Software

Performance improvements over the last year mean Web pages measured by the Google Analytics service load significantly faster for people using mobile devices.

The pages load 30 percent faster for mobile browsers now than they did a year ago, Steve Souders, Google's head performance engineer, said in a presentation earlier. And for desktop browser users, the pages load 3.5 percent faster.

Mobile Web performance -- often impaired by big Web pages, slower networks, and limited processors -- can be irritating. The slower a Web page responds, the less people use it, and that's a problem for a … Read more

Amazon's got a new app for iOS that gives users of Apple devices a way to view and sync up with photos they have stored on Amazon's Cloud Drive, including photos they've taken on other devices.

Every time the app (iTunes) is opened up, it can tap into a user's camera roll and automatically sync up photos people have taken. Amazon is the latest company, along with Facebook, to offer such software, and the app works over both Wi-Fi and cellular connections.

Other features include the option to share stored photos on Twitter and Facebook, as … Read more

In a step to help browser-based apps catch up with the abilities of other software, Google has made it possible for programmers to push notifications to Web apps running in Chrome.

On Thursday, Google enabled a service called Google Cloud Messaging for Chrome (GCM) that brings push notifications to its browser and to Chrome OS, its browser-based operating system. Mark Scott, a Google product manager, announced the service in a blog post.

The technology means that servers can send a message -- a stock price alert or news item, for example -- that triggers an action in the browser. To … Read more

Hang onto your wallets, cheeps, because I've got five -- count 'em, five -- deals lined up for your Friday.

Why the glut? Same as always: I found lots of really good items and couldn't decide which one to spotlight. Check 'em out:

1. One big TV. When it comes to bang for your TV buck, I think Vizio leads the pack. Especially when Vizio resellers serve up deals like this one: Dell Home has the Vizio E552VLE 55-inch smart LCD HDTV for $649.99 shipped (plus sales tax in some states). Although CNET had some nits to pick … Read more

Those who spend most of their time working from a computer may need an application to track their time. Time Clock for Mac is an easy-to-use application designed to do just this; but its operation is ultimately so clunky that it detracts from its usefulness.

Time Clock for Mac is available for free and has no restrictions. After downloading, the program installs easily without any interaction required by the user. At startup, there are no tutorials or user instructions available, which was a disappointment since the menu looks dated and the program's operation was not obvious. It was also … Read more

Users who have the native Mac backup system in use may want to adjust the preset options. TimeMachineScheduler for Mac does add some functions to the backup system that work well, but few of them are critical to most Mac users.

TimeMachineScheduler for Mac downloaded quickly and its installer did not require user interaction. A readme file clearly explained the installation process, which was a nice feature. The presence of a native uninstaller was also useful. The lack of tutorials was not much of a problem since the application is little more than an additional section of the preferences menu. … Read more

The goal of Lost Kidz is to create a network of parents and individuals who will always be on the lookout if something happens to anyone else's child. Creating the sort of parental support that is crucial in today's world, Lost Kidz is as important as it is well constructed.

The app is easy to use. Turn it on and be sure to activate all of the notifications. When a child is lost in your area, the app will alert you with the information provided by that parent (or the police in the case of an AMBER Alert). … Read more

If there's one weak security spot for most people, it is their phone. Carried everywhere and containing almost every major piece of personal information they have, a lost phone can be a security and privacy nightmare. So apps like Mecrets are very attractive, providing an extra layer of protection against loss or unauthorized access of your personal data on your phone.

Mecrets opens to a combination lock interface. The app quickly explains how to set your passwords on the combination lock, and while it is vaguely more complicated than a simple touch screen, the added complexity is welcome when … Read more

Notes & Tags attempts to provide a unique experience that builds on the platform used by note-taking apps like Evernote. Unfortunately, it does not offer enough new features or tools to go above and beyond Evernote, and because both are free, it's hard to recommend this new app over the former if you are already using it.

The app is very basic. It opens to a note-taking screen where you title and create a note. You can add tags for each note that will then be used for searching and organizing your notes. Each note can be e-mailed or … Read more