May, 2013 - Softonic English

Apple’s top 50 iOS apps of all time, countdown to 50 billion downloads

If you need any proof of just how popular Apple’s ecosystem is, the company has announced that its App Store is approaching 50 billion downloads. In celebration of this milestone, Apple is giving away a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to the person who downloads the 50 billionth download and 50 $500 gift cards to the fifty people after the 50 billionth download.

Apple has also published a list of the 50 most downloaded paid and free applications of all time. On the free side, there are no surprises as Facebook, Pandora, and Instagram lead the charts. The most downloaded paid apps are overwhelmed by games like the original Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Doodle Jump. This proves just how big the casual, mobile gaming industry is.

The company posted a thank you note to all its users that reads, “As of today, nearly 50 billion apps have been downloaded worldwide. And we couldn’t have done it without you. So we want to say thanks.”

For a chance to win, just download lots of apps for the next week, though only 25 entries will be counted per day, so don’t try to game the system! You can read more about the contest at the source link below.

Source: Apple

Mozilla working on plug-in free video codec

Mozilla and OTOY, a cloud rendering company, are working on creating a codec that can play video and run apps without the need for a plug-in. Mozilla is aggressively trying to get rid of all plug-ins from their browser to improve security and performance.

The new codec, called ORBX.js, will be open-source and gives content creators the ability to watermark their video without implementing any DRM (digital rights management). ORBX.js is powered by JavaScript, if you couldn’t already tell by the name. The plug-in is supposedly powerful enough for 3D-rendering software like Autodesk to run inside a browser.

While H.264 is currently the most popular video codec on the web, it isn’t open source, requiring companies who make browsers to license its use. This is fundamentally against Mozilla’s ideology of a free and open web. Mozilla even went as far as blocking all third party cookies by default (update: only in the Aurora testing build), to the consternation of advertisers.

It’s nice that Mozilla is trying to negate the need for installing plug-ins but ORBX.js will still require the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to be installed on a user’s computer. Java is notoriously insecure, with new exploits popping up frequently. For most users, Java isn’t a necessity for browsing most websites.

UPDATE: A Mozilla spokesperson reached out to clarify that ORBX.js will not, in fact, require JRE to be installed. The spokesperson also clarified about blocking 3rd party cookies:

“The third-party cookie patch is currently in our Aurora testing build, not in the General release of the Firefox browser. As with all new Firefox features, there will be months of evaluating technical input from our users and the community before the patch enters our General release. This will stay in our testing builds until we are satisfied with the user experience.”

Source: CNET

The Softonic Minute: Firefox fakes, new GTA trailers and more

The Softonic Minute: Firefox fakes, videocalls in outlook.com, new GTA trailers and Angry Birds Friends.

Here’s your Friday dose of this week’s top news in the world of software.

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Firefox fakes on the web. Spyware called FinFisher is installing itself on computers. It’s hidden in a fake Firefox icon and has already been sold to various governments around the world. The Mozilla Foundation has asked the developers to stop using the Firefox image to hide its spyware, and it remains to be seen what will happen.

Outlook.com now offers videocalls. Video calls are offered via the Skype webapp, which is integrated into Outlook.com. The service will begin its rollout in the United Kingdom.

GTA 5 releases new trailers. The 3 trailers focus on each of the protagonists – Trevor’s madness, Franklin and Michael. If you’re not a fan of action games, though, don’t worry – we’ve got an alternative!

There’s a new Angry Birds game! Now you can compete against your friends in Angry Birds Friends, either in your browser or on Android and iPhone devices. It allows you to challenge your Facebook friends to beat your highest scores.

For all these stories and more, click here.

Spyware hides in fake Firefox

A recent study by Citizen Labs has identified a spyware program that imitates Firefox to help it sneak onto computers. The software was developed by Gamma International. The Mozilla Foundation has already contacted the company to put an end to these illegal practices.

The spyware is known as FinSpy or Finfisher, and surprisingly (or not) has already been acquired by various governments to carry out clandestine investigations. As a result, FinSpy has servers in 36 countries, among them Canada, the United States, the UK and Japan. But the question on everyone’s lips is how does this malicious Firefox clone work?

Continue reading “Spyware hides in fake Firefox”

The best Temple Run clones

With over 100 million downloads, Temple Run is one of the most successful games on Android and iOS. The game’s awesome popularity has lead to a follow-up version, Temple Run 2, and two Disney offshoots, Temple Run: Oz and Temple Run: Brave. Hoping for a piece of the Temple Run pie, though, loads of other developers have hopped on the endless running bandwagon.

Even though the basic premise is the same, many of these games still manage to be both original and witty. Most are also free, but operate on the freemium concept – play is free, but if you want to go faster and last longer, you better get your wallet out!

