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Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Samsung’s elusive Bixby voice assistant is reportedly still weeks away from launching
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Microsoft Planner iOS and Android apps allow for task management on-the-go
If you are keenly waiting for the arrival of the mobile apps for Office 365's Microsoft Planner, then we have some good news: they’ve now gone live for iOS and Android.
That means folks who use Planner can install the companion apps on their smartphones or tablets to update plans while they’re on the go.
This has, unsurprisingly, been a much requested move by Office 365 customers who use Microsoft’s planning utility, which allows you to break a project down into tasks, and keep track of the progress of those tasks.
Microsoft stated: “For people who are new to Planner, you can first get started by visiting tasks.office.com. Once you’ve created your plans in the web app, you can view and update those plans in the mobile experience.”
Future features
So you can’t actually create plans within the mobile app yet – but that feature is coming in the future, and there are plans to add push notifications, plus full Intune integration is also on the cards.
Microsoft Planner is available to Office 365 Business Essentials and Business Premium users, as well as those on Enterprise E1-E5 subscriptions, and education plans.
The software giant said it welcomed feedback from users who want to help further shape the iOS and Android apps.
- Maybe you’ll use Planner on one of our top 7 business smartphones
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The best free alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud 2017
Adobe is raising the price of its Creative Cloud suite in countries including the UK, Brazil, and Sweden to reflect changes in foreign exchange rates. That’s bad news for photographers, videographers and artists – particularly amateurs who might struggle to justify the extra expense.
Thankfully for cash-strapped creatives, there are some brilliant free alternatives to Creative Cloud’s key apps – some so similar to their Adobe counterparts there’s virtually no learning curve.
These free programs can’t replace premium software for professional creatives, but for hobbyists they’re ideal. Use them together with a cloud storage service like DropBox or OneDrive, and you’ll have access to your creations wherever and wherever you need it.
What are your favorite creative apps? What alternatives would you suggest for the other tools in Adobe CC? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The best free InDesign alternative: Scribus
Create great-looking, print-ready posters, newsletters and magazines
If you’ve ever used Adobe InDesign, you’ll have no trouble at all with Scribus; the two programs are extremely similar, using a system of grids, frames and layers to create great-looking PDFs. The two programs’ interfaces and workflows are almost identical (members of the TechRadar team with a background in print media can attest to this), and Scribus has all the tools you need to get your documents ready for professional printing, including font management and color profiles.
Scribus comes with a small selection of templates designed for single-page or folded documents (including business cards, brochures and newsletters) and more are available to download free. These are mostly for single-page documents; for multi-page newletters and magazines, it’s better to create your own layouts and save them as master pages.
Our only real complaint is that pagination – despite being very important for publishing – is tucked away in the document settings rather than the Arrange Pages dialog, where it is in InDesign. That aside, Scribus is a top-notch replacement for InDesign.
Review and where to download: Scribus
The best free Photoshop alternative: GIMP
Refine your photos or create your own artwork from scratch, with support for Photoshop plugins
GIMP is a totally free, open source photo editor that’s as close to Photoshop as you can get without a credit card. It’s in constant development, with frequent updates to add new features and squish bugs (take a look at the release notes for more details), and despite its power, it’s surprisingly easy to use – especially if you’re used to Adobe’s system of menus and toolbars. There are drawing tools, layers, filters and a host of plugins that give you granular control over your images. It even supports Photoshop extensions.
GIMP’s main drawback as a Photoshop substitute is portability; there’s no mobile version, and although there’s a portable app, it’s too large to fit on an ordinary USB stick (and that’s before you’ve started installing extra plugins and fonts).
If you’d prefer a photo editor that you can use anywhere, try Pixlr Editor. It’s not quite as flexible as GIMP, with no support for third-party extensions, but it’s otherwise very similar.
Review and where to download: GIMP
The best free Lightroom alternative: LightZone
A digital darkroom for converting, editing and managing photos in batches
Free, convenient and powerful, LightZone is the best free alternative to Adobe Lightroom. It provides layer-based, non-destructive editing so you can arrange and readjust filters as you see fit, and save the resulting stack for re-use. There’s vector-based selective editing for refining localized areas, plus a clone brush and spot-healing tool for correcting blemishes, re-lighting, and full manual color adjustment. Best of all, LightZone can process RAW images, including those from Canon, Nikon, Kodak, Panasonic, and Olympus cameras.
You need to sign up for an account before you can download LightZone (its developers want to monitor the number of downloads to see how the project is doing), but the process only takes a minute.
Download here: LightZone
The best free Illustrator alternative: Inkscape
A versatile open source vector editor ideal for illustrators and web designers
Inkscape is another free tool that does a great job of emulating its Adobe equivalent. Its toolkit makes creating and editing scalable vector graphics (SVG) files a breeze, with advanced manipulation options and a great assortment of filters – both functional and artistic.
