The latest version of Google Chrome is available for download, or for automatic without so much as a by-your-leave update if you're already using a previous version of the browser. Chrome 11 fixes multiple security issues in WebKit, as well as adding some new features and a cool new icon (well, I like it anyway). Get it now for Windows or Mac.

The most interesting addition to Chrome 11 is probably the HTML-powered speech input function that allows you to input text with the power of your vocal chords. The new function doesn't work in many places yet  but you can give it a go at Google Translate. Using the latest version of Chrome, simply enter the Translate page. If you're translating from English to another language, you should see a small microphone icon in the bottom right of the text box - click this and speak to start voice input translation. Translation via voice doesn't yet appear to work for other languages.

If, like me, you're a big fan of voice search in Android, you can get the same capabilities in Chrome 11 using the free Speechify add-on. Speechify works with Google, Amazon, YouTube and other sites. In general, though, I expect that we'll see increasingly widespread use of the voice API gradually negating the need for 3rd party add-ons in this area.

Picture the situation: you've just watched a really long YouTube video with a really funny bit right at the end. You'd like to send it to your friends, but don't want to make them watch the whole thing just for the sake of the final gag. Is there anyway you can share only the last few seconds of that video.

Luckily the answer is yes - and it's probably easier than you expect. All you need to do is search for the video you want to share on YouTube, and start watching it. As soon as you arrive to the scene you'd like to share, pause the playback.

Right click anywhere on the video and select the Copy video URL at current time option in the context menu. This will copy a special URL to your clipboard that makes the video start playing exactly at that time. You can then copy that URL anywhere: email message IM client, Twitter, Facebook and so on.

Some time ago we explained another quick trick to set a specific starting point for YouTube videos, but this one's definitely much easier. Enjoy!

Have you ever thought about writing a script for a play or movie? Here are five script writing programs that really are a cut above the rest. There are options available for both PCs and Macs, and also a web based option.

Final Draft: Known as the professional solution for script writers, Final Draft is the definitive script writing option. It's also the most expensive. What it offers is pretty comprehensive, however. Final Draft automatically formats your script to current industry standard. In addition, it also offers Bookmarks and ScriptNotes that allow you to save specific pages of your script and organize your writing respectively. There are also quite a few ways to view your script. Final Draft is available for both Windows and Mac.

Scrivener: Not exclusively a script writing program, Scrivener is a thoroughly comprehensive tool for writing in all genres. I used Scrivener during last November's National Novel Writing Month and was quite impressed by the features it offered. As well as short story and full-length novel templates, Scrivener has a script-writing interface, with templates available for screenplays, stage plays and comics. It is available for Mac users, while the first Windows beta was released earlier this year.

Whether you want videos or music, downloading from YouTube has become a seriously popular pastime. As the number of people interested in getting media from the video site has risen, so have the number of apps designed to do the job. It's quite hard to sort the duds from the winners, however.

That's where OnSoftware steps in. Keep reading, and we'll show you the best way to download from YouTube!

Read more »

Has anyone in your group of family or friends done anything that made the news lately? How about your favorite celebrity? Now you can find out right away with Newsle.

Currently in public beta, Newsle connects with your Facebook page or your LinkedIn profile and searches for published articles about your friends or colleagues. Once found, these articles are compiled for you in a newsfeed on Newsle's site, complete with pictures where available. You can also track news stories where your own name is referenced. The more you're mentioned, the higher your Fame Factor rises on the site. If you're more interested in specific celebrity news on the other hand, Newsle also lets you follow popular public figures, including actors, actresses, politicians, and authors.

Newsle is surprisingly accurate with the data it pulls on each of your search queries, particularly when it comes to people with common names. The site uses a combination of information pulled from publicly available sources about your friends, as well as a natural language selection formula to narrow down its choices. It's not fool-proof by any means (last time I checked my brother has never played competitive college tennis, for example), but overall, Newsle's pretty accurate.

There are also talks about developing Newsle for mobile phones in the future, should the public launch of the main site prove to be popular among internet users. To use Newsle you'll need to either grant the site access to your Facebook profile or your LinkedIn account, which you can do directly on Newsle's frong page.

Convergence is a free game about life. You play through three stages of someone's life, making choices for them, and will see how that effects their success and happiness.

Will you compete with your brother and do as your mother says as a baby? How will you balance your job and your girlfriend? With charming 8-but graphics, Convergence is a gentle game with multiple endings that depend on the choices you make in the first stages.

This is an very unusual game, but it's an interesting experience. Check it out at Kongregate, and make sure you have the latest version of Flash installed.

