Apple's XProtect system (aka File Quarantine) in OS X is a rudimentary anti-malware scanner that will perform a quick check on downloaded files to make sure they do not contain known malware, and will block any versions of Web plug-ins like Java and Flash that have known vulnerabilities.

XProtect runs in the background with no interaction with the user, which is convenient, but it does mean that when it gets updated, users may find themselves unexpectedly unable to access some Web content. Even though quickly updating plug-ins should get you around this inconvenience, it may be useful to know … Read more

Dropbox updated its desktop client for Macs and PCs yesterday, bring added functionality to the Dropbox window you access either via your Mac's menu bar or your PC's task bar.

The old desktop client was good for getting you quickly to your Dropbox folders or the Dropbox Web site, but it wasn't good for much else. With the Dropbox 2.0 desktop client, you get easy access to your folders and the Web site, along with the ability to initiate sharing a file and accept or decline invites without needing to visit the Dropbox interface. Meanwhile, the … Read more

By the end of the workday, my Internet research and wanderings leave me with dozens upon dozens of open tabs. This trail of tabs is confusing to navigate and leaves my laptop feeling sluggish. If you use tabs as temporary bookmarks as I do and use Chrome, I suggest you give OneTab a whirl. This Chrome extension lets you convert all of your open tabs into a list, which lets you reopen each tab individually, restore all at once, or share all as a Web page. Managing a multitude of tabs via OneTab's lists is easier than juggling the … Read more

Internet radio and music services offer a lot of customization options that allow us to focus on just the music. However, if you feel a bit out of touch with what's happening in the world around you, iHeartRadio's new Add-ins might be able to help. The new Add-ins insert local news, traffic, and weather updates to your custom stations every hour.

To enable Add-ins, log in to your iHeartRadio account on the Web and go to the Add-ins section in Settings. iHeartRadio will use your current location to provide local updates, or you can manually set a location … Read more

As mentioned in the guide for adding notes to Gmail messages in Chrome, the need for a default note feature really shows when you're trying to remember more information about an e-mail. Perhaps you were supposed to call instead of e-mail the person? Or maybe you want to share an e-mail with a friend, but your cellular signal isn't so great right now. Adding Notes for Gmail to Firefox allows you to keep track of these details more easily.

Notes for Gmail was kind enough to give CNET 1,000 beta invitations for our readers! … Read more

Using many Firefox add-ons at once can cause the application to dramatically slow down. This is because for each add-on, you're using a piece of your computer's memory. The most obvious solution is to uninstall some of them, but perhaps that's not a good option for you.

As an alternative, try checking out how much memory each add-on is using. Firefox provides information on memory allocation (about:memory), but it isn't in the most user-friendly format. The next best option is to install yet another add-on. However, this particular add-on will report its own memory usage … Read more

Though it's fully expected that Facebook will make many changes to its just-launched News Feed, it's never too early to get acquainted with the look. Luckily, it's not quite as drastic as previous redesigns (like the much-hated Timeline) but it does present some new ways to interact with friends, brands, and people you follow.

If you haven't yet signed up to get the new News Feed, get on the wait list now. Facebook says it will roll out the new design slowly to allow enough time to fix bugs and make improvements before releasing it to … Read more

In case you hadn't heard, Facebook held an event today to announce that your News Feed is going to look completely different in the coming weeks. The new feed features bigger photos, quick access to all of your feeds, and a unified look across both Web and mobile.

The Facebook team said the new News Feed would slowly begin rolling out today, with tweaks being made along the way to ensure a solid user experience. If you're the adventurous type and want to try it out, you can join the waiting list to get early access.

Signing up … Read more

Foursquare recently updated its apps with new credit card specials and a revamped Explore view, but the update also included a faster check-in process for iPhone users. The latter feature wasn't included in the change log, but it was discovered by Apple Insider shortly after the update went live. Today, Foursquare officially announced the feature on its blog.

If you updated last week to version 5.5 from the App Store, you already have the speedy check-in feature. Here's how it works:

When you view the list of venues to check in at, you simply long-press on the … Read more