Inkscape’s drawing tools are easy to get to grips with and fully customizable. New additions this year include extra path effects, mesh gradients, and interactive smoothing of pencil lines to help you create more realistic drawings.
Some users find Inkscape a little slow, but in all other respects it’s a fine substitute for Illustrator.
Review and where to download: Inkscape
The best free Adobe Stock alternative: Unsplash
Professional-quality stock photos in the public domain – totally free to use
Stock is a relatively new addition to Adobe’s CC suite, providing subscribers with a library of high-quality images and other assets for use in design projects. For creatives on a budget, Unsplash is an excellent substitute. This collection of high-quality stock images is free in every sense of the word; each photo has been released into the public domain, so you can use it in any way you like – for profit or not – without worrying about copyright infringement.
Pixabay is another good source of public domain images (including illustrations, which Unsplash doesn’t offer), but the quality isn’t as consistent.
Try it online: Unsplash
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The best portable apps 2017
Portable apps are programs that don't have to be installed, and don't change your PC's settings. Provided there’s enough space available, you can store portable apps anywhere – an internal drive, an external storage device like a USB stick or SD card, on a networked drive, or a cloud storage service like OneDrive or DropBox.
Portable apps have several advantages: they make it easy to switch between different computers because you can take your software with you; they don't interfere with any other programs installed on your PC; and they can be used on PCs with restricted user permissions (at work or school, for example).
Some portable apps have an ‘installer’, but don't worry – this just unzips a compressed file archive and saves the extracted files to a location of your choice; it doesn’t make any changes to your system files. Other portable apps are provided as a regular ZIP file for you to extract yourself.
The program itself is an EXE file, but the extracted folder will also contain associated files including fonts and settings, which are essential for it to run. Some portable apps have optional language files, which will add to the size considerably, so consider opting out of these unless you need a language other than English.
These are the best portable apps for Windows. Keep them close to hand and never be without your favorite programs again.
Office software: LibreOffice Portable
Size on disk: 578MB (without language packs)
LibreOffice Portable is the largest of the portable apps here, but it's still amazingly compact considering it's a full Microsoft Office substitute. You’ll need an external hard drive if you want to carry it, but you can easily keep it in the cloud (the free version of OneDrive gives you 5GB to play with, and DropBox gives you 2GB).
LibreOffice Portable includes almost all the programs from the installable version of LibreOffice: Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector drawing), Math (formulae), and Base (databases). The only thing missing is Charts – though you can create graphs and other visualizations using Calc.
Like many portable apps, LibreOffice Portable is made using open source code. This takes some time, so it's a few versions behind the installable version of LibreOffice. However, that time has been well spent and it's well optimized for use on the move, with easy access to documents stored on a networked drive, an FTP server, or Google Drive.
Download here: LibreOffice Portable
Photo editor: GIMP Portable
Size on disk: 209MB (without language packs)
The portable edition of GIMP – the finest photo editor money can't buy – is too large for all but the most expensive USB sticks (particularly if you want to change settings or download extensions) but is ideal for other storage media.
It’s a hefty folder thanks to all the necessary resources, including brushes, plugins and fonts. The need to access all of these means GIMP Portable takes a little while to launch, but once it does you've got the perfect tool for advanced photo editing, wherever you are.
It's easy to open files from a local drive, networked storage, or a URL, making GIMP Portable brilliant for editing pictures remotely.
The portable edition is based on the full version's current stable release, so you'll get all the latest features and built-in extensions.
Download here: GIMP Portable
Media player: VLC Media Player Portable
Size on disk: 85MB (without language packs)
VLC is one of the most capable and widely-supported media players around. Its main appeal is its ability to play pretty much any audio or video file or stream, without the need to download additional codecs.
That flexibility makes VLC Media Player Portable extremely handy. Keep it in reserve and if you come across an awkward file that won't play nicely with your regular music or video software, you've got the perfect tool for the job.
VLC Media Player Portable can handle files from any location, including local drives, network storage, and streams. You can even supplement it with extensions to integrate it with specific services - though bear in mind that this will add to its size considerably.
Download here: VLC Media Player Portable
System cleaner: CCleaner Portable
Size on disk: 19MB
CCleaner is the biggest name in system maintenance. It makes it easy to clear out clutter like temporary files and cookies that not only takes up valuable space, but can also put your privacy at risk.
CCleaner Portable is a handy toolkit that you can run on any PC in need of a good spring clean. The download includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the program, so you can pick the right one for the OS running on the afflicted machine.
CCleaner Portable is ideal for helping out friends and family members whose PCs have started to slow down (though always check before deleting their cached logins)
Oh yes, and if you’re running it from your Downloads folder, don’t worry – it won’t try to delete itself.
