Friday, May 28, 2010

TechSmith Camtasia Studio 7


This new software lets you make videos of your Windows desktop. You can do everything from creating tutorials to help someone complete a task or make a video for a demonstration.

When the software is up and running a toolbar sits on your desktop this shows you the basic settings of the program and has a record button. Recording can be done in full screen, just the active screen running, or a certain resolution. Picture-in-picture is also a possible recording option all you need is an overlay of your webcam feed and people can see you talking in your video.

After you’re through with recording the video editor kicks in. It’s quite like any other video editing software. You have a library, preview and time line sections, and trimming your video is very simple so you only get the parts you want. Production values are extremely high with this software, your video will look nice and polished in the end.

Narration is also an option to add to your video after it has been completed. All you have to do is click on the Voice Narration button and speak as your video plays. You can add many more effects to the video, like new cursors or speech bubbles, so your audience gets a good feel of what your doing in the video.

The software is not on the cheap end, but its quite easy to use and your end product will come out looking polished and professional that’s why it’s a great choice.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Native Union Moshi Moshi 02 Review


This is a new handset designed like a landline phone for you to use with VoIP or a cell phone to place calls. It has excellent quality and the design is great, even though this new sleek white design does tend to pick up a little more dirt than your usual black rubber phone. The hand set is impeccably smooth and it only includes a single button just to connect your call. The audio quality is also a great perk and the usage and comfort are excellent.

This phone can only work with certain cell phones like the 3G or 3GS iPhones because it has a specific three-ring 3.5mm connection port. To use this device with your VoIP clients on your PC you will have to purchase a separate USB adaptor and cell phone users that don’t have iPhones will also have to invest in an adaptor.

The down side is that while this device is £45 plus you will have to spend extra on the adaptor so you can actually use this device. The device has a very nice and sleek design but it does lack extra features that are usually available with other USB handsets.

It supports for cell phones is quite impressive and versatile, it’s just that the use of adaptors all the time does get quite tiring. This is a must have gadget for a business person with an iPhone otherwise it is hard to imagine what other consumers would want to buy it for.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

PlanningForce Express Premium


Even though a project manager is a great asset to a small business, in theory, the truth is most small businesses can’t afford them. This weakness usually leads to not keeping project plans up-to-date and they quickly become useless. Businesses need a way to automate project management so that it becomes less time consuming and it has to be done successfully by someone that also has other responsibilities.

This is where PlanningForce comes in. It is like other project management programs, it combines a task list with a Gantt chart that shows you what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and by whom the task is to be completed. You can automatically update your Gantt chart using Excel.

Before starting a project you can create a list of resources, you can create different calendars that are linked to your resources, you can also create a shared calendar for the whole staff.

When starting your task list you allocate every task with a resource. You can create group task lists, individual task lists, give them descriptive names, set milestones, and specify dates it is all quite simple to do.

Once all of your variables are added to the program all you have to do is click “Run Schedule” and the program automatically creates a complete project plan. It automatically updates linked projects and successor tasks.

Even though you still have to manually enter all the variables of your project and it is a bit time consuming. On the other hand it is quite easy to use and when used effectively can simply managing projects.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Ergo4u ergoCloud Review


One of the many problems of sitting at your computer all day is that not every desk is designed to give your arms the support they need. Narrow desks, especially, don’t support your forearms at all, which causes pain and numbness in your arms, hands and wrists.

Ergo4u has been working on solving that problem by creating the ergoCloud. This is basically a padded board that will clip to the front of your desk and support your arms. The curved interior is designed to fit to your body comfortably, at the same time supporting your arms.

It has U-shaped arms designed to fit on most desks, while the ergoCloud sits on top of your desk. Make sure, before you buy the ergoCloud, you measure the position and depth of the bar on your desk, incase it has to be custom built for the same amount of money.

The comfort is very impressive, with the padded top you get all the support you need and it doesn’t get uncomfortable as the day goes on. Not only does it support your forearms but it will also help improve your posture.

A minor set back is that the material it is made of collects dust that doesn’t come off too easily, and eating at your desk is definitely a no unless you are super careful because the product will get quite dirty over time.

This product is perfect for people with big comfortable desks, that let you have enough room on them to push your keyboard and mouse back far enough for the product to be attached.

Audials AudialsOne4 Review


There is so many different music and audio programs available today on Internet radio that it is a little overwhelming. AudialsOne is a program that can record songs and programs right off of Internet radio so you can listen to them later. It also includes features like helping you discover new content and artists.

