Bitdefender Internet Security 2012

After long deliberation, CNET has awarded the top two 2012 security suites Editors' Choice awards.

In the paid suite category, we decided on Bitdefender Total Security 2012 (download) for its top-rated security, its low impact on your computer's performance, and its excellent range of features. Bitdefender started strong out of the gate, and although some came close, notably Norton and F-Secure, Bitdefender posted an impressive set of benchmarks that kept it ahead.

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• Version 2012's mid-season security suite round-up
• Version 2011's final security suite round-up

Choosing a top free suite for the 2012 release cycle was even more challenging. After a few years of lackluster updates, popular Avira returned to the fold, not to mention tougher antivirus competition from big names like ... [Read more]

My bracket is blank, I don't know who to pick!

Rushing to fill in your office bracket for the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament? Stressing about keeping up with the latest scores? Well, thanks to an app and the marvels of modern technology you can listen to live streaming audio of each of the 67 games from your Android or iOS device for free. Or, if you're willing to pay $3.99, you can stream the video of each game, as it happens, to your beloved device.

You will need to download and install the NCAA March Madness Live app from either the App Store, or Google Play.

The iOS version is a universal binary, meaning it will work on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad as long as it's running iOS 4.3 or above.

The Android version has a few more ... [Read more]

Linux is great: it's cheap, it's stable, and it's secure. It can also be somewhat frustrating for those of us who want to install Windows software (especially games), as the Wine interface is still tough for beginners and some intermediate users. PlayOnLinux streamlines Wine installation and makes it much easier. Here's how to use it:

1. Install PlayOnLinux by searching for it in the Software Center for your distribution, checking here or typing this into a terminal window: sudo apt-get install playonlinux 
2. Run PlayOnLinux. It is likely in the Games section of your software directory, but you can always search for it. 
3. The first time you run it, you'll need to make sure that your Internet connection is working. PlayOnLinux will check for updates, which you will need to confirm before installing. 
4. After that's taken care of, click Install. You should find a list of software categories full of programs, though paid software will require authentication. Select one and click Apply to install it. 

   Step 4: Select Windows software to install.

   (Credit: Rob Lightner/CNET)
5. A wizard pops up and guides you through the installation process. It's generally fairly painless, though you do occasionally have to make decisions or enter credentials. 

That's it! This is g... [Read more]

Apple has released version 5.1.4 of its Safari Web browser, which addresses a number of bugs in the browser in OS X Lion, Snow Leopard, and Windows. The update should be available via Apple's Software Update utility, but can also be downloaded from the Safari Web site.

The update will be between 36MB and 48MB in size depending on the platform you are using, and will require the latest versions of either OS X Snow Leopard or Lion to install; the Windows versions require Windows XP SP2 or later.

• Safari 5.1.4 for Mac
• Safari 5.1.4 for Windows

The update includes two fixes that are specific to OS X Lion, one which should increase JavaScript performance and one that addresses a problem in which Flash content could appear incomplete when using gestures to zoom. But beyond these features, according to Apple's support page the Lion and Snow Leopard updates share the following fixes:

• Improve responsiveness when typing into the search field after changing network configurations or with an intermittent network connection
• Address an issue that could cause webpages to flash white when switching between Safari windows
• Address issues that prevented printing U.S. Postal Se... [Read more]

When working on Ice Cream Sandwich, Google aimed to create a font made specifically for high-resolution screens. The end result was Roboto. Up until now, Roboto was limited to Android devices running ICS. Late last week, Google posted it for all to download and use on their personal computer.

You can download a ZIP file containing all 16 variations of the font by visiting the Android Design site.

To install this font on a Mac, you would only need to click on the Install button.

After downloading the font files, you can either open each design's file and install it to your system or by adding the files to your system's Font folder. The process varies depending on your OS, but generally double-clicking on the TTF file and then clicking on Install will do the trick.

Included with the download is a Specimen book laying out some general guidelines fo... [Read more]

Roku for Android puts a full-featured remote (better than the one that comes with the box, actually) in your phone or tablet.

I love me some Roku boxes. They're cheap, easy to use, and capable of streaming everything from HBO Go and Hulu Plus to Netflix and Pandora. Oh, and don't forget the awesome CNET TV channel, nudge-nudge, wink-wink.

Of course, another box means another remote, and Roku's clickers are so small they can easily vanish into the couch cushions, never to be seen again. (Well, unless you look.)

Here's a handy alternative: Roku for Android, which brings a full-featured remote to your Android phone or tablet. (It's also available for iOS.)