Download here: CCleaner Portable
Uninstaller: GeekUninstaller
Size on disk: 7MB
Installing a huge program to clear out unwanted software is pretty counterintuitive, which is why we love portable software-remover GeekUninstaller. It isn’t as flashy as many uninstallers – it doesn’t include tools for cleaning up your temporary files or optimizing your system preferences, but that’s what CCleaner Portable is for.
GeekUninstaller is essentially a more capable version of Windows’ own Add/Remove Programs dialog, which saves you the trouble of hunting down each program’s uninstaller individually.
GeekUninstaller also has a ‘Force removal’ option for troublesome programs, which purges all system files and registry entries. There's even a tool that only displays Windows Store apps, which is extremely handy. Best of all, because it's portable, it won't add further clutter to your PC.
Download here: GeekUninstaller
Torrent client: uTorrent Portable
Size on disk: 5GB
uTorrent (also known as µTorrent) is the most popular torrent client outside China, so it's no surprise that there's an excellent portable version available to carry on your person. It's particularly particularly useful if you find yourself using a PC with nanny software that prevents you installing a torrent client, even if your intentions are noble.
Like the full free version, uTorrent Portable is supported by ads (the ad-free version costs US$5 per year – a tiny expense if you decide you like it), and isn’t as fast as the full version.
Because uTorrent Portable is maintained by the good people at BitTorrent, it's incredibly easy to find great content that's free to download, including music and movies. With BitTorrent rapidly becoming a legitimate platform for artists to release their work, having a great client app that you can rely on will become ever more important.
Download here: uTorrent Portable
Security software: Emsisoft Emergency Kit
Size on disk: 591MB
Most of the portable software here is nice to have to hand, but Emsisoft Emergency Kit is essential – particularly if you’ve been lumbered with the role of unofficial tech support for your friends and relations.
Emsisoft Emergency Kit isn't a replacement for a good antivirus program; instead, it's designed to save your bacon if your PC has already become infected with something unpleasant. If your machine is acting strangely, just run the program, update its database of threats, and scan for nasties.
If anything suspicious is found, Emsisoft Emergency Kit quarantines it to preventing it from affecting system files, then gives you the option to delete it, or release it back into the wild.
Review and where to download: Emsisoft Emergency Kit
Browser: Google Chrome Portable
Size on disk: 178MB
All the popular browsers have portable editions, but for sheer convenience we've opted for Chrome. Because it's linked to your Google account, all your bookmarks and preferences are automatically synced, making it the best choice for working on the move.
Chrome also supports hundreds of extensions, though you might want to be a bit picky about which you install – they can bump up the disk space requirements considerably.
Download here: Google Chrome Portable
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There’s a fix in the works for a frustrating new Microsoft Office bug
A frustrating Microsoft Office bug which briefly flashes a pop-up window is annoying some users of the productivity suite, although the software giant already has a fix in the pipeline.
A recent Office update apparently caused the problem, which involves a background task that opens up a window on the screen briefly, on the hour, every hour.
While it doesn’t require any interaction and simply goes away by itself, the flashing window is still an annoyance many folks could well live without. Particularly if they’re trying to play a game, for example, or some other full-screen app, when the user could end up being turfed back to the desktop.
Obviously something like this shouldn’t be getting through to full release software, which is probably why Microsoft has already sent a patch through to cure the issue, now available to Office Insiders on the slow ring.
Quick fix for slow ring
As linked in a reply to a tweet from the MalwareTech blog, a Microsoft representative stated that: “This issue is fixed starting with build 16.0.8201.2025 which is now available as the latest update for those participating in the Office Insiders Slow program. It will be included in a future update for those not participating in Insiders.”
So, the good news is that the fix shouldn’t take long to arrive. Meantime, if you’re one of those users affected, there’s not a lot you can do right now, except wait patiently and endure the monotonous regularity of the pop-up for the time being.
At least it isn’t a critical bug in Office by any means, but as mentioned, it’s certainly something that shouldn’t have slipped through the net.
In other recent news, Microsoft discussed how it’s substantially improving the inking features in Office 365.
Via: Engadget
- Stay productive with one of the 10 best business laptops of 2017
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Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Samsung adds the S Pen to the Notebook 9 Pro, making its best Surface Book impression
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The best free online photo editor 2017
There are some amazing free photo editors, but sometimes you don't want to go through the hassle of downloading a program just to give one or two pictures a quick boost. For those occasions when you want a quick and easy way to enhance a few snaps, a free online photo editor is a much better option.
You might expect browser-based editors to be simple Instagram-style affairs, but there are also some serious image-enhancing web apps out there. In fact, some are so feature-packed they rival premium desktop tools, with support for layers, masks and batch editing.