All you have to do is select a genre and AudialsOne records several tracks from different stations belonging to that genre simultaneously. Various stations can be recorded at the same time, but a draw back is that only one genre can be recorded at a time. If you prefer a particular station it can be added to your favorites and can be recorded all the time. The same goes for a station if you dislike it, it can be banned and never recorded again.

If your favorite station isn’t listed, AudialsOne will use a web browser or try to find it off iTunes to intercept and record audio stream from another program. Audio is not the only thing this program records, AudialsOne can even record videos off of YouTube and podcasts.

You can also be specific for artists instead of genres. The program will monitor the huge database and search for your favorite artist and record only those tracks. This Wishlist system for artists is different from the genre lists, here you can have as many Wishlists as you want. The program automatically gives you all of the artists and album information and will format tracks to your choice of AAC or MP4.

A fallback is its cluttered interface, you’ll have to get used to some of the icons and buttons and some are poorly labeled.

This is quite a useful program for discovering new music.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Draytek Vigor2710Vn Review


This SME business router has a lot more to offer than the competition. It has an easy to use VoIP handling over SIP this allows you to route up to four simultaneous calls to VoIP phones on your network. It also comes with a VPN configuration option, DDNS, and QoS.

You can block just about anything using this router, based on URL or keyword, P2P and internet messaging for specific clients and protocols. Your MSN messenger can be allowed to work while blocking others like, video messaging or games.

Configuration has to be done your self and the setup is not so quick. Menus are laid out clearly but the little documentation provided for explaining the setup might be unclear to less capable users. Wireless networking is available but unsecured by default.

The Wireless LAN offers some interesting features like, allowing you to configure up to four SSIDs (visible wireless connections), each one with a different security and web filtering configuration. Setting up guest networks is a snap with this option.

Changing the router’s channel-bonding settings from the default two channels to a more stable single-channel system becomes a bit tricky because Daytek has removed the advance settings menu from the routers web interface.

When you disable the channel bonding you can get better results over distance, about 10m. You can also connect a USB disk or printer to the router’s USB port. The router reads a 1GB portable flash drive but it is a little slow if you attach 120GB portable hard disk.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist 2

Serif is known for its powerful but reasonably priced design software. Scrapping booking, collecting photos and other memorabilia in a book, is now made easy on your PC. This new software lets you combine all of your pictures with attractive clip-art to make very nice pages. This type of scrap booking is great because you can share it with others online.



No automated wizard comes with the program so it is a little tricky to drop your photos into predesigned pages. There are some helpful Youtube tutorials that do make the process easier. Another problem is that there is only six provided Digikits with the software, you can download more and most are free.

Designing your own decorations for pages are not a problem. There are basic tools in the program that are set up to let you do just that, and they are quite simple to use. You can give your book tons of appearances everything from antique to adding hand drawn designs. The text options are also nice, texts can be run along a curved path for an interesting look. The program doesn’t trouble any advanced DTP or photo-editing software.

You can easily make a book because adding the pictures is a breeze, it even will keep track of the pictures you have already used. Built-in photo editing lets you edit everything from red eye to adding special effects to your pictures. The effects are all divided into categories making it easier to find everything you want done to your pictures. Your book can also be output to a printer giving you great results.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Steinberg Cubase Essential 5



This software is specialized in recording live instruments, which is not a very common focal point in today’s music production software. Steinberg does also offer a much more expensive Cubase that might not be for amateurs so this is where the new Essential steps in it includes the core features of Cubase.

This is a great option for consumers that don’t want to deal with tons of different gadgets it offers a mature and dependable recording environment. It has features like the snap-to-grid which lets you crossfade between audio objects and it has support for tempos. Mix automation is also included in the program and it works something like video editing but for sound and it allows you to vary your mixer settings over time. You can also record from many simultaneous sources at the same time, which is made possible by the 32-bit audio signal path.

The down side of the program is that it is not that easy to master, configuration does take a while and your music jargon must be up to par. Advanced mixing options won’t come easy to new consumers.

