Webroot Antivirus with Spy Sweeper 2010

If Spy Sweeper is one of your favorite security applications, you will be glad to know that they have expanded and better the protection available. Designed for home PC users who want great security from malicious attacks, Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware provides award-winning protection against viruses, spyware and other malicious code. Unlike other stand-alone antivirus products, Webroot AntiVirus includes Spy Sweeper technology while offering comparable or better protection against viruses. Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware is very easy to use and is backed by free, U.S. based telephone and email support.

The antivirus software and antispyware technology in Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware has been recognized by security industry experts throughout the world and have won many awards and certifications. Great protection for your PC!

VLC Media Player

VLC software (initially VideoLAN Client) is a highly portable multimedia player for different audio and video formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, MP3, and OGG, as well as for DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It also can be used as a server for multicast or unicast streams in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.


Features:

• This version contains various fixes, speed improvements, and translations updates.

• Benefits speed-ups from both an updated compiler (gcc 4.4.2) and codecs updates.

DivX 7 Player - Free Edition

DivX 7 Player is a free software download that provides the whole thing you need to watch digital videos on your computer. In addition to playback of any DivX video, DivX 7 for the Windows enables you to watch H.264 (.mkv) files, the new standard for true HD digital video.


The DivX 7 for Windows and Mac OS X download includes: DivX Player to watch HD videos on your PC or Mac; DivX Community Codec and Filters to watch HD videos in your favorite software media player; DivX Web Player to watch DivX videos in your web browser; DivX Converter (15-day trial) to convert to DivX video in one easy step; DivX Pro Codec (15-day trial) to create DivX videos in your favorite video editing applications. Users may purchase DivX Pro 7 to receive unlimited use of the DivX Converter and DivX Pro Codec. DivX playback is always free.

Norton Antivirus 2010

Norton Antivirus 2010 is the latest edition of Symantec's famous antivirus software. A full-featured PC security and antivirus suite, Norton Antivirus provides packed protection from malware, PC viruses, and files and applications affecting PC performance.


Utilizing a new reputation-based security system, Norton Antivirus 2010 goes beyond standard definition and behavior-based virus detection to deliver a level of protection that's tailored to all and every individual user. With a variety of virus detection and performance modes, Norton Antivirus 2010 is a valuable antivirus suite for home users and professionals.

Building on Norton Antivirus 2009's user-friendly interface, Norton Antivirus 2010 contains some new visual features and navigation options. While new users will no doubt appreciate the enhanced interface, old users will feel right at home as Norton Antivirus 2010's interface is, on an operational level, very alike to last year's version. Features are simply accessible and PC security can be controlled from the software's control center.

Norton 2010 uses a range of different methods to check for and eliminate PC viruses and malicious software. Files are reviewed against fitted virus definitions and malware templates, and are also checked for unusual behavioral patterns or system requests. Going beyond these two standard antivirus measures, Norton Antivirus 2010 also checks viruses against a dynamic online archive of virus information, collected from users' PCs and virus information.

This focus on ongoing dynamic virus detection ensures that Norton Antivirus 2010 can eradicate viruses from the instant they spread to users' PCs. Rather than having to remain for a software update, users are protected from viruses all the time with Norton's web-based detection system.

Gamers and power users will be pleased to know that Norton Antivirus 2010 contains a range of different performance and protection options. Software can be reduced to background monitoring for PC gamers, allowing them to improve PC performance during gaming, without having Norton compromise speed or available memory.

While Norton Antivirus 2010 delivers a smooth and improved experience, there are still a few nagging issues. Scanning speeds can be slow, and system performance frequently slows to a crawl during scan periods. However, for high-end PC users, these issues are probable to be minor. As an all-round antivirus and security application, Norton Antivirus 2010 surely delivers on its promises.

Norton AntiVirus: Liked

• Virus detection is aided by the use of an online reputation-based security system, which eliminates viruses without the want for quick software updates.

• A range of performance modes offer gamers and power user’s flexibility and minimum resource use.

• Aside from some minor tweaks, the interface is much the same as Norton Antivirus 2009, and offers the similar user-friendly navigation and control tools.

Norton AntiVirus: Didn't Like

• Performance can be too poor during scanning, and virus detection scans can often last unnecessarily long.

Microsoft Windows 7

Almost three years after Windows Vista and eight years after Windows XP was first released Windows 7 is finally here. That some reviews are saying Windows 7 is what Vista should have been. Do we finally have a commendable successor to XP? The short answer is... we think so.

Unlike Vista, which introduced a lot of new features, Windows 7 is intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows operating system range. One of the goals was to fully compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is previously compatible, while at the same time resolve many issues that have dogged Windows Vista over the years and caused headaches for Microsoft.

Performance appears to be improved with Windows 7, particularly if you are running it on a multi-core CPU which most PCs are there days. But very importantly the stability, which was questionable in some circumstances under Windows Vista causing crashes and the dreaded blue-screens of death (BSoDs), appears to be noticeably improved.

Is this the best version of Windows yet? Time will be the true judge, but here we're impressed with what we've seen so far and have started to upgrade some of our Windows Vista PCs to Windows 7.

Adobe Photoshop CS5

Adobe Photoshop CS5 represents a huge and impressive step forward in terms of workflow, productivity and feature convenience. If you're well-known with earlier versions of Photoshop Software, the first thing you'll notice is a marked enhancement in the convenience of your favorite tools, and the ease with which you can access and integrate them into your project. Compared to Photoshop CS4, it's too faster, smoother and more effective.


The veteran set of powerful imaging tools that Adobe Photoshop is so well known for have been updated to perform even more better in CS5. For example, the core features Dodge, Burn, Sponge and Clone Stamp tools have been improved and simply work more efficiently - both by them and as a toolkit. The huge successes of Photoshop CS4 such as Content Aware Fill and Edge Detection (which work to erase the disruptive figures from an image without blemish and sharpen edges for clarity respectively) have kept their starting spot in the CS5 line-up, but their inductivity and effectiveness have taken a step forward.

A series of new, fun tools have also been added, such as the color-aware painting brushes (which recognize colors in a picture and re-align the paintbrush accordingly, allowing even water color-like effects), which, whilst not revolutionizing the Photoshop product, nonetheless provide hours of experimenting and very stylish effects.

Mainly though, workflow and productivity is where Photoshop CS5's features come into their own. Never before has everything seemed so accessible and integrated into the overall editing process, just in terms of location and compatibility of the tools.

Photoshop CS5 is very powerful, high-quality graphics editor that is an essential purchase for any professional or aspiring amateur requiring industry leading technologies and convenience of use.

Adobe Photoshop CS5: Liked

• Overall improvement in convenience and productivity of existing features: the HDR toolbar and Panorama maker being picky industry-leading highlights.

• Large range and potential in new features: Content Aware Fill and Edge Detection will streamline professional work and make simpler any hobbyist's editing process.

• Overall workflow has been considerably improved, once you get used to some new layout features, all your options seem much closer to hand than in any previous versions.

Adobe Photoshop CS5: Didn't Like

• When considering an upgrade, CS5 improves extra on the improvement and productivity of core features than the invention of new ones.

• There is no local help system and help is only available over the Internet, which means if you are not near to Internet connection at the time you're working and encounter a problem, you will not be able to use help to find a solution.