You can use these online photo editors in most modern web browsers, though Flash-based editors won't work in mobile browsers. You'll need an HTML5-based editor if you want to boost your photos away from your desktop, or look for a free app designed for your device.
1. Pixlr Editor
The best free online photo editor, with layers, masks and more. If you're a casual photographer, it might be the only creative tool you need
Most browser-based free photo editors are simple Instagram-style affairs that give you a set of filters and little else. Pixlr Editor is different. Provided you have a reliable internet connection and don't mind the lack of plugins, this free web app is almost as powerful as the best free desktop photo editors.
Load up a photo and you'll have access to layers, masks, clone stamps, selection tools, and everything else you'd expect from a top-notch image editor. There's no batch-editing unfortunately, but you can open several pictures at once and edit them individually.
You can use it in any browser that supports Flash. Unfortunately this rules out most mobile devices, and since its developer is currently working on HTML5 versions of other other software, it might give the superb Editor the chop before too long.
For the time being, however, Pixlr Editor is easily the best free online photo editor. The closest thing to Photoshop for your web browser.
Try it online: Pixlr Editor
2. Adobe Photoshop Express Editor
An extremely capable online photo editor that’s thoughtfully designed and easy to use – as you’d expect from the biggest name in creative software
As its name suggests, Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is a trimmed-down, browser-based version of the company's world-leading photo editing software. Perhaps surprisingly, it features a more extensive toolkit than the downloadable Photoshop Express app, but it only supports images in JPG format that are below 16MB.
Again, this is a Flash-based tool, but Adobe provides handy mobile apps for all platforms so you won’t miss out if you’re using a smartphone or tablet.
This free online photo editor has all the panache you’d expect from Adobe, and although it doesn’t boast quite as many tools as some of its rivals, everything that’s there is polished to perfection (with the exception of a couple of options that are currently in beta).
The burn, sharpen and soften tools all perform a expected, and we particularly like the ability to preview each effect before committing to it. You can also reset your image at any time, and use a slider to view the edited and original versions side by side.
The Pop Color tool is particularly interesting, enabling you to quickly change the hue of a particular part of your image. Fill Light is a welcome addition too, helping compensate for photos taken in less than ideal lighting conditions.
On top of those, theres also a healing brush, automatic color correction, and manual adjustment of white balance and exposure – all very slick and simple to use.
Adobe Photoshop Express Editor is a pleasure to use. Its only drawbacks are the limits on uploaded file size and types, and lack of support for layers.
Try it online: Adobe Photoshop Express Editor
3. Fotor
A fun free online photo editor that’s particularly good for livening up portraits before sharing them on social media
We love the free Fotor desktop software, and the online photo editor is exceptional too. There’s a file size limit of 8MB on uploaded files, but the editor will helpfully resize your pictures if they’re too large. Fotor’s Flash-based interface looks fantastic, with clever use of icons and collapsible toolboxes to make navigation straightforward.
The one-tap enhance tool is excellent for giving lackluster photos a quick boost, and there’s an impressive array of manual tools for more granular adjustments.
Unfortunately for photographers watching the purse strings, options marked with a green diamond are only available to premium users. Don't be discouraged, though – Fotor's free offering is still impressive. We particularly like the tools for boosting portraits, including makeup and tooth whitening – convincing if used with restraint, and pleasingly ridiculous if not. The strength of the wrinkle-smoothing tool is set in years rather than an arbitrary scale from one to 100, which is also satisfyingly silly.
There are fun stickers too, including some practical options like seasonal greetings, all of which can be tweaked with custom colors and opacity.
Once you’re satisfied, you can save your work to your PC, send it to Dropbox, or fire it over to your printer. There are also export options for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and even Google+. For fun social-media-ready portraits, Fotor is hard to fault.
Try it online: Fotor
4. piZap
Another free online photo editor made with social media in mind. Add stickers and text, then share your work on all the biggest social networks
Free online photo editor piZap is available in both HTML5 and Flash editions, making it suitable for any device. You can choose to work with a photo from your hard drive, Facebook, Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Search, or a catalog of stock images. This is an impressive choice, though some of the stock images are only available to premium subscribers, and you'll need to watch out for copyright issues if you use a pic straight from Google Images.
piZap’s editing interface has a dark, modern design that makes heavy use of sliders for quick adjustments – a system that works much better than tricky icons and drop-down menus if you’re using a touchscreen device.
Like Fotor, piZap offers lots of stickers, with many more available to users with a paid account. All the options have a fun, cartoon aesthetic (though some of the clipart is a bit corny), and together with the meme tool that adds custom text to the top and bottom of images, prove that this is an online photo editor created with social media sharing in mind.