The Cubase Essential is limited to 64 audio tracks, it has 16 plug-ins for instruments, and its eight global effects will only affect most ambitious producers. It integrates external hardware, multiple mixer views, and surround sound support. It’s easier to combine a single because it lets you record multiple takes of a single track. VariAudio vocal editor is missing in this program. It may not be as highly advanced as the Cubase 5 but the Cubase Essential is great for beginners.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Symantec Norton Internet Security 2010 Review

This newest version from Norton Security needs no configuration and is quite easy to install. It has a comprehensible interface and provides access to all of Norton’s key features, like for instance, on-demand scanning, vulnerability detection, and web tools that help protect your personal details and credit card information by storing and protecting your passwords.

The settings menu allows you to have more control over your internet like instant scanning for Yahoo, AIM, and Windows Live Messenger. POP and SMTP e-mail scanning is also included and you have configuring options for firewall and parental controls. Firefox and Internet Explorer are integrated with Norton through a plug-in to report the safety of various websites and all of your search results.

Heavy system resources are reported on the system and Symantec has included some monitoring tools to track Norton’s footprints. Norton has been showing to have low system loads, even when carrying out a full scan. The Insight system judges the safety of various programs based on the opinions of other Norton consumers. This suite also includes heuristic scanning, which spots malevolent files by analyzing the instructions on their codes, and signature scanning which compares all of your files against a list of known malware. Uncommon programs are not blocked but Norton warns you that there is not enough information to determine weather or not the site is safe.

Norton performs at the top of its game, testing by consumers shows that your system will not be compromised. It is one of the best around for malware defense.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite X5

Adobe may dominate the graphic design industry, but CorelDraw is what comes to mind to most PC users who use drawing programs. The new Graphic Suite X5 is a combination of CorelDraw along with some added bonus features that offer a huge range of capabilities. Included in this package are; Photo-Paint image editor, which has new color filters, theSwish miniMax2 animation tool, and CorelDraw’s newest Corel Connect media browser. Quantity is emphasized here and the 6GB of disk space it takes up may take a while to download.

The subtle improvements are what are noticed in this program with Mesh Fill it is now easier to create those complex color gradients with that deep and rich look. CorelDraw can be started from various ready to use templates or you can simply start from scratch. Curve tools have been modified and the alternative B-Spline drawing method will appeal to illustrators. Corel also finally made it possible for rounded corners to be supported, which preserves the proportions when objects are resized.

Connect can run like a standalone app or with CorelDraw or Photo-Paint and it integrates with Windows Desktop Search to help you find content by keyword. Professionals will find Corel quite handy, especially the users in specialist sectors like garment design and advertising studios. This program offers new video tutorials, in context sensitive hints, more hand-holding, and has plenty of clip art and different templates. CorelDraw is the first choice for most consumers outside the Adobe price bracket.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Lenovo Idea Pad Review


Lenovo is trying to combine the notebook and the stand alone tablet devices. This may look like your standard, and old, 10-inch notebook but once you swivel around its multi touch display it turns into a slate device that you have only dreamed about. A bonus to all of this, the Lenovo is the first to have 1.83 GHz Atom N470 processor.

The design isn’t anything mind blowing. The notebook is noticeably narrower than the standard 10-inch ones, and a little thicker than the standard reading tablets. The tablet, when equipped with the battery, weighs about 2.7 pounds. One of the biggest benefits that is offered with this gadget is its unique convertible form factor that gives you the option to use a full keyboard or a very nice multi touch display.



The 10.1-inch display offers 1024x600 resolution and it is quite simple to navigate around Windows 7 Home Premium with the touch screen. The desktop items are designed big enough so that you can simply use your finger to tap them. A downside is that the gadget doesn’t come with a stylus and so if you want to take advantage of Windows 7 handwriting system one must be purchased separately.

It has pretty typical notebook performances despite its Atom N470 processor and 2GB of RAM. Cell battery was tested and ran up to 3 hours and 12 minutes, but when actually using the system you can get up to about 4 and a half hours of battery life.



Sunday, March 14, 2010

HMK 561 Electric Bike



Most electronic bikes are nothing out of the ordinary they look like ordinary bikes but with motorized hubs, a strap-on battery pack, and regenerative breaking capabilities. This bike on the other hand is quite unique, taking home an iF Design Award for its very forward thinking. This bike is not just stylish and totally juiced out, the frame is what adds to its creativity it is composed completely of a conductive carbon fiber weave along the sides of the bike’s body that not only allow the body to pass the motors electrically but they actually are the things that store it, like a jumbo capacitor. You literally have the bike of your dreams when you factor in all the other perks; integrated lights, a hint of the aforesaid regenerative braking at each axle.


