Pros:

-Free

-Effective virus protection

-Small file size

-Easy to understand interface

Cons:

-Lacks high end features such as email scanning and anti spam

-Full scan takes a long time to complete

Recently Microsoft launched their new security suite to combat the many viruses which plague PCs and give Mac people a point to argue about. But this isn’t just another competitor in a huge market; this product is free and is built to put virus protection in almost every Windows computer due to its simple interface and low file size.

this new security suite is quite basic, consisting of an anti virus only. It has no anti spam, firewall or any other bells and whistles which other security suites have. Instead it relies on Windows’ built in firewall as protection. Despite lacking some of the features of other security suites, it is incredibly light weight and only a 4MB download. The interface is simple and easy to use and understand. It shows all security threats visually but is very unobtrusive. It only interrupts when necessary, otherwise it quietly runs in the background.

Not only is it a quiet antivirus, it is also very effective in detecting and getting rid of viruses. It easily detected several trojans on my computer after visiting a dodgy site. This was after performing a quick scan which, for normal users is all that is needed. A quick scan only takes a few minutes and is quite good. The full scan which, as the name suggests, scans everything is quite slow, often taking a few hours to complete a scan. The program also constantly scans in the background while you are browsing the internet and warns you of potential threats. It quickly immobilises any viruses which get onto your computer through the internet. I doesn’t,  however, scan email as it comes through. This means that any viruses which get to you by email will only be detected after your computer has been infected. Visual cues make it easy for anyone to know whether something is wrong with your computer and large, clear buttons make this program easy to use and understand for anyone. In general, the software is reliable but the fact that it lacks may  high end features such as email scanning and software firewall, it is not a good solution for people and businesses with sensitive data. For any home user it is a perfect and cheap solution.

Overall, this anti virus package from Microsoft is an excellent free solution to a problem which has plagued PC users for years. It really leaves no excuse for having no virus protection as it is a good piece of freeware. Although it lacks some of the more advanced features of other security packages, it is free and you can’t complain about that.

Related posts:

1. Review: Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 Introduction Kaspersky has recently released its 2010 internet security suite....
2. 7 Reasons Why Macs are Better than PCs Judging by the overwhwelming response I got from all these...
3. Review: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit After a week of testing Microsoft’s latest operating system out,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

After a week of testing Microsoft’s latest operating system out, here is a full review on how it is.

Pros

• Redesigned Taskbar
• Gesture Controls
• Faster than Vista
• Smaller Footprint

Cons

• Similar Appearance to Vista (Not really a bad thing but I like change)
• Some features are a bit gimmicky
• Pricey for Australians (unless you buy the OEM version)

Overview

I don’t have to remind everyone of the epic failure Vista was but Microsoft has now released their latest operating system, Windows 7. It has promised to be everything Vista was not. Judging by first impressions, I was very impressed. Installation was incredibly fast and easy (I performed a clean install) and surprisingly Windows found the drivers for ALL my devices automatically. My wireless card drivers were even there. I didn’t need to touch any of the CDs I got with the devices or manually go to websites to download 64-bit drivers. So far Windows 7 was living up to its claims.

Features

The most obvious new feature is seen as soon as the desktop has loaded. It is the new taskbar. I must say that it is nice to have large icons for a change. The taskbar is much tidier than the older windows ones as when a program is running, all you see is the icon of the program lit up on the taskbar. You can preview all the windows just by hovering over the icon and Windows will even maximise that windows will the mouse pointer is over the thumbnail. The new taskbar is very similar to Mac’s dock however minus the visual effects of bouncing icons and Mexican waves. Another new feature is the fact that the system tray is not clogged up with icons anymore. Instead all of the icons can go to an overflow area unless you specify that you want the icons on the system tray. Also, instead of having annoying pop ups saying your anti-virus is turned off etc. there is a new action center which is indicated by a flag. You just need to click on it to see what problems there could be on your computer and you can easily disable the message. Another new feature is Aero Peek which is a little button on the far right of the taskbar. If you hover over it, it turns all the windows transparent and allows you to see the desktop. Clicking on the button will minimise all windows. I honestly don’t see any point for this feature except for eye candy. The only thing you could use it for is if you needed to see the weather or check the currency exchange rates but it still is a fun thing to play with. Windows 7 also features a new search bar which I found extremely useful. The search is much more detailed and covers Control panel items as well. Once you use it you will never want to go back. This covers most of the new taskbar improvements.