Interestingly, piZap also includes a cutout tool that lets you superimpose a selected area of one picture over another. This works well, and isn’t something we’d expect to find in an editor designed chiefly with silly memes in mind.
When you’re done, you can share your creation on all the biggest social media networks, as well as piZap’s own servers, Dropbox and Google Drive. Alternatively, you can save it to your hard drive, send it via email, or grab an embed code.
You can only export your work in high quality if you’ve opened your wallet for the premium editor, but for silly social sharing that’s unlikely to be a problem.
Try it online: piZap
5. FotoFlexer
An excellent online photo editor with advanced tools and support for layering, though we could live without its cheesy early-2000s effects
FotoFlexer might look dated, but give it a chance and you’ll discover a surprisingly powerful free online photo editor, complete with layers for complex work using multiple images. It uses Flash, so it won’t work in mobile web browsers, but it’s a solid choice for desktop-bound photographers.
Upload a photo (or select one from its list of supported hosts) and you’ll be presented with a tabbed interface. The Basic tab contains everything you need for quick jobs like resizing, cropping, rotating, flipping, and adjusting contrast, brightness, hue and saturation. There’s also a one-click optimization tool to give washed out pictures a quick boost, and a red-eye corrector.
The Effects toolkit is packed with creative filters, though some of them are rather old-fashioned, like good old Neon and Ink Stamp. If it’s convincing retro effects you’re after, you’re better off looking elsewhere. The Decorate and Animation tabs are a similarly cheesy affair, with text (including a ghastly early 2000s style animated glitter option), stickers, and simple drawing tools. You’re not likely to get much mileage out of these for serious photo editing, but they’re nice to have – if only for ironic use.
Beautify includes smoothing and sharpening tools, a healing brush and a wrinkle remover (basically a smudge tool), and the distortion tab contains a set of simple liquify tools. Those might prove handy, but the really interesting stuff is tucked away under the last tab – the slightly patronizingly named Geek. Here you’ll find tools for editing curves and working with layers using cutouts.
We could live without many of FotoFlexer’s outmoded frills, but the basic photo editor is excellent and very capable for a browser-based tool.
Try it online: FotoFlexr
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The best antivirus software of 2017
Whether it's browser hijackers grabbing your search page, or the latest ransomware encrypting all your files, every PC (and even your smartphone!) needs a sterling antivirus package to keep threats at bay.
Don't rely on Microsoft's very own Windows Defender to keep you safe. Sure, it's free and easy to use, but independent tests show its protection rates regularly dip below 90%, compared to 99.x% for the leading competition.
This doesn't mean you have to start spending big money. Opting for a free solution doesn't have to mean compromising your security – there are some great freebie tools around.
- Shopping for business or professionals? Then why not check out our listing of best business antivirus packages
- Check out: the best antivirus for Android 2017 and the best free antivirus software 2017
Don't automatically rule out paid products, though. Commercial packages often (although not always) deliver the best protection, and sometimes include extras like password managers, web filtering, antiphishing tech and more. If you're looking for the maximum security, at least consider parting with some cash.
In a world packed with free security software, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2017's annual $39.99 fee may look expensive. But there are discounts available – a 3-device, 3-year licence costs $119.99 – and you do get a lot for your money.
Bitdefender's engine is one of the most accurate and reliable around, for instance, loved by all the big independent testers.
Web filtering blocks access to malicious sites, a secure browser keeps your online financial transactions safe, and there's a password manager which auto-completes credit card details in web forms.
An excellent anti-phishing module alerts you to malicious links in your search engine results, and blocks access to dangerous sites.
There are one or two issues – the anti-ransomware module offers good all-round protection, but sometimes blocks legitimate programs – but Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2017 is still a likeable package which offers excellent detection rates, great performance, and more than enough bonus features to justify its premium price.
Alternatively, you can purchase the Total Security 2017 edition for not much more. It adds a firewall, parental control, antispam, file encryption and much more!
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If you're tired of the junk that weighs down some antivirus tools, F-Secure Anti-Virus 2017 will make a refreshing change. There are no unnecessary extras here, no bonus features you'll never use: you just get straightforward real-time browsing and antivirus protection.
Keeping things simple doesn't mean compromising your safety. The package typically receives maximum marks for protection from AV-Test, and generally scores highly with AV-Comparatives, too. They also say it can generate significantly more false positives than most of the competition, but how that affects you will vary depending on how you use your computer.
The interface is a major plus. It's extremely easy to use, lightweight, and for the most part you can just leave it alone to look after your PC. The program has minimal effect on your system performance, and if you do need to intervene then you can generally solve any issues in a couple of clicks.
Competitors like Bitdefender and Kaspersky offer better protection and more features, but F-Secure Anti-Virus remains a likeable package: fast, lightweight, and able to run alongside many other security tools without conflict. It's one of the better value commercial products, too.
