The Download Blog

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Do you have a "jailbroken" iPhone? Ever since the iPhone first came on the scene, there has been a large group of users who believe Apple tries too hard to control what works and what doesn't on the iPhone. The minute a new iPhone firmware update is released from Apple, a whole slew of people search for ways to unlock the device, letting them download apps that have never had to go through the App store acceptance process. This means that apps that would have otherwise never seen the light of day can be used on an unlocked (or "jailbroken") iPhone.

I personally have no opinion about those who jailbreak iPhones because I believe in the free-flowing open-source idea of software, while also believing a company ought to have some control over their products. In other words, I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. But I have never jailbroken my iPhone because part of my job is to review apps that everyone has access to (in the iTunes Store) and I need to have the same user experience with the iPhone that most people have. Also, I would say I'm happy with the iPhone as is.

According to AppleInsider, a recent release to Apple's iPhone firmware makes the device invulnerable to the usual jailbreaking tactics. I guess we'll have to wait and see how long it takes the community to jailbreak the latest version (if they can), but you can bet they're working on it right now. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, please tell us all about it in the comments.

This week's apps include an excellent product bar code scanner and a four-wheeling ATV game that's probably the best of its kind in the iTunes Store.

You'll need to hold still (better than I do) in order to get an accurate scan.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

RedLaser ($1.99) lets you "scan" products to give you a list of prices from online retailers. There are a few products that perform a similar function at the iTunes Store and several have been made for other devices, but RedLaser is surprisingly effective using only the built-in camera on your iPhone. Simply tap the lightning bolt icon and line up the bar code in between the guidelines on your screen. You have to remain still for about a second, but soon RedLaser beeps, indicating it has scanned the code. Once scanned, you are presented with a list of matches from various stores so you can find the best price.

I tried RedLaser on a number of products including old game guides, CDs, and books I had lying around, and in almost every case, RedLaser was able to identify the item. The app also saves all your previously scanned items in a list making it easy to check back once you're ready to buy it online or at the store. Overall, if you like to comparison shop or just want to make sure you're getting a good deal when out and about, RedLaser is a fun and useful app to have. Frankly, it's fun just to try to stump RedLaser with the most obscure object you can find.

Even on the medium level, it's tough to stay out in front

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

ATV Offroad ($7.99) is made by 2XL games, the same company that made SuperCross, a motocross racing game I talked about in an earlier post. Not only does ATV Offroad add two more wheels (instead of dirt bikes, you're on four-wheelers), but it adds the feature I and many other reviewers complained Supercross lacked: a career mode. Now, in addition to amazing graphics and excellent physics, you'll be able to race through challenges and multirace competitions to unlock more tracks. There also are freestyle, quick race, and multiplayer modes, but you'll need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to race against your friends.

ATV Offroad sets itself apart from other racing games the second you hit the track with smooth-looking graphics and excellent accelerometer-based controls. You can even pull off huge tricks while in the air by hitting onscreen trick buttons. You can choose between three skill levels, though I found even the medium skill level to be very hard to beat. If you don't like the look of your racer, you can easily switch between multiple ATV designs and different-color leathers with a swipe of your finger before a race. Overall, ATV Offroad adds just the right amount of core features to be the great game SuperCross could have been. If you like off-road racing, I highly recommend this game.

What's your favorite iPhone app? Have you priced all the products in your house with RedLaser yet? Do you think the addition of the career mode makes ATV Offroad the dirt racing game to beat at the iTunes store? Is your iPhone jailbroken? Let me know in the comments!

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Every computer user needs a basic text editor for Readme files and simple note taking capabilities--that's why Windows comes with Notepad. But if you want added features like a tabbed interface, search and replace functionality, or extras that help you with coding projects, you need to look for the more full-featured alternatives. The best editors come with numerous features and work great for editing code for Web sites, but also for simply writing quick notes, and pasting excerpts from the Web when aggregating research for a project.