The designers at HMK really had their thinking caps on for this one, the carbon fiber frame is highly conductive so the designer uses it as a network for power distribution instead of wires. The power drives the lights and motors in between the rims, but the most unique aspect is its braking. The energy is used to drive a system that actually turns the wheels of the bike using a counter-turning axle instead of the ordinary gears and chains.

This idea may seem far-fetched, yes, but there already is a prototype being built. This bike concept will sit you on a battery and make you look far more attractive than any of the other electronic bikes out there.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

HTC Incredible Review


Review for HTC Incredible




Every android fan is anxiously waiting for this phone. This gadget has a half gig of RAM with around 320 MB available and it is equipped with an 8 megapixels camera with dual LED flash, perfect to capture all of your moments, and an interesting feature is the phone’s 1 GHz Snapdragon processing core, which from HTC’s perspective helps save battery life. This gadget is not to be underestimated it is reported to be “blazing fast”.

Measurements are 117.5x58.5x11.9 mm. Unlike the Droid the Incredible does not come with a hardware keyboard, instead its WVGA touch screen display makes it simple to use, along with its optical mouse incorporated at the bottom of the 3.5-inch screen. HTC, with this design, uses soft black and very interesting contours incorporated in a glossy shell. Inside though is where the surprise lies, everything inside the phone including the battery is a fiery shade of red, first seen in the HTC mini. This phone is very hot for the summer and it should be out in April or May.

                      

2010 seems to be the year of the smart phones, and it looks like this one will more than live up to all expectations. This is the newest release of smart phone is a 2.1 software version, so it has many abilities like playing videos super fast. HTC did not announce this phone with its Android so it may have a few more surprises left in store by the time it reaches market.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Motorola Devour Review


Motorola Devour - This well mechanized device may look a bit frumpy at first with its 3.1-inch LCD screen and some overwrought aluminum, but once you get it in your hand it is quite robust. Its assembly consists of extruded aluminum and doesn’t bend or budge in any place. The buttons are nothing too special and the simple power on/off button is located at the top. It does have a voice commander and volume rocker on the right hand side along with a camera button. It has an extremely sensitive optical track pad.

The phone is assembled quite uniquely and the battery charging is one interesting part. The battery is recharged and still provides a way to get to the 8GB bundled microSD card without turning off your phone. The keyboard is average and with fairly well separated keys, even though they are a little too flat.

The new and improved processor is quite fast Qualcomm MSM7627. The phone lets you display all of your Facebook and Twitter updates that can appear on your home screen. It is also equipped with rubber end caps enabling you to drop your phone with not so much panic. The camera is nothing to get too excited about either its 3-megapixel camera doesn’t produce the world’s greatest pictures, they are actually quite grainy. The battery was a plus on this phone and it is able to keep up with all the other smart phones of its generation. The bottom line is that there really is nothing to this phone outside its keyboard and quality build.

Monday, March 8, 2010

AmbienTec’s SolarFold and SolarFan Review



These environmentally friendly devices charge your gadgets and are actually quite interesting. A bonus is you can buy them right now, if you live in Japan! Its called the SolarFold and SolarFan because are actually two different designs both of which incorporate four panels of spherical-based solar cells, that are made up of 1,900 globes each that collect light for charging, which in turn makes them much more flexible, unlike ordinary silicon crystals that cannot be bent, and a lot more durable than the average photovoltaic.

This device is actually quite efficient also it delivers about 2W over USB and in 10 minutes it can charge an Iphone up to make a three minute phone call. You will need more than a few days if you want a full battery! Both of these models are available for around $250, the downside is that the SolarFan is the only one that comes with a tripod so choosing which one you want doesn’t seem so hard!

Both products feature a new folding design making them portable so you can take them anywhere, when folded they can easily fit into your pocket. SolarFold opens like a folding screen and SolarFan, hence the names, opens up like a fan. These devices are the worlds first mobile solar charging systems that utilize light gathering spherical solar cells. The devices are sold as packages that include a carrying case and a USB charger. The devices were displayed at PV Expo 2010 and were released on March 4, 2010.

Restaurant Software Review


The restaurant software "Restaurant maid" is one of the finest developed restaurant management software products today on the market. Beside the point-of-sale (POS) basic features, this restaurant software represents the new era in the restaurant management business with its phenomenal restaurant management features.

We will talk about that just in a bit, first to point out what this restaurant POS software is most suitable for.

