Android software

Getting started with Boomerang for Gmail on Android

Boomerang is a service that works with your Gmail to send e-mail later, give you follow-up reminders, and notify you if you don't hear back within a specific time. To use the service in the past, you had to install an extension for Chrome or Firefox.

Now there's Boomerang for Gmail on Android, an app that allows you to use all of the same features you expect from the Web versions on your smartphone or tablet.

One big reason for using the app alongside the desktop version is that you don't have to wait until you're … Read more

How to move Google Authenticator to a new device

Two-step verification can help thwart malicious attacks against your online accounts. Anyone trying to break into your account would need both your password and the mobile device that authentication codes are sent to in order to gain access.

Google has done a splendid job of providing options for those who are interested in setting up this extra security measure: you can get text alerts, or you can use Google's authenticator app, available for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS.

When using the app as your method of authentication code delivery, you may wonder what happens when you want to retire an … Read more

Transfer files between Android and OS X with Droid NAS

Before I bought a Macbook Air, I began to fear the hassles that could potentially come with sharing files between my other devices, particularly my Android phone. What's the easiest way to transfer files between my two most beloved devices? Droid NAS is one elegant solution.

Droid NAS lets you send files back and forth between your Mac and Android phone. The app makes this possible via Wi-Fi and the built-in Bonjour protocol inside OS X.

Download and launch Droid NAS from your Android phone. Make sure that your Android device and your Macbook or Mac are all connected … Read more

Gripe and ye shall receive: Google fixes Gmail for Android

Google has come to its senses with its Gmail app for Android.

A June Gmail overhaul dropped the delete button by default from the e-mail software, a move judged to be silly by me and by 88 percent of the CNET readers who responded to our poll.

Plenty of other people didn't give a fig, the button's absence wasn't a showstopper, and it could be restored by changing the settings, but I thought it a departure for a company that today is supposed to be fanatical about crafting a great experience for users.

Well, happily, it's … Read more

Star Apps: Engadget's Tim Stevens

Founded in 2004, award-winning tech blog Engadget has brought a lot of shiny and new aspirational gadgets and software into the light through the years. Tim Stevens--named "the nicest guy in tech" by "Fortune" magazine--has acted as the blog's editor-in-chief since 2011. Tim was gracious enough to share some of his latest and greatest software finds--for work and play--with Download.com readers.

What are your top five apps and why? 1. Gmail: I'd be lost without this app. There are some mail apps that are a little better, but none integrate with labels, filters, … Read more

Google Search for Android gets a new voice command and more

If your mobile device is running Android 4.1 or higher, consider yourself lucky, as you today get access to the latest version of the Google Search app.

With the updated version, you can now play music -- either songs saved on your device or from Google Play -- by issuing a voice command. In addition, if you have a hard time remembering what voice commands are supported, the app now offers voice action tips to remind you.

Lastly, the Search app also comes with new Google Now Cards that show Google Offers and information about TV shows. Conveniently, Google … Read more

Symantec brings new Insights to Mobile Security

On Wednesday, Symantec released a new version update to Norton Mobile Security. The main focus of this release highlights Symantec's goal to prevent apps from leaking private data.

With this version comes the debut of Norton Mobile Insights, the byproduct of a massive endeavor to analyze over 4 million popular apps across various app stores to determine whether an app puts users' personal data at risk. "The issue of privacy is a complex and evolving one, for both consumers and developers," said Con Mallon, Symantec's Senior Director and product manager. Mallon believes that users are starting … Read more

New Firefox 22 enables browser-based file-sharing

Today's stable release of Mozilla Firefox 22 (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android) includes a variety of back-end technical updates and relatively minor tweaks (to be honest, the word-wrapping of plain-text files is the most relevant to me).

The most notable news is Firefox's new default support for WebRTC (the RTC stands for real-time communication), a set of API components that allows developers to create browser-to-browser applications without plug-ins. WebRTC was developed by Google for Chrome and open-sourced back in 2011, so Google Chrome (Windows, Mac, Android) of course supports it as well.

In real terms, WebRTC enables features such … Read more

Keep all of your log-ins secure with PasswordBox

A couple of months ago we reviewed the beta version of the surprisingly convenient online password manager from PasswordBox.com. On Tuesday, Dan Robichaud, CEO of PasswordBox, has just announced the official release of PasswordBox and introduced some new features as well as the mobile app releases for iOS and Android.

PasswordBox lets you perform one-click log-in to all of your favorite sites from previously stored accounts. Just download the client, which is available as an add-on/extension for IE, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Create a PasswordBox.com account and Master Password and you're ready to go. You can … Read more

New Firefox earns full WebRTC

Following the recent introduction of full Web Real-Time Communications to Chrome, Tuesday's update to Firefox makes it the second browser to support the plugin-free protocol.

The debut of WebRTC, as the protocol is known, in Firefox 22 (download for Windows | Mac | Linux) is no small potatoes. "Plugins are the single largest source of security and stability issues that we see," said Johnathan Nightingale, Mozilla's vice-president of engineering for Firefox.

WebRTC is planned for Firefox for Android (download), which also updated Tuesday, but it has yet to be added to the mobile browser.

On the surface, WebRTC … Read more