google

In a move sure to annoy businesses and other groups that bundle browser extensions as part of their main toolset, Google is tightening extension security in Chrome for Windows.

The company announced on Friday two new features in Chrome 25 that will make it harder for third-parties to force-install extensions.

Chrome Product Manager Peter Ludwig wrote that Google decided to clamp down on third-party extensions because the policy had been "widely abused" to silently install extensions, "without proper acknowledgment from users."

All new third-party extensions will be disabled by default, Ludwig said. Once installed, a box … Read more

Santa is on the way. As of this writing, according to Google's new Santa Tracker, Kris Kringle and his reindeer are in Canberra, Australia, dishing out gifts and toys to the girls and boys down under faster than you can say, "Paul Hogan's your uncle."

Those lucky Aussies always get everything before the rest of us, whether it's making it through the Mayan apocalypse unscathed or landing some sweet Christmas swag earlier.

But wait, the long-standing NORAD Santa tracker (now powered by Microsoft's Bing maps) is also monitoring the fat man and his flying venison, too. The official U.S. government-sanctioned Santa tracker currently has him over Japan as I write this.… Read more

Trillian for Mac is an instant messaging app with quite a few extras added. Trillian for Mac is available from the App Store as well as many download sites. It installs easily. The main Trillian for Mac client is free, and there is a Pro version that removes ads and allows for cloud storage, although most people will opt for the free app.

The main purpose of Trillian for Mac is an IM platform that connects to all the popular messaging and social networking platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, GTalk, Yahoo, Windows Live, and many more. Of course, you have to … Read more

Google cares.

Yes, it not like the cold hearts and ice veins of Apple, Microsoft, and the rest.

Google thinks about the little guy, like the robot who can't get drunk at the office party. And so now the company has released onto YouTube a video to thank Androiders for being just so deeply wholesome.

It's an uplifting Christmassy affair.

There are office revelers. There are illicit trysts about to occur (off camera, naturally). And there's one cute little robot who's been left out because, one supposes, he's not yet 21.… Read more

As much as new MacBook owners love to rave about their systems, no laptop -- even one with an Apple logo -- comes right out of the box ready to perform optimally.

And while it's certainly exciting to unwrap a new holiday MacBook, there are a handful of tweaks, tips, and fixes you should check out on day one that will make your MacBook easier to use. I've put together some of my personal favorites here.

There are many more I could list, and I'm sure I've left out some of your favorites, so feel free … Read more

Google is putting its acquisition of Motorola to use by building a powerful new device known internally as the 'X phone' to compete with offerings from Apple and Samsung, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reported that engineers at Motorola are working hard on the new handset, to be released some time next year. It will mark the first time that Google has built a phone with struggling Motorola, which it acquired for $12.5 billion.

Motorola will continue to produce devices for its carrier partner Verizon, while also devoting resources to the 'X' partnership with Google … Read more

Google Maps users looking to get more out of the app can grab some free advice from Google itself.

A new page dubbed "10 ways to make your Google Maps for iPhone experience even better" reveals several handy features that you may not know existed.

Tip 1: To place a pin on a map, press down and hold any location. The pin reveals the specific address and displays an info sheet with an option to share that location.

Tip 2: To access Street View, press and hold any location on the map and then tap on the info … Read more

The surge in adoption of Apple's iOS 6 may be due more to new users in China than users upgrading to the operating system while grabbing Google's new mapping app.

Adoption of the mobile operating system, which was released months ago, has increased by 30 percent since Google Maps was released to the Apple App Store on December 12, according to data from mobile ad exchange MoPub. iOS users unhappy with the in-house substitute Apple supplied after dumping Google earlier this year flocked to Google's new iOS app, downloading the software more than 10 million times in … Read more

Editors' note: Price of the app has been corrected.

Meet Press, a slick new app for keeping up with your RSS subscriptions on your Android device. It syncs to your Google Reader account and presents all of your articles in a well designed package, with an attractive typeface and dead simple navigation.

Perhaps the best thing about Press is its interface. The open layout and six different font choices make it a pleasure to look at. And just like Google Reader it's really easy to navigate.

Once you sync Press to your Google Reader account, the app opens up … Read more