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Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2017 is a stripped-back security package which focuses on the core security essentials: web filtering blocks dangerous URLs, an accurate antivirus engine detects and removes threats, smart monitoring technologies track and reverse malicious actions, and that's about it.
Fortunately, what you do get works well. Very, very well. We've consistently found Kaspersky to be amongst the best at blocking malware, and removing it from an infected system, and it's regularly top-rated at sites like AV-Comparatives.
The high price could be an issue. If you're looking for better value, check Kaspersky's Internet Security products. These are often discounted, and you could get a much more powerful suite for around £5 more.
But if you're just after accurate, reliable and consistent malware protection, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2017 will serve you well.
For better, more rounded protection, Kaspersky also has 2017 edition of its Total Security Multi Device product which covers three devices (PC, Android and Mac) for a full year. Although it is a tad more expensive, it offers privacy protection, secure storage and synchronisation of your passwords and files as well.
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Norton Security Standard is one of the most comprehensive packages here, combining antivirus, browsing protection, a firewall, password manager and more.
One of Norton's strongest areas is preventing you from getting infected in the first place. An excellent URL blocker does a good job of keeping you away from malicious websites, and the program won't allow you to run files it doesn't trust.
This can be infuriating if you're always downloading and trying out the latest freeware, as it'll always be raising alerts, but if you're trying to protect a largely stable system – your kids' laptop, say – then it can be very effective.
The product isn't widely tested by the main labs, but AV-Test scores Norton highly for its reliable and effective protection.
The price is also high, unfortunately – $39.99 for year one, $69.99 per year after that – but Norton Security Deluxe may offer better value: spend $10 more from year two and you're covered for up to 5 PCs, Macs, tablets and smartphones.
Norton Security 3.0 (version 2016) costs only a tad more at Amazon for the 5-device, 1-year subscription. For a small premium, you can double the number of devices supported and you also get 25GB of online backup bundled with a 100% refund assurance.
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Opting for free antivirus can mean you'll pay in some respects. Panda Free Antivirus will change your browser home and search pages unless you notice and clear a checkbox, it installs a browser toolbar for URL blocking, you must register with your email address, and the interface is always suggesting: 'Upgrade to PRO!'
Still, once you're up and running, there are plenty of compensations. The program looks good, is easy to use, and has reliable URL blocking to keep you away from malicious sites. AV-Test scores Panda highly for protection, and even if something does penetrate your defences, a bootable Rescue Kit environment will help you get rid of it.
Factor in other bonus extras, like the configurable interface (right click tiles to optionally remove them, Windows 8/10-style), and you'll see why Panda Free Antivirus 2017 is a likable and effective tool.
Although Panda Antivirus Free is a superb deal, you can get the Global Protection (2017 edition) version (which includes Mac protection, VIP services, chat support as well as identity and family protection) for five computers for not a lot of money at Amazon.
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Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security is a capable antivirus package that's easy to use with above average antispam and brand new ransomware protection.
How good is it? The top testing labs all rate it highly for protection, but after that there's little agreement. AV-Comparatives says it gives a high number of false positives, and slows down your PC more than just about anything else; AV-Test reports few false positives and excellent performance results.
Our experiences with the product are mostly favourable: protection levels appear similar to Bitdefender, false positives are only marginally higher, and it doesn't slow down our system noticeably more than anything else.
We'd recommending running the trial for its full 30 days before you buy, then, to see if you notice any problems. But if you're unaffected, its high levels of detection and excellent bonus features make Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security a good choice.
Trend Micro Maximum Security (2017 edition) is probably the cheapest antivirus on the market for the 1-year, 3-device version (you only get the product key) or you could get a better deal from Amazon with Internet Security 2016 which is a one-year subscription for three devices for not much more.
Just about every antivirus tool claims to be "lightweight", but Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus is the only one to really deliver. Installation takes seconds, the program files barely grab 2MB of your hard drive, RAM footprint is tiny, and there are no bulky signature updates to tie up your bandwidth.
There's no compromise on features, though. Along with the core antivirus protection, there's smart behaviour monitoring, accurate real-time antiphishing, a firewall and network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and other interesting extras.
It's not easy to compare Webroot's accuracy with the competition, as the big testing labs rarely test their products. But when they are reviewed, they generally score well, and our own tests show solid and reliable protection.
There's a lot to like about SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, and Webroot's 70-day 100% money-back guarantee suggests it's confident in the product, too. If you're tired of bloated antivirus engines, Webroot must be on your shortlist.
Avast might be better known for its free antivirus product, but the company also offers a top quality paid-for solution in the form of Avast Internet Security.