POS maid is highly recommended for all kinds of food serving and restaurant businesses. Also, you can use it for bars, clubs, cafe bars, pizzeria, hotel restaurant and so many other businesses connected to food, drinks and business management.

Now, this might look great, as it seemed to me when I first discovered this amazing restaurant software. Thus, it's not just the great management features that this restaurant software has, but with its purchase, you will have the chance to use FREE e-mail supportFREE software updatesLIFE TIME licence with no additional fees, and that's not all. You can easily learn how to operate this user friendly restaurant software with the restaurant software Video Tutorials provided by the company on their official website AlexandriaComputers.com.

Isn't this what a good restaurant owner would want for best performance of his restaurant? - YES it is!

Feel free to download a free version of Restaurant maid.



This restaurant software supports POS systems, Home Desctops or Notebook PCs Touch Screens and Regular Screens, Barcode Scanners, Magnetic Card Readers, PinPad Devices, Electronic Cash Drawers, Pole Displays; regular size Printers, small Receipt Printers and Barcode Printers.

You can also use this restaurant software in a network, on many computers, or on a single computer.

With this great restaurant management software you will be able to manage your "on the fly" sales, dine in sales, bar sale, delivery sales, and everything else you might be doing business on. You can set discounts on different types of products, you can add customizable "quick menu buttons",  and "sub menu button".
You can add unlimited number of menu buttons for better navigation on your services or products as well.
What's very interesting about this restaurant software is the fact that you can edit the buttons with the text in case you need your working stuff, or you, to better find your way through the software usage.

If you want to plan and shape your restaurant's floor - no problem! Restaurant maid has the feature to do that.
You will watch your restaurant's floor and tables through a bird's eye view and record each transaction or order that's been made. 

Keeping records of the money transactions is a management feature available in this restaurant software. You will have multiple sales taxes options, it supports multiple sales tax systems (USA, VAT, PST, GST and many more). It also supports every world currency - if you can't find it yourself just easily add it yourself with the "add currency" tool.

Restaurant maid will give you better overview of the accounting work. You will track what's going on with your bank deposits, bank transfers, multiple bank accounts and customer accounts.

The tracking features are extended to the level of employees tracking, the hourly rate you are paying for your employees and the most important thing is that you can set customizable security / access details for each employee. 

I don't know if you have compared POS maid with other restaurant software products out there, but its interface and user friendly navigation is at way higher level. Click here to see some screen shots of the restaurant software. Stylish, isn't it?

Now, this is not all what this restaurant software will do for you in terms of organizing and management. there is a lot more to write about, but for your further information you can check their website and go to the features section of the Restaurant maid. There you will find all the answers you are looking for.

To your success!







Courier Digital Journal Review


This “digital journal” is just under an inch thick, weighing just over a pound, and only about as big as a 5x7 picture when it’s closed really reflects the aspect of mobility. Instead of being using Windows 7 this handy device uses Tegra 2 and it runs on the same OS as the Zune HD, Pink, and Windows 7 Mobile Series.

                                        

It has built in handwriting recognition and the interface seems to be constructed around drawing and writing, you can draw with the stylus or use your fingertips. The corresponding web site gives you access to everything you write, all of your blogs can be updated complete with comments. Rumors have it that it has a built in camera, and head phone jack for all of your media playback. E-books, no problem, the Courier will serve as Microsoft’s e-book device letting you download all of your favorite literature.

Its easy enough to use statuses like battery life and wireless signal are displayed across the rim of one of the screens, and it includes an Iphone-like home button. Charging might be done through an inductive pad, similar to the Palm Touchstone charger for Pre.

It has two screens and it lets you interact with the pen or several multi touch finger motions. It also includes some pretty complex graphic themes and various modes and applications. One of the coolest features is that the hinge actually doubles as a pocket to let you hold you would like to move from one page to another.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Averatec’s N1200 Review


This is a new super thin, and extra light 10-inch notebook, it is less than an inch thick and weighs only 2.2 pounds, is available in black or silver. It comes with 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU which makes it quicker than older notebooks, a 160 GB hard drive, which includes 1 GB RAM, and a built in 1.3 megapixel webcam and 802.11 Wi-Fi. The system can be programmed with either XP or Windows 7 Starter. Battery life is excellent, the tiny battery can get you up to 3 hours battery life, and you can upgrade for better battery life, 6 hours.

