Mac

Amazon.com introduced a free software package Thursday that gives Mac computer users access to the online retailer's Kindle e-book store in more than 100 countries. Called Kindle for Mac, the beta e-reader completes Amazon's goal of offering consumers access to e-books and other digital content across a wide spectrum of electronic devices.

Kindle books can now be read on dedicated Kindle and Kindle DX devices, BlackBerry handsets, and PCs, as well as Apple's Mac, iPhone and iPod touch, Amazon said. Moreover, the company's e-reader software is expected to work on Apple's forthcoming iPad.

In a move to shake up the online gaming industry, OnLive has announced PC and Mac versions of its on-demand, instant-play games will roll out in June during the E3 2010 show. Here's the rub: Gamers don't have to buy a console, and they can get broadband speeds.

Apple ran its first iPad commercial during the Academy Awards on Sunday night. The 30-second advertisement shows the tablet computer sitting on an unidentified man's lap as he whisks through the features and functions in veteran style.

Mozilla released an update Thursday to its popular Firefox browser. According to the Mozilla Foundation, the new version 3.6 -- the latest of what it unabashedly calls "The World's Best Browser" -- offers better performance, better security, and HTML5 support.

This is the first update to the free browser since early summer. Other new features include "browser skins" called Personas, and support for full-screen video and the open-source Web Open Font Format (WOFF).

Windows, Mac, Linux

Privately held Memeo has introduced a service for Google Apps Premier Edition customers that enables them to access, migrate and synchronize all file types -- including Microsoft Office files -- to Google Docs. Called Memeo Connect, the offering lets subscribers integrate online and offline content.

With Memeo Connect, Office 2003 documents on the desktop can be converted into Google Docs and automatically uploaded to the cloud. Moreover, Google Docs can be converted into local Office files for offline editing.

Privately held Memeo has introduced a service for Google Apps Premier Edition customers that enables them to access, migrate and synchronize all file types -- including Microsoft Office files -- to Google Docs. Called Memeo Connect, the offering lets subscribers integrate online and offline content.

With Memeo Connect, Office 2003 documents on the desktop can be converted into Google Docs and automatically uploaded to the cloud. Moreover, Google Docs can be converted into local Office files for offline editing.

Tech executive Parikshit Arora had an unconventional response the morning he discovered that his office computer was no longer working. Rather than fixing it himself or calling in help from the information technology department, he discarded the device. "It wasn't booting up," says Arora, vice-president for technology at iQor, a company that handles call-center work for clients. "I didn't even care to find out why. I threw it away and got another one."

Apple tablet rumors may be stealing the electronics thunder in this post-Christmas season, but the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) promises to showcase plenty of innovative products that offer a sneak peak of what we can expect from manufacturers over the next few months. Despite a down economy, the number of new exhibitors shows a growing confidence in the market.

Speculation about Google's hardware plans is reaching a fever pitch, as the company has invited members of the media to an "Android press gathering" on Jan. 5 at the company's "Googleplex" headquarters.

Mozilla is pushing back deadlines for new versions of Firefox, calculating that taking a little more time to deliver new software will be worth the risk.

Unlike in years past, when Firefox was the only serious, free alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, the browser landscape is especially crowded these days, and browsers that fall too far behind the upgrade race risk losing substantial market share.