[via indiegames.com]

2008 was the year of the Great Software Easter Egg hunt on OnSoftware, where we rooted out some of the coolest hidden computer program tricks or secrets (known as Easter eggs) ever made.

But three years is a long time in the tech world, and since then applications have begun moving away from the desktop and into the cloud. It seems that cheeky web app developers are just as keen to hide tasty Easter eggs in modern day online applications, though, just like the wise-cracking software programmers of old.

Don’t worry though folks, I haven’t lost my knack for sniffing out hidden software secrets, and I’m about to blow the lid on the greatest Easter eggs on the web. Happy Easter!

Google Tilt

A hangover from a Google April Fool’s joke this year, this little trick works with Android and iPhone devices. Simply type "Tilt" into Google in your mobile browser and you’ll be presented with a strangely skewed search results page.

As of April 26, social browser Flock's developers will no longer be offering support to users. Based on Chrome, Flock's browser interface integrated several different social networks including Facebook and Twitter to give its users the ultimate social browsing experience.

Flock's creators advise current users to switch to other browsers and specifically recommend Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Without regular security patch updates, a browser may be susceptible to newer viruses, malware and other internet threats that could potentially do harm to your PC.

For those seeking a similarly social browsing experience to Flock, RockMelt is another fantastic option that integrates Facebook, Twitter and your favorite blog feeds quite seamlessly. In fact, we've even pitted Flock and RockMelt head-to-head here at OnSoftware before, with RockMelt coming out on top in its current development stage. There's no shortage of good browser alternatives!

Do you use Flock? If so, what browser are you planning on switching to and why? Let us know in the comments below.

Cat Astro Phi is a retro Gameboy adventure that you can play in your browser. Traveling through space, your ship is damaged in an meteor storm, and Jonesy the Cat is ejected onto a nearby planet. Can you escape this hostile world and rescue him?

Cat Astro Phi has an excellent 8-bit soundtrack, and it's impressive how much effort has been put into making a totally new Gameboy style adventure. The tiny graphics are full of character and, though the gameplay is simple, it is fun. Play it over at Newgrounds now!

Last year, I finally switched my main browser from Firefox to Chrome. As I was already familiar with Chrome,  and because Chrome makes it easy to import bookmarks, settings and account info from other browsers, this switch was fairly easy. But I had one major problem: Location.

Living in Spain, but working and blogging in English, I'd rather not get Spanish Google results for every query. Once in a while, I find them useful. But on the whole, I need US market results which take me straight to English-language websites. Every single time I tried to switch to Google USA or Google NCR ('no country redirect'), Chrome would chuckle and send me to Google Spain. Without fail.

Fixing it is easy, but it took me a while to find the method that worked. If you're having a problem with non-English search results pages in Google Chrome, here's how to force Google to serve US English results instead. The instructions come courtesy of user 'eyeverve' on the Chrome support forums:

1. In Chrome, click the wrench icon. (upper-right)

2. Click 'Options' [This item is called 'Preferences' on Macs]

3. Under the 'Basic' tab, select 'Manage Search Engines' in the Search section

4. At the bottom of the list of search engines, you'll see three fields that allow you to add a new one. Add this info into the three fields in the correct order:

Name: Google US Search Keyword: google.com/ URL: http://www.google.com/search?{google:RLZ}{google:acceptedSuggestion}{google:originalQueryForSuggestion}sourceid=chrome&ie={inputEncoding}&q=%s

(You should paste this link without any breaks or spaces)

5. Hit 'Enter' and your search engine should be saved. Finally, hover your mouse pointer over the newly added Google entry to see a button that reads 'Make default' - select this in order to change your default Google search.

Close the preferences tab and test your new Google search by typing a search term into the Omnibox (Chrome's address and search bar).

Popular video sharing and broadcasting site YouTube announced the launch of a live streaming platform today on their blog. The new platform would allow users to watch a variety of different media in real-time. Concerts, different types of sporting events and even news and interviews could soon all be watched the moment they take place. Some media is even streaming live right now from YouTube's new Live browse page on-site.

There are already quite a few well-established live broadcasting and video sites up and running, like Justin.tv and Ustream. While this isn't a new innovation in sharing and broadcasting video online, YouTube boasts over 2 billion views a day, making it the most popular site of its kind. It will be interesting to see how YouTube's new offerings affect broadcasting currently streamed elsewhere on the web, as well as the long-term sustainability of these sites in terms of future viewership now that YouTube's in the game.

The new feature is currently in beta form and only available to select YouTube partners that currently have accounts in good standing. In the coming months, YouTube hopes to roll out live broadcasting access to thousands of more partners as well.

