• Review

    Top Protection: G Data AntiVirus 2010

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 7:09 pm

    Most security programs use a single antivirus engine, but the German-made G Data ($25 for a one-year, single-PC license, as of 11/20/09) uses two separate engines: BitDefender and Avast.

  • Review

    Product review: Panda Antivirus Pro 2010

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 7:07 pm

    Panda Antivirus Pro 2010 ($50 for a one-year, three-PC license) ranks fifth in our current roundup of 11 stand-alone antivirus apps. It was buoyed by positives such as strong traditional malware detection, but dragged down by negatives like poor behavioral scans.

  • Review

    Product review: Nikon Coolpix P90 Megazoom

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:23 pm

    The 24X-optical-zoom, 12-megapixel Nikon Coolpix P90 ($400 as of 11/22/09) is a powerful camera that offers full manual controls, a tiltable LCD screen, and the easiest operation we've seen in the megazoom class.

  • Review

    Product review: Alwil Avast Professional Edition

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:21 pm

    Though Alwil Avast Professional Edition ($40 for a one-year, single-PC license, as of 11/23/09) has a speedy scan rate, that wasn't enough to offset its unimpressive protection from malware infections and its truly annoying interface. With a last-place showing in our stand-alone antivirus rankings, it's clearly a less than ideal choice for your paid protection. (A new version is coming early next year--see the end of this review.)

  • Review

    Product review: Avira AntiVir Premium Edition

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:18 pm

    Avira's AntiVir Premium Edition lacks an advanced malware detection feature used by top programs, and it could use a smoother interface. The program earned a seventh-place ranking in our current stand-alone antivirus roundup.

  • Review

    Product review: F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:16 pm

    While F-Secure Anti-Virus 2010 ($40 for a one-year, 3-PC license, as of 11/19/09) is simple to use and does a reasonable job of blocking malware, it has a few bugs, and it couldn't beat some of its competitors. It came in at number six in our current roundup of stand-alone antivirus apps.

  • Review

    Product review: BitDefender Antivirus 2010

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:12 pm

    BitDefender Antivirus ($30 for a one-year, three-PC license) holds its own at dealing with malware, but its interface isn't especially user-friendly. Overall the program earned fourth place in our roundup of stand-alone antivirus programs.

  • Review

    Product review: Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2010

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:11 pm

    Symantec's Norton AntiVirus ($40 for a one-year, single-PC license) offers some terrific extra features and a polished user interface. But subpar performance in one detection category prevented it from capturing the top spot in our chart of stand-alone antivirus programs.

  • Review

    Product review: Advanced antivirus

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 6:06 pm

    Today's vast threatscape of duplicitous Trojan horses, invisible exploits, and slithering worms make antivirus protection a must. But that doesn't mean you have to pay top dollar for a security suite that may have features you don't want or need.

  • Review

    Google's Chrome OS is a work in progress

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 5:10 pm

    Google released its Chrome operating system last week to a great deal of hoopla and debate -- depending on your point of view, it was either the Next Big Thing or Much Ado About Nothing.

  • Review

    New 21.5-in. iMac packs a punch for the price

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 5:10 pm

    Last month, Apple updated its iMac all-in-one desktop computers, revamping the internal architecture and refining the look of what was an already stylish design. Externally, the biggest change for the iMacs lay in the move to larger 21.5-in. and 27-in. LED-backlit screens and a 16-by-9 aspect ratio. (The earlier 20-in. and 24-in. models had a slightly squarer 16-by-10 ratio.)

  • Review

    Asus UL80Vt-A1 Delivers Impressive Flexibility

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 3:39 pm

    Asus has its work cut out for it in finding a market for the UL80Vt-A1. This ultraportable laptop has a higher price ($849) than many similarly specced competitors, though it's in the same ballpark as its $800 stablemate, the Asus UL30A. So how does Asus justify the price tag?

  • Review

    First look: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 beta

    Posted November 24, 2009 - 9:09 am

    Major upgrade to Microsoft's Web site, intranet, and collaboration platform offers wealth of improvements for end-users, IT professionals, and developers

  • Review

    Spyware Doctor With Antivirus: First Look

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 10:09 pm

    Shortly after we completed our current antivirus roundup, PC Tools released Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2010 ($40 for a one-year, three-PC license), the latest version of its paid antivirus tool. Though it came out too late for us to include in our malware detection testing, we were able to take the program for a quick spin.

  • Review

    Find Chat Rooms to Discuss Almost Anything

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 9:36 pm

    If you're looking to chat about just about any topic under the sun, you'd do well to give PaltalkScene (free) a try.

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: Digital photography, video and more

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 7:01 pm

    Cameras, camcorders and everything in between

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: cell phones, smartphones and accessories

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 6:02 pm

    Going mobile? Check out a bunch of phones, smart or otherwise, plus other tools.

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: PCs and notebooks galore

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 5:42 pm

    Computers, notebooks and tablets are cool again – and netbooks, too

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: Keyboards and mice

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 4:07 pm

    Keyboards and mice do make for excellent holiday gifts.

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: home and office gear

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 3:35 pm

    Technology gifts to use at home or at work.

  • Review

    iPhone Thanksgiving apps

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 1:39 pm

    This Thursday will mark the ninth year I've handled the cooking duties on Thanksgiving. I'm not complaining--I enjoy cooking, I like the challenge of putting together a meal for half-a-dozen (or more) diners, and it gives me the opportunity to rule over my kitchen like an iron-fisted dictator.

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: home entertainment gadgets

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 1:35 pm

    Speakers and multimedia systems for your living room.

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: Getting Digi With It

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 1:08 pm

    Digital conversion devices that help you take old content and make it new again.

  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: Travel Gear

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 12:56 pm

    Road Warriors love getting gadgets too – here's what we want for Christmas.

  • Review

    LG NAS Adds Blu-ray Drive

    Posted November 20, 2009 - 9:40 pm

    LG's N4B1 NAS box is neither a comprehensive media server nor a particularly fast performer, but as a network-attached storage device, it's quick enough for home/small-business file serving. The unit--available at this writing for around $700--is also the sturdiest and quite possibly the best-looking such box I've had my hands on. You also can't beat it's HTML configuration interface for looks or ease of learning and use. But none of that compares to the N4B1's most outstanding feature: an integrated Blu-ray burner, unique among NAS products in the SMB/SOHO market.
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