To make picking a new game a little bit easier, we’ve rounded up the top 5 Temple Run clones, sorted by Softonic rating. Have fun!

Continue reading “The best Temple Run clones”

Guide to using two-step verification

Identity theft and account hackings have been rampant the last year. In April, WordPress sites were continually bombarded by a massive botnet, an infected computer network, that relentlessly tried to take control of websites. To increase security, the creator of WordPress urged users to change their admin name, create stronger passwords, and enable two-step authentication. Companies such as Google and Facebook have been quick to enable two-step verification for its own users.

But what is two-step verification? It has different names (such as “login approvals” or “two factor authentication”) but what it does is adds an extra layer of security by requiring a randomly generated code along with your password. This code is typically sent to your phone, either as a text message or with a code generator app.

Below we’ve rounded up our posts about two-step verification, including how it works (both its strengths and weaknesses), and how to enable it for specific services. Check back regularly as we will continue to update this page with more two-step verification posts.

Continue reading “Guide to using two-step verification”

Google Keep now available in Chrome

Google’s minimalist note taking app, Google Keep, is now available as a Chrome extension. Last month, Google released Keep for Android and now you can quickly jot down thoughts in Chrome as well. This makes it easier to access your notes without having to go to your phone or into Google Drive.

The Google Keep Chrome extension will open up in its own window so users can easily create notes, check off to-do lists, attach photos, and more. For those with spotty internet connections, you can rest easy as the extension will work offline.

While Google Keep is a solid note taking tool, its features are very basic. Competitors like Evernote have a more fleshed out ecosystem of apps for the desktop, browser, and phones that make it more useful for advanced users.

If you just want a service to jot down simple notes or to create basic to-do lists, Google Keep will work well for you.

Source: Google Chrome Blog

FIFA 14 increases realism with Teammate Intelligence

Electronic Arts announced today that FIFA 14 will have something called Teammate Intelligence. It is basically EA’s fancy name for a smarter artificial intelligence in the game, which makes gameplay more organic and realistic. EA claims that “players will have better decision-making and teams will play smarter on both the attack and defense to bring the beauty of the game to life.”

One of the cool things about Teammate Intelligence is the amount of scoring opportunities it reveals to players. Attacking players will watch the backline now to avoid getting caught offside before passing or breaking free. Additionally, attackers will perform checked runs to confuse defenders. Center-forwards will also be able to hold positions better to receive the ball.

On defense, AI team members will recognize opportunities to pressure the opposing team and provide support from anywhere in the pitch. The AI will no long just cover whoever is closest to him. The take away from this is that AI defenders will position themselves better so that there aren’t gaping holes on the pitch where attackers can come through.

All of this adds up to a more organic feeling game and the AI will move in a way that human players would actually move. A more organic experience means more realistic gameplay, which should excite FIFA fans.

Source: Electronic Arts

Facebook lets you use Trusted Contacts to recover hacked account

Facebook just unveiled an additional layer of security for your Facebook account. Now users can designate between 3 and 5 contacts as “Trusted Contacts” that can be reached before recovering an account. Facebook is taking user security seriously as it already has two-factor authentication.

The way Trusted Contacts works is by having them confirm if you are indeed attempting to access your account instead of someone else. Your Trusted Contacts will then have to provide security codes for you to reset your password. This works as an alternative to answering security questions, which may actually leave your account vulnerable if your answers are easily searched for.

This move is no doubt trying to tighten up on security by stopping account phishing and other Facebook scams.

To choose your Trusted Contacts, visit the source link below.

Source: Facebook Trusted Contacts

Instagram updates with photo tagging for iPhone and Android

Instagram is finally getting photo tagging on the iPhone and Android. The feature works much like Facebook’s photo tagging, which is no surprise as Facebook owns Instagram. There’s also a new section in your profile called “Photos of You” where you can browse all of the photos you’ve been tagged in.

Previously, users had to @ mention their friends as a sort of pseudo-tag. By doing this, your friends would get a notification about the photo. Now you can actually tag a photo with your friend’s name and have it show up in his or her feed directly. You can even tag companies who have Instagram accounts.

To use photo tags, take a picture of someone and you’ll have a tag option in the description page. Your friend will then get an alert that they’ve been tagged and the photo will be added to their “Photos of You” section.

Privacy is always a concern so Instagram allows you to hide pictures you don’t want to show up in your own photo feed. Users can also set the app to automatically block all photos until you’ve approved them. Still, users won’t be able to untag themselves from a picture.

You can get the Instagram 3.5 update with photo tagging for iPhone and Android.

Source: Instagram blog