This is the thinnest and lightest notebook that is available on the market today. The N1200 comes in various models to meet the customers specific demands. Engineers at TriGem achieved this design by incorporating various materials and compounds found in pricier slim notebooks. It has cutting edge technology like the ultra-thin backlit LED LCDs screen along with the extra-slim 7mm hard drive, these features enable the notebook to be super slim. Its magnesium-alloy casing and lithium polymer battery cells also help keep the weight down to 2.2 pounds.

It sports a 10.1 inch display with 1,024 x 600 resolution, includes a pair of stereo speakers, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, a VGA out multi-memory card reader, and microphone and headset connections. When launched the note book will run from around $329 to $379 depending on the extra add-ons you would like to add to your notebook.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sage Act 2010 Review


Why pay tens of thousands of dollars for customer relationship management (CRM)? Large companies gladly pay this expense because with good CRM you can completely eliminate the wasted prospects that just are not ready to buy. With consideration to detail and steadiness you can spot out who your real leads are and concentrate your resources on them.

Sage Act is the perfect CRM software for a small business. All of your records are stored in an SQL database, and for every individual contact you can assign notes, a specific contact history, different files, call records, and now you can even connect with them through their Facebook profile. Contacts are then organized by company or hoc group; like a project group.

This version is closely intertwined with Microsoft Outlook, the program adds a toolbar to Outlook that helps you attach emails to certain contacts in Sage Act! just by clicking your mouse.

Another feature is recording all your communications with your clients, the program works by letting you register sales prospects, and then by switching their status, you can follow them through the entire sales process. You can easily change the status of an opportunity from everything from ‘Negotiation’ to ‘Commitment to Buy’ as this increases so does the value of the opportunity. The program offers many reports one of them lets you see your opportunities listed by value, which is an excellent way of keeping track of which opportunities to concentrate on.

The program is not one of the simplest ones out there and it may take awhile to get used to it, but it really does know how to get the job done.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Wacom’s Cintiq 21UX Touchscreen Tablet


This 21-inch LCD touch screen has 2,048 levels of pressure and sense the slightest touch of a pen, something that is starting to be called “near zero”. The overall look of the screen has been refined to all black giving it quite an attractive new look.

The screen is very color accurate, and located in the rear is a set of Touchstrips that are user assigned for every application they can zoom, scroll, and adjust the brush size and rotate the canvas. The actual screen can be adjusted anywhere from 10 to 65 degrees and rotated 180 degrees in wither direction. The 21UX can be removed from its stand and users can use the screen directly on a table, or attach it to a VESA certified swing mount.

This is a fundamental tool for all creative professionals it has an ergonomic design and new productivity features. The eight application-specific ExpressKeys help improve your workflow and boost productivity by placing your commonly used commands right at your fingertips.

Many creative accessories come with this device that are designed for individual and specific needs. The Art Pen is specifically designed for things like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, and Illustrator it is made to support the barrel rotation feature on these programs. The Airbrush Pen provides vivid and fun effects while having a similar form and wheel-based control as a traditional airbrush.

Included software with this device: Corel Painter sketch pad, Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 WE6, and the Wacom Brushes 3.0.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Cooler Master Gladiator 600


This sturdy and practical design is quite admired. It includes two built-in fans with one located in the front, 120mm, and one located at the top, 180mm. These fans provide excellent airflow through the motherboard. There are also plenty of ventilation holes throughout, which help in the cooling process the down side is that there are no dust filters or sound dampers. Making noise easy to get out and dust that much easier to enter.

The Gladiator 600 is pretty simple to put together, you will have no troubles routing all the cables to any point. You have to watch out for the seven expansion slot blanking plates located in the back of device. They are held together with plastic chips and a wrong move when removing them could do damage.

Space is no issue there is plenty of space for hard disks, disk drivers, and memory card readers it has five 3 ½ inch and 5 ¼ inch bays both of these use drive rails so mounting is not a problem. The 5 ¼ inch bay can only be used for external drives, but an extra plastic cage is provided incase you want to add another accessible 3 ½ inch drive. The front of the device can accommodate 3.5mm headphones and mic connections, two USB ports, and an eSATA port.

The Gladiator does not do anything in specific and it does lack a bit in the features department, but it is a good buy at right under £50.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Internet Security 2010 Review


Internet Security 2010 is a complete suite of programs to protect your computer from everything from malware to hackers on your Windows PC. ThreatFire is also included this program is a behavioral intelligence program that helps protect you from Zero-Day threats. PC suite is great because it is designed for the common consumer not for the expert. It is automatically configured out of the box that is designed to give ideal protection with limited interaction, so only installation is required for immediate and guaranteed ongoing protection.



