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Need to run Windows (or another operating system) on your Mac? Check out VirtualBox, a free virtualization software program that lets you run Windows or just about any operating system without needing to reboot. Handy wizards help you through the setup process so you can set up multiple environments to suit your needs. This latest version features compatibility improvements and bug fixes.

Also this week, there's an update for Mellel, the multilingual text editor that offers tons of useful features anyone can appreciate. Our game this week is Conquer Online, a free-to-play MMORPG where you get to play as … Read more

This past week was mostly about security, as CNET covered both the Black Hat Security Conference and DefCon 19 Hacking Conference. At Black Hat, we learned a bit about some of Chrome OS' vulnerabilities, and got an inside scoop on Windows Vista's security level. Meanwhile, at DefCon 19 we got a rare look at an archaic piece of technology housing the original PC virus, and a mobile game vulnerability discovered by a 10-year old hacker who calls herself CyFi.

In other news, Mozilla Thunderbird 5 hit shelves. Check out our First Look video here. Also, if you're an … Read more

If you're looking for a Mac uninstaller with a little extra under the hood, CleanApp offers all the features you need to get rid of unwanted apps once and for all.

With CleanApp, you drag and drop apps to the interface, and then you can view them and their associated files before you decide what to do. But unlike other uninstall utilities for Mac, CleanApp offers a few extras across the top of the interface, so you can zero in on what you want to uninstall. The Applications button displays all installed apps; a System Accessories button lets you … Read more

Last week, Mozilla, maker of the popular browser Firefox, revealed preliminary plans to develop an open-source OS to eventually work on phones and tablets. To many, this seemed like an outright challenge to Google's open-source Android OS. Called Boot to Gecko, the source code will be released to the public in real time, which is a notably more open release schedule than Google's. How do you think Mozilla's offering will fare? Check out the heated debate here.

Some big security news hit last week as AVG and Bitdefender updated their respective suites. AVG introduced its Premium Security … Read more

MarsEdit makes blogging easier, letting you ditch clunky browser-based editing in favor of a full-featured, fully Mac-powered desktop editor. With nice bonus features like autosaving, Technorati tag editing, blog-specific image settings, support for Tumblr, and a speedy Flickr browser, MarsEdit is a great example of indie software done right. It gives you lots of functionality, a professional level of quality, responsive support, and (of course, this being indie software) a modest price tag.

Also this week we have the latest version of 1Password, the secure Web site log-in and password utility that only requires you to remember one password. Our … Read more

While the world of Apple was rocked this past week with plenty of hardware and software releases, Windows Download news was comparatively light.

Makers of the Chinese search engine Baidu released a beta version of its first-ever browser this week, and at first glance, it looks quite similar to Google's Chrome. For those interested, the browser is available now as a free download to XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Meanwhile, stateside, Windows users were treated to a brand new product offering by our friends at RealNetworks. RealDownloader is perhaps the quickest and simplest online video downloader for Windows that … Read more

Big news hit U.S. shores this past week in the form of Spotify, the European on-demand music-streaming service. CNET Senior Editor Donal Bell calls it "the best free music option since stealing," but unfortunately, you may not get to try it for quite some time since as of now, Spotify is invite only.

In the world of browsers, Firefox has been sticking to its rapid release development cycle, and it's set to unleash some under-the-hood improvements that should make its fans happy. It's slated for 64-bit support, a reduction in memory usage, and an important … Read more

Mac OS X Lion is finally here, offering more than 250 new features. Everything from Multitouch gestures, to full-screen apps, the new LaunchPad, and tons of other useful tweaks make this version of Apple's operating system one of the best yet. We got down and dirty with Mac OS X Lion and think it's a pretty great upgrade for most users. Check out our CNET review at the link above.

Also this week we have the latest version of Transmission, the Bittorrent client built from the ground up for Mac. Our game this week is BZFlag, a multiplayer … Read more

If you're not already a pro at using the command line, OnyX is a solid choice for conducting routine maintenance and tweaking the interface on your Mac. This free utility can help you with everything from checking SMART status on your disks to configuring the Dock, Finder, Dashboard, and Expose to your liking. This latest version adds several fixes to speed up the cleaning process.

Also this week we have the elegant graphing app, OmniGraphSketcher, which lets you easily create presentation graphs by sketching what you want and then tweaking it until you get it just right. Our game … Read more