I love games that have a 'wow' moment, and Sky Island is one of those games. When you start, it seems like a cute but basic Mario-like platform game, but then something new happens and it gets really cool! I'd tell you what, but I don't want to spoil the surprise...

Head over to Kongregate and check it out now - you won't regret it!

If you own a Kindle, you're probably already aware that Amazon allows you to lend out select ebooks you've purchased to other Kindle users. This is a one-time service where you can let another Kindle user borrow an ebook you've purchased for up to 14 days before the book is returned to your own device. Author and publisher prohibitions against lending on certain books notwithstanding, it's a pretty useful feature.

But what if you don't know anyone else who owns a Kindle? Now you don't have to, thanks to Lendle. A web-based service that allows users in the US to lend and borrow books entirely online, Lendle is easy to use and a great way to take advantage of Amazon's ebook lending service, even with people you don't know. While you don't technically have to own a Kindle to participate, you do need to own lendable ebooks in Kindle's format and have a Kindle-compatible device in order to read them.

The obvious downside is that quite a few ebooks aren't able to be lent out. Publishers or authors have the right to restrict lending abilities on their works, and many choose this option. Also, since Amazon limits a user's ability to lend more than one time per book, once you've accepted a lend request, that's the last time you can lend it out to someone else. For all its outward popularity, ebook technology is still in its infancy and developers of ebook devices like the Kindle are still trying to work out the kinks in their policy on lending ebooks. It may not be the best or most user-preferred solution, but by connecting book lovers across the web Lendle still offers an incredibly useful sharing service that's definitely worth a look.

For ebook device owners who want a simple and comprehensive way to manage ebook purchases via desktop, check out our blog post about Calibre.

Google Maps for Android has been updated to 5.3.0, bringing with it juicy new features that Android users are sure to love.

First up, Google Maps now allows Hotspot users to add their own rating categories to reviews - eating in a Mexican place where the food and service are great, but the Margaritas suck? Well now's your chance to let people know about what really matters.

The other changes relate to Google Latitude, Google Map's geolocation service. If you have enabled Latitude in Maps, and then enabled Location History for Latitude, you'll be able to view your Latitude history on your Dashboard, directly from your mobile device. This is pretty cool, as you'll be able to view (but not necessarily share):

"...your past locations and visualize them on Google Maps and Earth. See a dashboard showing interesting information, such as trips, frequently visited locations, distance traveled and more."

In addition to this, you'll now be able to check in "at home", and not just when you are out and about. Perfect for letting mom know that you've gotten home safely, or letting friends know that you're in if they decide to pop over for a visit.

Check out Google Maps for Android here.

As part of its attempt to haul Firefox out of its speed slump, Mozilla has named and shamed the add-ons that slow Firefox down the most.

The folks over at Firefox HQ recommend checking the list if you're suffering from slow start-up times, and to remove them if you are. It also recommends uninstalling any add-ons that you no longer use, as they could also be responsible for blocking things up.

So who are the biggest culprits?

• FoxLingo, a translation add-on that James rates pretty highly. As add-ons go, it's a good one, but with all the power of Google Translate just a click away, we're not sure that anyone really needs a translation add-on anymore.
• Firebug, a developer's tool that the average user is unlikely to miss. If you're a professional looking for a replacement,your best options are to ask around on development forums. In the meantime, try Fiddler.
• AniWeather, a cute animated weather forecast add-on. In fact, it's probably the animation that slows it down so much. Instead of clogging Firefox up, then, why not take a look at a nice desktop version? If appearance is high on your list, definitely check out Meteo Fusion or YoWindow - you won't be disappointed.
• FlashGot, a mythical download helper. It's pretty popular, so its inclusion on the list is likely to upset quite a few people! If it just has to go however, you're in luck. Just the other day we wrote an article about the best download helpers, and luckily for you, lots of them integrate completely with Firefox. Check them out here!
• FoxClocks, a little extension that adds a selection of world clocks to Firefox. This is one of the easiest replacements to make - even Windows will let you add multiple world times to the task bar in Windows Vista and 7 (right-click on the clock > Adjust Date/Time > Additional Clocks and add the ones you want). Even if you want a separate app, you're spoiled for choice - what about Clock! or ClocX?

There are 50 add-ons on Mozilla's list, but you're sure to be able to find a replacement if you decide to uninstall. If you're having any problems, let us know and we'll try our best to come up with a solution. Alternatively, you could always make the ultimate replacement - how about swapping Firefox for Chrome , IE 9 or Opera?!