Installation for this program is very direct; just follow the set up wizard. It is recommended that all other security applications are removed before the Security Suite is installed, because they may conflict with the operation.
With the different features that are included to protect your PC the Security Suite is a complete computer security solution. The main screen options involve controlling malware and Firewall. Most distinguishable here is the Behavior Guard that is incorporated into the ThreatFire.

This application includes; Spyware Doctor, Browser Defender is added to Internet Explorer, Google searches are scanned to make sure you are visiting a safe site, for unsafe sites a complete security analysis is made to find any damaged downloads, AntiSpam is included it collaborates well with Outbox or Thunderbird, lets you control the applications that are allowed access through Firewall, and an Intelli-Scan can be programmed to take place once a week, month, etc.
This is a great program designed for full protection, with everything from browser guards to phishing and other heinous sites.

PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Installation

Installation is straight forward following the simple install wizard. You are recommended to uninstall any other security applications before proceeding with installation as they may conflict with operation.


If you don’t want the Thunderbird Toolbar make sure to uncheck that option before proceeding.



After you enter in your license key, you’re offered to get the latest updates right away.


A reboot is required to complete the installation.


PC Tools Internet Security Suite 2010 Features

This is a complete computer security solution and contains different features that help protect your machine. From the main screen you can control the malware protection and the Firewall protections.


The most notable feature to point out is incorporation of Behavior Guard which is powered by the ThreatFire engine. ThreatFire is also available as an individual download and works along side your Antivirus app and provides protection against Zero-Day attacks.


Since it includes Spyware Doctor you will be familiar with the IntelliGuard Protection that allows you to control different features of your security protections.

Browser Defender is added to Internet Explorer and acts as phishing protection and points out other shady sites.
                                       

It is installed automatically for Internet Explorer, but if you want it for Firefox, then you will need to install it from a separate download.


When you do a search on Google, there is a small icon next to each result that tells you if a site is safe or not.


You can get more information on a site if it is determined to be unsafe.


For unsafe sites, a complete safety analysis is performed and you can check the results of potentially infected downloads.


A new Anti-Spam engine incorporates spam filtering with clients like Outlook and Thunderbird.


Control the applications that are allowed access to your network through the Firewall.


You can also use the slider to set the level of protection of the firewall.


Smart update provides the latest malware database and product updates.


You can schedule full and Intelli-Scans to take place daily, weekly, and monthly at times you specify.


Internet Security 2010 - Ease of Use

After installation is complete an update and scan kicks off right away which allows for up to date detection and removal of malware out of the box.


After the scan you get detailed results of what was found. You can go through and decide which detections you want to remove.


It allows you to do an Intelli-Scan, Full System Scan, or Custom Scans.


For a manual scan simply kick off a scan from the main interface.

                                      

You can monitor the progress while the scan takes place.


It allows you to scan individual files from the context menu as well.


Right-click on the tray icon to access a menu of different functions and features such as enabling Game Mode.


Internet Security 2010 - Performance

We ran our tests on a Windows 7 system with a dual core AMD processor and 2 GB of RAM and there was no slow down while doing day to day mutli-tasking. Intelli-scans are quick but full system scans are time consuming.







Internet Security 2010 - Product Support

As with all of their products, PC Tools provides several ways to get quick support for Internet Security 2010. On their site they provide FAQ, a Knowledgebase, User Manuals and Live Chat for support. They also include Email and Telephone support for users who have purchased a license.




Intenret Security 2010 - Conclusion



PC Tools Internet Security 2010 is a comprehensive package of security protections for your PC. What really makes all of PC Tools new 2010 security apps great is the inclusion of the ThreatFire Behavior engine that protects you against Zero-day threats which we have covered previously. The one thing you may find annoying at first is the Firewall that needs to be trained to allow or deny applications…but it will remember your selections. It is relatively light on system resources and isn’t overbearing like some security suites can be. If you’re a gamer, you’ll love the easy Game Mode option that will turn off components of the suite that can hinder game performance simply by starting the game in full screen mode. All of the utilities can be downloaded as stand a lone apps, but having them all in one suite is very convenient. They offer a free limited trial and is $49.95 for a license to protect up to three computers.



The software works with XP (SP2), Vista (32 & 64-bit), and Windows 7 (32 &64-bit)