This program gives users excellent protection against all the latest forms of malware nastiness out there, with Avast’s antivirus definitions being well-rated by the various testing labs such as AV-Comparatives (it achieved ‘Advanced+’ ratings in this organisation’s latest performance and real-world protection tests).
Avast Internet Security sports an easy-to-use and intuitive interface, and positively bristles with features, including all the stuff that you get with the free application – namely a password manager and a no-interruption gaming mode, to make sure your Overwatch antics are never spoiled by a pop-up notification.
With the paid product, you also benefit from anti-spam features to keep your email inbox free of rubbish, protection when online shopping, and technology that aims to spot fake sites which are designed to maliciously capture your login details (say, for your online banking).
All in all, this is a great all-round solution, although it’s not the cheapest security suite on the market, particularly if you only want to protect one device.
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How to make an emergency USB toolkit
Viruses, malware, accidental deletion or corrupted data can all put your valuable files at risk. The best insurance is to make regular backups, but what if you run into trouble in between backups, you’ve let your routine slide, or a friend has a crisis with their PC? That’s where an emergency USB toolkit of portable apps comes in, giving you everything you need to fix the damage.
When you install a program, not only are the files it needs to run saved on your hard drive, it also makes its own changes to the rest of your system – such as adding entries to the Windows registry. Portable apps don’t do this, meaning you can simply save them to a USB stick and use them on any PC by double-clicking the program’s EXE file
This makes them ideal for rescuing accidentally deleted files, and dealing with virus and malware infections in a hurry. They're also perfect for helping out a friend or family member without installing new software on their machine.
We've put together a collection of the best ones for use in emergencies, so let's get started and create a USB toolkit that might just prove invaluable.
First, you’ll need a USB memory stick (also known as a flash drive) to store your USB toolkit. 1GB will be fine, so there's no need to invest in an expensive high-capacity one. Plug it into your PC and open Windows Explorer, then right-click it in the menu on the left, select ‘Rename’ and call it ‘Emergency’.
If you’ve used the memory stick before, you can wipe it by right-clicking it and selecting ‘Format > Restore device defaults > OK’. Make sure there isn’t anything you want to keep on the stick first – there’s no going back.
Now let’s start building our rescue toolkit. One common PC disaster is accidentally deleting an important file – whether it's from your hard drive, an SD card or any other kind of storage. Piriform Recuva can help you get it back, but installing it after you’ve lost the files can result in them being overwritten. It’s much better to have it ready to run from your USB stick.
Download Recuva Portable, then right-click the downloaded ZIP file and select ‘Extract > Extract all’. Click ‘Browse’ and select your USB stick. Right-click and create a folder called ‘Recuva’ (this will make it easier to find in future), then open the new folder and click ‘Select folder > Extract’. Now if you ever need to restore a deleted file, just plug in your Emergency stick, double-click the file named Recuva.exe and follow the step-by-step instructions.
If you suspect your PC has a virus, McAfee Stinger can help stop it in its tracks, making it another essential component for your USB toolkit. Once it’s downloaded you can drag the EXE file straight to your USB stick using Windows Explorer (you might want to rename the file ‘Stinger’ for convenience).
When you want to run it, just double-click the file and click ‘Scan'. Bear in mind that you'll need an active internet connection so it can update its database of current threats before it gets to work.
If your PC is running slowly, you want to clear out temporary files that could pose a threat to your privacy, or leftover registry entries are preventing you installing software, CCleaner Portable can save the day. Download it, then extract the downloaded file to your USB stick just like you did for Recuva. To keep things tidy, we recommend moving it into a new folder called CCleaner.
To free up some extra space on your PC and remove temporary files that might compromise your privacy (such as tracking cookies in your web browser), double-click ccleaner.exe to run the program, then click ‘Analyze’ to search your hard drive for unnecessary files. Once it’s finished, look through the list and uncheck the boxes beside anything you want to keep, then click ‘Run Cleaner’.
To solve errors with the Windows registry (typically caused by entries left over by software uninstallers) select ‘Registry’ from the menu on the left and select ‘Scan for issues > Fix selected issues’. If you're finding it impossible to install a new version of a program, this could be invaluable.
The last app for your emergency USB toolkit is Emsisoft Emergency Kit. This will check your PC for programs that aren’t technically viruses , but are still malicious. When you double-click the downloaded file, Emsisoft will begin running an ‘installer’, but this just automates the process of extracting the files from a ZIP archive – it doesn’t make any changes to Windows. Choose your emergency stick as the destination, make a folder called Emsisoft and click ‘OK’.
Now, if you think a PC has a malware infection (you’re noticing unexpected changes to your web browser, for example), double-click ‘Start Emergency Kit Scanner’ and let Emsisoft update itself, then click ‘Scan’ and follow the step-by-step instructions to deal with the issue.
