safari

How to restore Safari tabs on the iPad

Tabbed browsing in Safari is one of the best features iOS 5 brought to the iPad, but did you know that you can easily restore recently closed tabs? It's so simple and useful, you'll wonder why you never knew it was there.

If you accidentally closed a tab, to reopen it, simply tap and hold the new tab button. That would be the button with the + sign on the right. A small window will pop up, with up to five of your most recently closed tabs. Tap on one of them, and it opens in a new tab. … Read more

iPhone security hole lets apps run unsigned code

A newly-discovered security hole in Apple's iOS opens up the door for third-party applications to add unapproved features, even after they've gone through Apple's App Store approval process.

Forbes today reports on new findings by Accuvant security researcher Charlie Miller, who next week is taking the wraps off a new iOS exploit he found that lets applications download unsigned code that's able to change their functionality after it's installed.

The exploit makes use of an exception that was added to Apple's Safari mobile browser in iOS 4.3 last year, which gives JavaScript special … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week people wrote in with questions on trashing documents requiring an administrator password, Safari not being able to find or use Mail or another e-mail client, and why "sudo" terminal commands can't be run from a standard user account. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

NOTE: The "contact us" box for e-mailing us will hopefully be … Read more

About data security with Safari-only mode in OS X Lion

If you have enabled iCloud's Find My Mac feature in OS X Lion, then you will notice that the OS X log-in screen now shows a Guest user account, which when clicked will offer the option for rebooting the system into Safari-only mode.

This mode will run the system in a limited environment where it can be used for Web surfing, but not much else. The system will only allow Safari to run in plain vanilla form without any plugins (including Flash) or extras running, and if you quit the browser then the system will restart back to the … Read more

Default mobile browsers compared: Safari vs. Android

The new iOS 5 brings a refreshed mobile Safari, while Android's nameless Browser has been holding steady as the stalwart of Google's mobile operating system. I looked at two iterations of the latest browsers for iOS and Android: Safari for iOS 5 on the iPhone 4S, and the Android Browser for Gingerbread 2.3.4 on the Droid Bionic.

Although they come from two companies locked in fierce competition for users, the browsers are both built on the WebKit rendering engine and are remarkably similar.

Safari has some useful features that Apple has ported from the desktop version … Read more

Apple iOS 5 review: Modest, but definitely worthwhile

At long last, iOS 5 is finally here, two days before the launch of the iPhone 4S.

(Related: We've heard that a number of users have had problems installing the update. Get the latest news on install issues in this post from CNET's Josh Lowensohn.)

Though iOS 5 is not as drastic of an upgrade as we saw with iOS 4 in June 2010, it does offer some much-needed and exciting enhancements for iOS users. A few are quiet and long overdue and others will seriously change how you use your Apple handset.

On that note, perhaps the … Read more

Microsoft page says IE more secure than rival browsers

A new Web page that tests browser security has crowned Internet Explorer 9 the most secure among the five major players. The only catch is that the page itself comes from Microsoft.

Dubbed "Your Browser Matters," the new page checks a browser to determine how well it fares against phishing attacks and other types of socially engineered malware. The page then assigns the browser a score based on a scale of 0 to 4.

Looking at the major browsers, Internet Explorer 9 received a perfect 4 out 4, while IE8 earned a 3. The latest versions of Firefox (… Read more

Apple logos in backdrop for Samsung in-store display

Samsung may dispute Apple's claims that it has a habit of ripping off products from Cupertino, but apparently their interior display designers have less of an issue with swiping little bits of Apple's intellectual property. Curiously, the icons for Apple's iTunes App Store and Safari make up part of the background for this Samsung "store in a store" display in Italy--despite the fact that neither run on Samsung's Android, Windows, or Bada-based devices.

Without a fantastic investigative journalism budget that would allow me to fly to the Italian store in question on the company … Read more

Five super useful iPad Safari tricks

Web browsing on your iPad is nowhere near as robust as desktop surfing, but anyone who picks up an iPad to surf the Net can admit that it's a pretty awesome experience.

To make your browsing experience even better, we uncovered five very useful tools built-into Safari that you can start using right now. These tips and tricks will help you browse faster, be more efficient, and make the most of iPad's Safari.

Follow the steps and the photos to master these tricks now.

1. Enable the bookmarks bar

Access your favorite sites faster with a desktoplike bookmarks … Read more