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Privacy is a good thing in the digital world - you'll get no argument from me. I don't like my data floating around in cyberspace without my consent, but I also realize that much of what makes the internet (and computing generally) so great is that I can use my own judgment to decide who I will and will not trust with my information.

Things like app permissions, which have been a part of the Android package installation process for quite some time, are nice, but let's face it: 95% of us don't read them. And if we do, we may not even be sure what those permissions really entail, or how the app will use those permissions to gather information, or even what kind of information will actually be collected.

California's Attorney General decided he didn't like this, particularly after the whole Path debacle on iOS. So, he got Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and other mobile app providers together for a round-table discussion on the privacy of personal information gathered by apps. The end result of that meeting-of-the-minds was this agreement. The parts of importance to pull out are the following:

The Kindle Fire may not see the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for some time but developers have already got it running on the device. To get Ice Cream Sandwich on a $200 tablet is a dream come true although not ready for the public it is coming along nicely. There are problems with the audio and video feedback although everything else looks to be running quite well.

So we've got some good news and some bad news for Kindle Fire users: Amazon released their 6.2.1 software update for the Kindle Fire. Let's start with the good news.

With the update, you'll be able to remove recently used media (books, movies, and apps) from the carousel on the home screen. They've added the ability to require a password to toggle WiFi, and improved the scrolling. You can also remove the fake Facebook "app" which was really just an icon linking you to the mobile site, anyway. There are some other system level tweaks that improve performance.

Those of you with a Kindle Fire know that it is far from a clean, stable easy to use device. The Kindle Fire has been nothing but buggy since its release and will finally be getting the long awaited update to fix many of its issues. In fact to date many people have been returning their Fire tablets and you can now find them in places like Craigslist for nearly 25% off still in the box.

After some examination, it's been discovered that the Kindle Fire doesn't show its competitors' ebook apps in the App Store. This is an interesting move by Amazon.