Month: July 2012

How to speed up Firefox 13

I use Mozilla Firefox daily. It wasn’t until Firefox version 13 that I saw an increase in lag when browsing online. I don’t use any add-ons with Firefox and never open more than 4 tabs at a time. As a multi-browser user, I need Firefox to be streamlined so I can log into multiple accounts, like Gmail or Google Drive, while using Google Chrome simultaneously.

Most of the default settings in Mozilla Firefox are set for slower Internet connections. I use broadband so I decided to tweak my settings.

These tweaks may not drastically increase how websites load, because it depends on the speed of your connection. It should give Firefox a nice boost from your original loading speeds however.

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Giveaway: 3 free copies of FX Photo Studio for Mac

We’ve got three free copies of FX Photo Studio for Mac to giveaway courtesy of the developers at MacPhun. FX Photo Studio for Mac is a powerful photo editor that allows you to transform and edit your photos. You can download a free trial here and if you like it, we’ve got 3 full activation codes to giveaway.

It can automatically apply filters and effects to your photos similar to the way Instagram does. It includes over 173 photo effects and filters plus 40 frames and borders to give your photos an extra special touch and it could be yours for free!

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Google+ now supports the iPad

Google+ iconGoogle+ updated today to support the iPad. The new universal app, meaning it runs on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, has been completely redesigned with the larger iPad screen in mind. Google is pull out all the stops in its assault against Facebook, riding the momentum of buzz after its Google I/O conference and targeting Facebook’s weak iPad app.

Google is taking Google+ much more seriously than its other products by keeping the user experience the same (for the most part) across all platforms. Will this be enough to gain more users that Google+ desperately needs to compete with Facebook and Twitter? Let’s find out.

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Instagrille 2.0 hands-on

Instagrille 2.0 is released today – the first major update to the neat Instagram app for Windows.

Running via the Pokki platform, Instagrille is a fast and good looking app that lets you follow your Instagram feed from Windows. It was quite a limited program when it was released, but 2.0 adds a number of features that really improve it.

Read on for my hands-on with Instagrille 2.0.

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Get Angry Birds Seasons for free

Angry Birds Seasons for iPhone and Angry Birds Seasons HD for iPad are currently being offered for free on the iTunes store as part of iTunes free app of the week.

Normally Angry Birds Seasons costs 99 cents on iPhone and $1.99 on iPad but until Thursday, you can download them both absolutely free.

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DNS Changer Malware – How to check if you’re infected

DCWG - Check, fix and protectOver 300,000 computers around the world may be infected with a trojan which will prevent them connecting to the internet this Monday, July 9th. Known as the DNS Changer Malware, this malicious software is designed to alter your computer’s DNS settings without you knowing, effectively stopping you from getting online. The infection can be stopped and fixed using simple anti-virus software.

DNS is the worldwide system used by computers connected to the internet to turn IP addresses (like 46.28.209.13) into web addresses (like http://en.softonic.com). The DNS Malware Changer maliciously changes your computer’s DNS settings so that all your your traffic runs through the malware creator’s own servers. This is dangerous as the criminals behind DNS Malware Changer would be able to hijack your searches, direct you to malicious websites and potentially promote dangerous or malicious products or services. Continue reading “DNS Changer Malware – How to check if you’re infected”

How to watch Wimbledon 2012 online

The closing stages of Wimbledon 2012 are already upon us and the two men’s semi-finals offer tantalizing prospects in the form of Roger Federer v Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray v Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

If you don’t want to miss the action, there are also options for watching Wimbledon 2012 live on your mobile.

Giveaway: Advanced System Optimizer

Update: this competition has now finished.

Advanced System Optimizer is a utility that helps you get the most out of your PC, and we have 25 licenses to give away!

Similar to CCleaner, but with some additional features like data recovery and backup tools, Advanced System Optimizer is a neat toolkit to have on your Windows PC. Read the Advanced System Optimizer review for the full lowdown.

If you want to win a license, simply leave a comment below before 5pm PST Monday July 9th. We will do a random draw of 25 comments, and winners will be notified on Tuesday 10th July. Make sure you leave a comment using your real email address so we can contact you if you win!

Here are the full legal terms.

iGoogle and Google Video to be shutdown

Google has announced that iGoogle and Google Video are among several services to be shut down by the company. iGoogle fans have plenty of time to export their data because it won’t be shutdown until November 1st 2013, but Google Video will close on August 20th this year.

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Android 4.1 vs iOS 6 vs Windows Phone 8

Google’s 2012 I/O keynote was the last of the big Spring announcements. After Apple revealed iOS 6 and Microsoft showed off Windows Phone 8; Google demoed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. While Microsoft was the most vague on the release of Windows Phone 8, iOS 6 has a Fall 2012 release and Jelly Bean will get pushed to three devices in mid-July.

Each company presented its plans for its operating systems, and whether it’s an update or full upgrade; users will be seeing changes. It’s not easy to compare each announcement, but thinking about what’s going to be released this year; I wondered which reveal was the most interesting.

Apple showed off its new operating system without new hardware, Microsoft showed a new OS that would only be supported on new hardware, and Google displayed an update to Android while revealing new hardware.

The common connection between all three companies was location services and that looks like the fight that will occur this Fall.

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