June, 2012 - Softonic English

Civilization V – Gods and Kings demo out now

If you have Steam – free to download and use for Windows and Mac – you can now play the demo for Civilization V – Gods and Kings. It’s the first expansion pack for Civilization V, and adds religion to the mix, along with nine new civilizations including the Celts and Maya.

Building your own religion and nurturing prophets can have a huge effect on the game, as the traits you give your religion will affect how its followers act in the future. Espionage has also been introduced but it doesn’t have such a great effect in the game.

Download the demo here for Windows and here for Mac.

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Why can’t I download Windows Movie Maker?

Here at Softonic we get a lot of comments about Windows Movie Maker. Some people are surprised that there’s no download button on the program page, and others can’t figure out why there are so many versions and why it’s so complicated to find the one they need. If you’ve ever been confused, read on!

What version of Windows Movie Maker you need depends entirely on your operating system:

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Google I/O 2012 Recap

Taking place after Apple and Microsoft’s keynotes in the last couple of weeks, Google’s keynote for Google I/O 2012 revealed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 7 tablet, Nexus Q media streaming device, and a focus on integrating Google’s services through social sharing.

While the biggest announcement was Jelly Bean, the other upcoming releases show how Google is looking towards integration across all hardware supporting by Google services. We rounded up some rumors about Jelly Bean and while we weren’t entirely right, they’re still a wishlist.

If you’re still running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, it’s time to upgrade. Forget Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), 4.1 Jelly Bean is the operating system you want.

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Moving to Mac Guide: Part 4 – Alternatives to Windows apps

If you’re moving to Mac, don’t be surprised to find that not all of your Windows programs have a direct equivalent. In many cases, such as with MSN Messenger, Microsoft Office, Firefox etc, there’s a Mac version. Sometimes, though, that’s not the case and you’ll need an alternative. This part of the Moving to Mac Guide deals with suggestions for the applications users miss most when switching to Mac and a lowdown of the most commonly used or default applications on Mac for different tasks.

This part of the Guide is split into two parts. This first part deals with internet browsers, email clients, music players, video players, file archivers and CD/DVD burners.

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Apple releases Podcasts app for iOS

iOS users can now get their first taste of an iOS 6 feature, with the new Podcasts app from Apple.
Until now, podcasts have been awkwardly stuck into the Music app, and while you could get new podcasts, it was only possible through the iTunes app.

That’s all changed with the new app that gives you a complete podcast experience, with some neat features to boot. You might think an additional app is unnecessary, but if you do listen to podcasts regularly, I think you’ll find it a much more streamlined experience. Read on for our hands on review.

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How to: Reclaim your preferred email address on Facebook

Facebook is at it again with profiles changes that opt users in by default. It’s no wonder people get frustrated enough to declare they’re jumping ship to Google+!

This time, Facebook’s changes are a little subtler. They recently altered all users’ email addresses to show up as their Facebook username @facebook.com. This is the email that directly links to Facebook’s built-in messaging service. Not a huge tweak, but it’s annoying nevertheless for those of us who spend time customizing our profiles to perfection.

Fortunately, switching back to your preferred email address is really simple to do. Continue reading “How to: Reclaim your preferred email address on Facebook”

Angry Birds takes on the Formula 1 racing scene

One thing’s for sure – everyone’s favorite feathered friends sure do get around. Angry Birds has been to Brazil and even outer space. They’ve also celebrated various holidays in Seasons. They’ve even shown up on Facebook and pitted you against your friends like the rabble-rousers they are.

This time around, the birds take toFormula 1 racing and the fun takes place in your browser with Angry Birds Heikki, aptly named in honor of Rovio’s fellow Finlander, race driver Heikki Kovalainen. Continue reading “Angry Birds takes on the Formula 1 racing scene”

How to update CyanogenMod 9

After installing CyanogenMod 9 on your device, that’s not the end to the custom operating system. Unlike official Android releases, developers release unofficial nightly builds of the mod.

These builds usually address smaller bugs. Recently the CyanogenMod team announced a code freeze on CyanogenMod 9, meaning they’ve stopped development and are bug fixing for an official 1.0 version release. The nightly builds are still offered and it’s not necessary to update every release, but it may be a solution if you’re encountering various problems.

Here’s how to update CyanogenMod 9.

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What Apple’s Gatekeeper means for your Mac

One of the important new features to be released in Mountain Lion (rumored for July 19th) is Gatekeeper. Gatekeeper basically adds an extra layer of security when downloading apps to your Mac.

More importantly, it may be the first step towards locking users into the Mac App Store in the same way that iPhone users can only download apps from the iPhone App Store.

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Exclusive: IObit Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus

The first thing I do when getting a new PC or putting a fresh install of Windows on my computer is to download some sort of antivirus and my favorite maintenance tools. There are plenty of great free maintenance applications out there, like CCleaner for tidying up files and Smart Defrag to automatically defrag my hard drive.

Since every PC user should have some sort of antivirus and maintenance regimen, why isn’t there one program that can do it all? IObit had the exact same idea. Their newly-released Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus does just this and combines robust antivirus features with one of the most comprehensive maintenance suites I’ve ever seen. Continue reading “Exclusive: IObit Advanced SystemCare with Antivirus”