Pandemic, the first game in this duo, was released for Web browsers back in 2007. The object of the game was to infect a person with a disease you created, then manage the outbreak and evolve the disease to create the most worldwide damage. I agree that the game's subject is morbid, but the huge popularity of Pandemic showed that the actual content doesn't make it any less addictive.

At the beginning of last month, Pandemic 2.5 was released for iOS and quickly shot up the App Store's most-popular lists probably based on the Flash version's popularity. But at the end of May, a very similar game was released that might even be better than the original.

In testing these games, I infected most of the world with my various diseases, but never had one that destroyed all of humankind. Those who have played Pandemic in the past might guess that Madagascar was my downfall (it's a joke among Web gamers that Madagascar is always the one to close its shipyards at the first whiff of danger), but it was Iceland that put a stop to the deadly Parkerism.

Just like the Web version, touching a country brings up its stats, but zooming the map beyond what you see here is impossible.

Pandemic (99 cents) for iOS i... [Read more]

Related stories

• How to change the docked icons on Samsung TouchWiz
• How to customize your Gmail signature on Android
• Add a better battery indicator to your Android
• Get the Ice Cream Sandwich launcher on your Gingerbread device
• Set up automatically changing wallpaper on Android

Customization is a major perk offered by Android devices. From widgets to menus to live wallpaper, you can make the device feel like your own. For some, going the extra mile of rooting their device for ultimate customization is no big deal. However, if you're not ready to root your Android but want to learn about another feature you can customize, you're in luck. Samsung's Galaxy Android devices will let you change the system font with just a few simple steps.

Note: Depending on your device, yo... [Read more]

To the delight of many an avid reader, fan-favorite iOS bookmarking app Instapaper has finally made its way to the Android platform. Built by mobile-app developer Mobelux, the official Instapaper app brings its dead-simple interface and monochromatic design to a swath of new users.

If you're not familiar with Instapaper, it's a tool that lets you quickly and easily save articles for reading later. So, if you don't have time to dive into that lengthy blog post or interview, you can simply use Instapaper to create a short-term (or long-term) bookmark, and easily pull it up at a more convenient time. You can even read your saved items while you're offline.

Some of you may notice that Instapaper sounds a lot like Pocket (formerly Read It Later), my longtime favorite bookmarking tool for Android. Well, that's because they perform basically the same core function. The biggest difference right off the bat, though, is that Instapaper costs $2.99, while Pocket won't cost you a single cent. Keeping this in mind, I'm interested to see if this iOS darling can gain traction with Android users who might already be familiar with the recently redesigned Pocket.

... [Read more]

There's an embarrassment of free-app riches inside Appsfire Deals.

Psst! Don't look now, but the mega-popular AirMusic app -- which streams your iDevice's music library to other devices -- is free for today. It regularly sells for $2.99.

Update: My apologies! AirMusic was free yesterday (Sunday), which is when I wrote this post. Unfortunately, it didn't go live until today, and the app is now back up to $2.99. But you can use Appsfire Deals to notify you if/when it becomes free again!

How do I know? No thanks to iTunes; although it lists the "top free apps" for various categories, those lists rarely show new or temporarily free items like this one.

No, my information comes from Appsfire Deals, which is quite possibly the single best app for finding free apps. And it's free itself.

Appsfire serves up four main categories, all pretty self-explanatory: Now Free, Top Free, Price Drops, and Me. Actually, this last isn't immediately obvious; it's used to build an app wish list. When you tap the star next to any app listing, Appsfire adds it to your wi... [Read more]

Related stories

• FriendCaster, a better Facebook app for Android
• How to create a Facebook cover photo on your Android device
• Three better ways to use Facebook on Android tablets

Facebook keeps promising to offer a better experience on its Android app, but a lot of users still find it to be buggy and slow. Because of these complaints, companies like One Louder Apps, makers of TweetCaster and 1Weather, have created a Facebook alternative. A newer choice in this category is Fast for Facebook. This app hosts many of the classic Facebook app features, except faster and more beautifully (Android 4.0) designed.

Step 1: Download a copy of Fast for Facebook on your Android device.

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Step 2: Log in to your Facebook account and then choose experience style you want on the app.There's an option called Fast for Performance, which loads lower-quality pictures, and Fast for... [Read more]

(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)

Related stories

• Add a better battery indicator to your Android
• Add appointments to your Android's lock screen
• 5 tips for maximizing your Android screen space

There's a lot of widget apps out there. In order for one of them to set itself apart, it has to be something special. Slider Widget - Volumes & more is definitely one of the best-looking volume widgets, and if you need your volume controls at your fingertips, this app is for you.

Instead of offering a simple toggle for each volume setting on your Android device, Slider Widget gives you a pop-up sliding bar that lets you adjust notification, alarm, phone, and system volumes. There's also an option for brightness, which is always better adjusted with a sliding bar.

Just grab a copy of ... [Read more]

Some users are having trouble installing the Windows 8 Release Preview.

Have any of you tried to install the new Windows 8 Release Preview only to face the message: "Your PC's CPU isn't compatible with Windows 8."

If so, the solution to the problem may lie in your computer's BIOS.

Several perplexed users chiming in on Microsoft's Answers forum have all reported similar errors when trying to install the new Release Preview. I myself ran into issues when I tried to install the RP as a virtual machine on one of my laptops.

The first step suggested by Microsoft is to see if the following features are enabled on your CPU: Physical Address Extension (PAE), NX, and SSE2.

"Most CPUs have support for these features, so if you receive this error, it is likely because the NX feature is not enabled on your system," Microsoft explained in the forum. "To resolve this error, follow manufacturer guidelines to enable NX ("No eXecute bit"), or the equivalent XD ("eXecute Disabled") feature, within the BIOS security settings."

Hmm, OK, Microsoft, we'll bite.

To get to the BIOS setup page, you typically need to press a certain key, such as Esc or F2, depending on y... [Read more]

Microsoft offers two options for downloading and installing the Windows 8 Release Preview.

Those of you who want to try out the new Windows 8 Release Preview can install it from an ISO file or run a full setup that guides you through the upgrade process.

If you want to skip to the chase and just download the ISO file, you can find it at Microsoft's own site or through CNET's Download.com.

Microsoft provides both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 8 RP across a variety of languages. After you download the ISO file, you can burn it onto a DVD using the Windows Disc Image Burner in Windows 7 or the Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool if you're using Windows Vista or XP. The Windows 7 USB/DVD tool also lets you install the ISO file to a USB stick.

What's new in the Windows 8 Release Preview (pictures)

[Read more]