Another feature which I really like is the gesture controls. For example, if you want to maximise the window you simply grab the top of it and drag it to the top of the screen. To restore it, you just drag down again. There is Aero Shake which means if you have hundreds of windows open on your desktop and you wanted to focus on that one window, you simply shake the windows you want to focus on and all the other windows will be minimised. If you want all the windows back, you just shake the same window again. Finally, there is Aero Snap where you can drag one window to the right of the screen and the other to the left and they will fit side by side making it easy to copy text from one to the other. When the two windows are side by side, you don’t to click twice to activate the other windows and do something. Instead you can just normally copy text without having to click the other window hundreds of times just to get it to activate. These small features easily become second nature and increase your productivity however I feel these features will be much more effective on a touchscreen rather than with a mouse. Another thing is the boot up time. This is significantly improved over Vista. Not only this but while everything is loading, you can use programs. You don’t have to click the Internet Explorer logo and wait 10 minutes with just the blue loading ring going on. It will load as fast as it does everytime. This just about covers the major Windows 7 improvements and the ones which are worth covering.

Installation

Windows 7 was a piece of cake to install. It is like installing any other program. You just keep clicking next and it will be installed. I managed to get it fully installed with updates and drivers in less than one hour. The OS also takes up a smaller footprint partly because Microsoft hasn’t included Windows Photo Gallery and Movie Maker. These can be installed as part of the Live Essentials program though and both programs are an improvement over their Vista counterparts. The new Movie Maker has the Ribbon interface which makes it easy to use and there are several new effects. it still can’t match iMovie though. Microsoft also but their Ribbon interface on Wordpad (The free version of Microsoft Word) and Paint. Microsoft has significantly improved Paint. It has new brushes and is a lot of fun to use. The brushes look realistic as well and some even “run out” of paint! Windows 7 also has new types of themes which allows you to have a line up of wallpapers which will change after a specified amount of time. In these themes you can also set the colour of the Aero glass. There are many downloadable themes from Microsoft’s website including ones for different countries. There are also a few themes from different companies such as Coca-Cola and Porsche. Microsoft has included quite a few themes pre installed and you can easily create your own theme if you want to.

Along with Windows 7, Microsoft released a free Security suite called Security Essentials. It is basically just an anti-virus. I tested this program out and it is actually really good. it doesn’t eat up RAM and is easy to manage. It is non intrusive and barely slows down start up time. I would highly recommend this product for average computer users. Those who need a lot of protection for their valuable data might want to look elsewhere as this suite doesn’t have some of the advanced features which many payware suites do have. There is a full review of this coming soon.

Conclusion

Overall, Windows 7 really has lived up to its claims. Although there are no real gaming performance advantages, Windows 7 loads faster and overall feels more polished than Vista was. There are several new features and although some may be gimmicky, it is still fun to use. Honestly, Windows 7 is on of the best Microsoft OS’s I have ever used and I highly recommend it to anyone. It will work on many computers, even those with low system specifications. Windows 7 really is what Vista never was.

Related posts:

1. 7 Reasons Why PCs are Better than Macs. Lately Apple has gained a lot of popularity everywhere. Many...
2. 7 Reasons Why Macs are Better than PCs Judging by the overwhwelming response I got from all these...
3. Apple Releases new iMacs Apple has launched a new line of Mac a day...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Judging by the overwhwelming response I got from all these people in my last post. I thought I would even the argument out a little. Here are 7 Reasons why a Mac is better than a PC.

1. Almost No Viruses

The majority of Mac users don’t even have an anti virus. This is because there are very few viruses out there for Macs. This is due to the fact that there are more PCs in the world so people only want to make viruses which can spread quicker. This makes a PC the medium of choice. This is great news for Mac users who don’t need an additional anti virus which means there is no additional program to slow their computer down and eat up RAM. There is a built in security to stop viruses if they do come. This is of course free as opposed to Microsoft’s Live One Care.