Fortunately, some of the best software in this category is free, but you can also use "Light" versions of paid software and still get most of the useful features.

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NoteTab Light offers a tabbed interface and adds several libraries of premade code bits called "clips" you can access through a pull-down menu on the left side of the interface. These clips can be anything from commonly used code to quick formatting tools available at a click of your mouse. You can also quickly preview your work in your default Web browser from within the interface. NoteTab Light offers a lightweight footprint and is a huge upgrade from the Notepad included with Windows.

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TextPad is another excellent text editor with a "light" version that most users will find offers plenty of features. Like NoteTab, TextPad offers a host of features like a tabbed-interface, and helpful formatting tools for indenting, line numbering, character transposing, and condition-based word wrapping. TextPad will bug you with a nag screen periodically, but most features are available even in this time-unlimited "light" version.

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EditPlus is a text editing tool that's popular with a lot of people because of its ability to use simple FTP commands to get your files online from within the program. Powerful features for Web authors like a built-in Web browser for previews and syntax highlighting for HTML, CSS, PHP, ASP, Perl, C/C++, and many more make this program an excellent alternative. Added handy features like a Windows Explorer-like file directory built-in to the interface and a wealth of commonly used code clips (like NoteTab Light) make this software particularly appealing. EditPlus is a 30-day trial, but with all of its useful features, the $35 price tag is more than worth it.

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Notepad++ is a popular choice among serious code crunchers because it's loaded with useful features and it's completely free. It supports several programming languages, offers syntax highlighting, drag-and-drop functionality, and you can easily launch a preview in IE or Firefox from within the software. As a free option, anybody wanting to see what it's like using a text editor even if it is for making lists or doing Web research has nothing to lose with this excellent text editor. But the popularity of this software among serious coders is definitely warranted, with more than enough features for most projects.

With plenty of affordable products in their library to help out those who are serious about Web development, Blumentals Software now has an even more impressively priced product: a package of CSS tools that's absolutely free. The freeware CSS Toolbox includes a handful of helpful tools that should save time for anyone who works with CSS.

The CSS Editor comes with syntax highlighting and simplified auto-complete; the CSS Formatter/Beautifier helps you reformat and prettify your code; the CSS Checker tracks down errors and makes your code old-browser-friendly; and the CSS Compressor makes your code load faster, reducing its size by up to 70 percent. However, if you're a CSS newbie, you might want to read a few online tutorials before diving in. Only a small amount of knowledge is required before you get started, but that modicum will reap big dividends.

Anyone who wants to clean up or check their CSS should check out this set of useful tools.

Mozilla released Firefox 2.0.017 and Firefox 3.0.2, updated versions of its browser, on Wednesday to address a dozen security vulnerabilities. Four are ranked by Mozilla as critical, one high, two moderate, and the rest of the patches are considered low priority. About half do not apply to Firefox 3.

The updates are pushed automatically to current users and will take effect the next time the browser is restarted. Current users of Firefox 2 are encouraged to upgrade by manually downloading Firefox 3 as soon as possible.

On Thursday, Mozilla pushed out a new security update for its new Firefox browser. Version 3.0.1 for Windows and Mac addresses vulnerabilities in malformed GIF files on Mac OS X, command-line URLs that could launch multiple tabs when Firefox is not running, and a potential remote code execution by overflowing CSS reference counter.

Meanwhile, Mozilla updated the earlier version of Firefox with 2.0.16 on Tuesday. The update addresses two of the Firefox 3 critical issues--command-line URLs and overflowing CSS reference counter.

Version-specific updates have been pushed out automatically to existing Firefox users.

Mozilla will continue to update Firefox 2 until mid-December.

Once you explore the power of NoteTab Light, you may find this text editor beautiful despite its hectic interface. At its core, NoteTab Light is to Windows' Notepad as an iPhone is to a rotary phone. NoteTab Light incorporates top-level tabs similar to most Web browsers, so that you can manage several different projects at once. It can automatically replace Notepad so that Notepad's icons open NoteTab Light instead--although this helpful shortcut trick doesn't work in Windows Vista.