The app connects to your box via your home network. I quickly and easily linked my Republic Wireless LG Optimus S to both an older Roku XR and a new Roku LT.

I found Roku for Android superior to the stock remote in many ways. For one t... [Read more]

Shopping online has many benefits. You almost never have to worry about how many of an item a specific store has in stock, how bad traffic is at certain times, or having to deal with other shoppers who are angry for whatever reason. It also has its downsides. If you purchase a lot of items online, it can be easy to lose track of what you've purchased, when they're supposed to arrive, or how much they cost. Does this sound like a problem you've encountered before, or are currently encountering? Try out Slice for Android if it does. Read on to learn how to set it up.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 1: Download Slice - shopping organized from the Google Play Store.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 2: Run the app. This service requires an account, so you'll have to enter your Slice account information or create a new account if you've never used the service before.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 3: Once signed up/in, you'll be brought to the main screen of the app. At first, no information will be displayed. To get your purchase information, click on the blue bar at the bottom labeled Ready to Start.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNE... [Read more]

Firefox on Windows 8 will be designed to work in both the Metro and desktop environments. But getting there won't be easy.

While most software aimed for Windows 8 will be Metro apps or classic desktop apps, Firefox will fall into a third category, according to a blog post last Friday by Mozilla developer Brian Bondy.

Firefox will be considered a "Metro style enabled desktop browser." That means it will offer the power and flexibility of a classic Windows app when used on the desktop--but can also take advantage of Live Tiles and other Metro features when accessed from the new Start screen.

"Unlike Metro applications, Metro style enabled desktop browsers have the ability to run outside of the Metro sandbox," Bondy said. "Meaning not only can we build a browser, but we can build a powerful browser which gives an experience equal to that of a classic Desktop browser."

There are, of course, a couple of potential gotchas.

Supporting Firefox as a Metro app will entail a lot of new code. Bondy describes the effort as a "very large project." And since this is new territory for both Mozilla and Microsoft, there aren't a lot of guideposts for the development team.

"As a developer, your job gets pretty hard when you do a Google search for topics surrounding this barely supported third Metro application type and consistently get zero,... [Read more]

Apple's iBooks are the source of much debate.

The European Union is not too pleased with e-book publishers, but that doesn't mean it won't settle with them.

Speaking to reporters today, European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said that his organization would settle with e-book publishers as long as they "remove all of our objections." Reuters was first to report on the news.

Almunia reportedly didn't tell the journalists about the nature of the objections, but confirmed that deals could be struck with e-book publishers Pearson, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster (which is owned by CBS, CNET's parent company), among others.

The European Commission launched an investigation into the e-book publishers in December to determine if they "engaged in anti-competitive practices affecting the sales of e-books in the European Economic Area." More specifically, the Commission said that it would determine if Apple and the e-book publishers "engaged in illegal agreements or practices that would have the object or the effect of restricting competition in the EU."

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• ... [Read more]

The free Peel app's new interactive polling feature will debut with American Idol this week (click to enlarge).

Last year Peel set out to redefine the remote-control space with a $99 fruit-shaped device that allowed you use your iPhone as a remote for changing channels and discovering TV shows. The Silicon-Valley based company got a lot of attention but the device didn't exactly set the market on fire. So Peel's shifting gears, adding a new interactive polling feature to its free app that will debut with this week's "American Idol."

The idea is pretty simple. As contestants perform, users will be able "cheer" or "boo" during performances by clicking on corresponding virtual buttons on their iPhones. You can also react to judges' comments.

The app will tally "results" in real time and provide a leaderboard for the evening's performances. Whether the app will be able to predict who gets voted off the show is anybody's guess, but Peel hopes to have thousands--or even hundreds of thousands--of users "voting" bef... [Read more]

Adobe is keen on HTML5 and related Web standards, building support into tools such as Dreamweaver, Edge, and PhoneGap for designers and developers.

As Adobe Systems prepares to release Creative Suite 6, it's in the midst of two major shifts: the addition of its Creative Cloud subscription and the addition of design tools using Web standards.

And we want to know what you think of the change.

In conjunction with Jefferies, a financial research and investment banking firm, CNET is conducting a quick survey about Adobe's Creative Cloud and embrace of Web standards. It's only nine multiple-choice questions long, so it's very fast and easy to fill out.

We'll be publishing results of the survey later so you can see if other people see things your way. If you are open to us asking you follow-up questions, you can leave your e-mail address at the end of the survey, but it's completely optional. Of course, you also can leave comments on this post.

We still don't know some details about Adobe's changes, but here's some bac... [Read more]