2. Heaps of Software Built In

Macs come with so much useful software built in to them. These are mainly part of the iLife suite which includes things like iMovie, iPhoto and Garageband. These pieces of software are so much better than their PC alternatives as they are easy to use and not to mention free. For designers, the software they need is much cheaper than any comparable software on PCs and it is the same, if not more powerful. Take for example Final Cut Studio which is cheaper than Adobe’s Premiere. This makes a Mac almost ready to go as soon as you buy it.

3. Dock

The Dock in OS X is so much easier to use and access than Windows’ start menu. All the programs you need are conveniently viewable and much more accessible than the “All Programs” menu. The Dock is also more flexible as it can be made bigger, hidden etc. This also leaves the desktop free of clutter and gives it room to put all the drives on it. This makes it easier to quickly access all your drives instead of going into My Computer and searching through there.

4. Display

Apple Monitors are always very bright and vibrant. They reproduce colours very well. Their Macbook displays are especially good when compared to other Windows laptops. This makes Macs a very good choice for designers who need accurate colour reproduction.

5. Build Quality

Even PC users will agree that Apple’s build quality is excellent. Their computers always feel expensive and oozing of quality. An example is the Macbook Pro. These have a unibody aluminium shell, glass screen and glass touchpad. Their iMacs are also similar in design.

6. It Runs Windows!

The fact that Apple supports Windows means that it has a bigger software pool to choose from. This means that a Mac user can have the advantage of getting things like iPhoto and iMovie, which outweigh their Windows competitors, as well as having support for Aperture 2 and Final Cut Studio. They can also choose from a wide range of PC software and hardware should they want something which Mac doesn’t support. There are no Windows computers that can legally run a copy of Mac OS X.

7. Seamless Backups

Apple’s Time Machine makes backing up your Mac easy. It is a powerful software which can perform backups at regular intervals. Compared to Vista’s backup solution, Apple’s software is incredibly easy to use. Anyone who hasn’t backup up a computer before wouldn’t find this a challenge.

Related posts:

1. 7 Reasons Why PCs are Better than Macs. Lately Apple has gained a lot of popularity everywhere. Many...
2. Microsoft Releases pricing for new Zune HD SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp put its new Zune HD...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Microsoft Corp will release three versions of its dominant Office software that users can access over the Web, catching up with products that rival Google Inc launched three years ago.

It is the latest salvo in an intensifying war between Microsoft and Google. Google announced plans last week to challenge Windows with a free operating system. Microsoft introduced a new search engine, Bing, last month.

“Microsoft is finally making the conversion through the Web-based world. First, we saw that through Bing. Now we are seeing that through Office,” said Jefferies & Co analyst Katherine Egbert.

Microsoft will offer for free to consumers Web-based versions of its Office suite of programs, including a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software and a note-taking program.

Read Full Story
[ad#Adsense]

Related posts:

1. Google Improves Search Engine Google said it has enhanced its popular internet search engine...
2. Microsoft Releases pricing for new Zune HD SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp put its new Zune HD...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Microsoft has released more details about its long awaited OS, Windows 7. The original release date is October 22 where Windows will be released in the 14 most common languages. More languages will be released on October 31. It will first be launched in Australia and New Zealand and follow the sun around the world basically.

The pricing is less than Vista thankfully and the full Ultimate version will cost AU$469 instead of the AU$799 for Vista Ultimate. But you can also buy the OEM version of Windows 7 which will be alot cheaper. This is fro people who build their own computer however. The pricing on OEMs hasn’t been released but judging from Vista OEM pricing it will be huge.

Vista Ultimate cost AU$799 while the OEM version could be had for AU$280. This is a huge drop in price. Upgrade versions of Vista were more expensive than the OEM. Full Pricing is as follows:

Windows 7 Home Premium: AU$299 (Full)                          AU$199 (Upgrade)

Windows 7 Professional:  AU$449 (Full)                           AU$399 (Upgrade)

Windows 7 Ultimate: AU$469 (Full)                             AU$429 (Upgrade)

As you can see the difference between the full version and upgrade version becomes quite small when you look at the Ultimate version. Also the price difference between Professional and Ultimate is very small. I am sure most people would pay the extra $20 to get the Ultimate version.

[ad#Adsense]

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Releases pricing for new Zune HD SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp put its new Zune HD...
2. Toshiba Releases Details on New Cell Powered TV Toshiba has used the revolutionary chip inside the PlayStation 3...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.