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It's important to have up-to-date software, but the best time to update a program isn't while you're trying to use it. Patch My PC can automatically update Oracle Java but also Adobe Reader, Flash, Air, and Shockwave; Mozilla Firefox; Skype; Google Chrome; Apple iTunes and QuickTime; and many others. It's portable freeware that runs immediately when you open it, without needing to be installed.

Patch My PC's compact interface is packed with information. Though it's small and busy, it's also a standard Explorer-style layout underneath, with a toolbar/tabbed navigation console and main … Read more

According to a patent application filed by Apple (found by AppleInsider), the Find My Friends app for iOS devices may soon be getting new features that allow users to create custom settings for the amount of information friends can find about their location by adjusting the precision of the GPS locator.

Find My Friends was launched alongside the iPhone 4S in October and features the ability for users to share their location with friends and family who they approve. While the feature is a great solution for many, some prefer a little more privacy control.

Enter the "Variable Precision … Read more

Foreign-language phrase books or dictionaries often only get you so far if you're a beginner trying to hold a conversation in your non-native language.

But a mobile app called Vocre aims to make such a conversation "as simple as record, review, and translate," according to Andrew Lauder, founder of MyLanguage, which created the app.

To get a conversation going, the app uses some of the same technology that powers Siri, Apple's voice assistant, as well as audio technology from a company called iSpeech. MyLanguage is also using a crowdsourcing model so that the translation technology gets … Read more

HTC plays with streaming music, psychiatrists study Internet addiction, and MySpace beats on with the MySpace Music Player.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

If you're burning to spend this Valentine's Day, Pizza Hut has a $10,000 engagement party package that includes a personal fireworks display, a one-topping pizza, and bread sticks with icing to prep your stomach for a lifetime of loneliness. … Read more

Free My Apps is giving away promo codes for popular paid iOS apps in exchange for you downloading and using one of the sponsor apps for a minimum of 30 seconds.

While the paid apps end up being free, your time is the real cost here. Downloading and using a sponsor app for 30 seconds adds up fast, especially if you are trying to earn enough points for one of the bigger name apps.

Who knows, maybe during the process you will find some free apps you never knew about, but can no longer live without. After all, that's … Read more

There are numerous digital painting programs on the market these days, and many of the ones we've encountered have either been short on features or confusing to use (or, in the worst cases, both). MyPaint manages to pack a lot of unique and useful features into a clean, intuitive interface, and we think it's among the best digital painting programs we've seen.

MyPaint is easy to get started with. It has a toolbar and menu bar across the top of the interface, and we appreciated the fact that the program's designers managed to arrange its numerous … Read more

There may come a time when Siri can help you buy a new flat-screen TV from the comfort of your bed, but for now the gal's capabilities are limited.

For the misfits and troublemakers who have jailbroken their iPhone 4S, there's a new app that promises to change that. It's called MyAssistant, and for 99 cents on third-party app market Cydia, it gives Siri much deeper access to your system settings and software than Apple offers out of the box.

How deep you might be wondering? Once installed it lets you do things like reboot your phone, … Read more

Mobile device manufacturers still seem to think that adding a default signature, letting the world know what device you sent an e-mail from, is a good idea.

By default, the e-mail client on the Kindle Fire adds "Sent from my Kindle Fire" at the end of all messages you send. Here's how to remove it:

Step 1: From the inbox of your Kindle Fire, go to Settings.

Step 2: Under the "Sending mail" section, select Composition defaults.

Step 3: Remove or edit the signature from the text box. If you prefer to turn off signatures, … Read more