However, it's more than a mere replacement. The left column displays a list of commands, called Clips, that do anything from inserting bits of text to generating code. Each library, the roster of which appears as tabs at the bottom of the screen, contains its own set of clips. The FTP library, for example, lets you create server profiles, connect, upload and download files, and issue various commands. The publisher's site offers many user-created libraries, or you can make your own. You can create your own clips, too. Designed for programmers, NoteTab Light's tabs and other higher functions should appeal to both coders and the rest of us who just want more out of a notepad.

With the advent of blogs and blog-tool plug-ins, the burning need for Web design at home has dulled somewhat. Power Downloader knows that good custom design is still appreciated, though, and this week he brings you a program that excels at helping home users achieve their Web design desires. CoffeeCup HTML Editor 2008 is suitable for design newbies, HTML hotshots, and everyone in between. The latest version introduces a new CSS and HTML autocompletion tool to join CoffeeCup's well-known WYSIWYG and standard HTML editors.

CoffeeCup HTML Editor 2008 features tabbed navigation and control panels, previews panes for images and a WYSIWYG editor.

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It continues to offer powerful features melded to a straightforward and compact interface that is organized by tabs--perfect for keeping track of multiple projects. Advanced features include HTML and CSS scripting, Flash animations, and drag-and-drop Java scripts. Beginners, meanwhile, get an excellent tutorial and a WYSIWYG editor that supports simple drag-and-drop. Power really likes that those just starting off can easily jump back and forth between the WYSIWYG and the HTML to see what the preprogrammed code looks like. Heavily trafficked support forums are also available, and Power Downloader knows the value of such a community can be invaluable. An extensive array of samples and templates includes site designs and JavaScript-based widgets such as calendars and calculators.

Power appreciates the included list of tags, too. Inserting an image, a table, a list, or a DHTML menu is a snap, with tags self-completing--although that feature can be turned off. Tabbed editing lets you simultaneously change multiple pages, and a built-in FTP client facilitates one-click uploading. The status bar displays valid usage suggestions, and you even get a built-in thesaurus. Full-featured and easy to use, users who are worried about the $50 price tag should be comforted by the fact that it includes an unfettered 30-day trial and lifetime free upgrades.

Torrent-watching Web site TorrentFreak is reporting a major security hole in the popular open-source media player VideoLAN, also known as the VLC Player (download for Windows and Mac. "The reported vulnerability makes it possible for a malicious user to run arbitrary code, potentially taking remote control of the host machine," according to TorrentFreak.

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The hole gets exploited from a subtitle file buffer overflow, and it's platform independent--meaning it could strike users of Mac and Linux operating systems, as well as Windows fans. VLC users who avoid subtitle files won't face any problems. Another solution is to use the nightly builds, although those are less stable than the supported release.

VLC is popular for being a lightweight player that comes with nearly every codec imaginable, making it an excellent player to handle whatever video format you might be downloading from the Web or torrenting.

There has been no word as to whether this affects the portable version of the player, nor has there been an announcement concerning a security patch or a product upgrade at the time of writing.

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The brawniest smart phones may be equipped to withstand a hearty flinging across the room, and the brainiest may be able to finesse your multimedia or autocorrect your photos, but few can do on their own what CodeWallet Pro and eWallet Professional (various versions) can to manage and secure your data in a central, locked-down location.

I'm not talking about one smart phone with separate notebook, word processing, e-mailing, and database programs that have been shrunk down from their original desktop formats to disco with your data. I'm talking about programs that have been made with mobility in mind, that regard themselves as serious guardians of very sensitive information. Whether they stand up to the task and whether you really need them are issues we'll get to. To begin, let's take a look at eWallet Professional and CodeWallet Pro (which shall henceforth simply be known as eWallet and CodeWallet).... Read more