURL's gridded … Read more