Congratulations, you now have a set of essential tools for dealing with PC emergencies. Label the USB stick and keep it somewhere safe – you never know when you’ll need it.
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The best free security software 2017
Reliable antivirus is essential for any internet-connected PC, but you can bolster your protection with additional security software that runs alongside it.
Your security software should also protect you from malware – programs that don’t behave like viruses, but are nevertheless a nuisance and a threat to your security. All it takes is forgetting to uncheck a box when you download an otherwise legitimate program, and your PC is compromised.
Your main security software must provide real-time scans to help you avoid an infection in the first place, but on-demand scanners also have their place, identifying and removing any malicious software if your PC has started to behave strangely.
Your online accounts are a particularly juicy target for criminals too, so it’s also wise to use a password manager to create strong logins and store them in a secure vault.
We’ve ranked the best free security software in order of priority, starting with strong general purpose packages, through to preventative tools for specific threats. Combining several of these will enable you to create your own free security software suite, but bear in mind that you should only install one antivirus tool at a time.
1. Avast Free Antivirus
Avast safeguards your PC from threats the moment they appear
Avast Free Antivirus has millions of users, which helps it identify threats as soon as they appear. It scans your PC in real time, and if it comes across a piece of code that looks suspicious, it’s sent to Avast’s labs for testing. If it’s found to be malicious, Avast creates a ‘vaccine’ to eliminate it, which is then sent to every user worldwide.
Avast Free Antivirus can remove unwanted browser extensions and toolbars, which are easy to accidentally install if you often download free software, and there’s also a program updater to patch any recently discovered vulnerabilities in your installed software. It even includes a password manager to keep your logins secure.
Avast Free Antivirus the most powerful and comprehensive free security software suite around, and the perfect foundation for your online safety toolkit.
Review and where to download: Avast Free Antivirus
2. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Supplement your core security software with on-demand malware scans
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware runs in tandem with your main security software, providing specific protection from threats other than viruses.
The free edition of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware gives you reliable protection for malware and spyware, as well as rootkits, which give software access to crucial parts of your system without your permission.
The free edition of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware gives you a two-week taster of its premium features, including real-time scans, and protection from malicious sites, exploit attacks and ransomware (which it differentiates from other malware).
Once that trial period is up, you’re left with a no-frills on-demand scanner that’s ideal for removing unwanted software and identifying the cause of strange browser behaviour or taking back control of your browser if it’s been hijacked by adware.
Review and where to download: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
3. KeePass Password Safe
Free security software that keeps your logins under lock and key
With so much of our data now stored online – including work, photos, emails, bank account details – strong passwords have never been more important. Unfortunately, the sheer number of online accounts necessary for everyday life means it’s hard to think up and memorize a different strong password for every service.
KeePass Password Safe does the hard work for you, and stores the resulting strong passwords in an encrypted vault protected by a master login or key file.
Keepass encrypts usernames, passwords and notes using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) and Twofish algorithms, and they remain encrypted while the program is running so they won’t be cached to disk. Unlike Avast Free Antivirus’s built-in password manager, Keepass is portable, so you can carry it on a USB stick and it won’t save anything to your Windows registry.
Best of all, because it’s open source, it’s in constant active development and any security vulnerabilities can be patched the moment they’re discovered.
Download here: Keepass
4. Emsisoft Emergency Kit
Emergency security software to save your bacon if your PC is already infected
If your antivirus software has failed and your PC’s security has been compromised, you need Emsisoft Emergency Kit.
Like Keepass, Emsisoft Emergency Kit can be saved to a USB stick and run on any PC without being installed (somewhat confusingly, it does have an ‘installer’, but this just extracts the necessary files and saves them to a location of your choice).
Not only does Emsisoft Emergency Kit check for viruses, trojans and worms, it also looks for malware on your PC, including adware, spyware and keyloggers. Bear in mind that these threats are constantly changing, so you’ll have to wait a minute for the security software to update its database of definitions before you can begin scanning.
Emsisoft Emergency Kit won’t conflict with any existing antivirus software on your PC, making it a great little tool to keep on hand. Even if you never need to use it yourself, it might be a lifesaver for a friend or family member who’s a little less cautious about their online security.
Review and where to download: Emsisoft Emergency Kit
5. Unchecky
Uncheck tick boxes automatically to catch malware before it can install itself
Unchecky won’t detect or remove malicious programs, but it can help you avoid installing them in the first place by automatically unchecking the boxes in software installers and alerting you if the app you’re installing is bundled with something else.
As security software, Unchecky isn’t perfect – it doesn’t pick up all unwanted programs, and some installers try to catch you out by taking an unchecked box as consent – but it’s nevertheless a useful tool in your PC security arsenal.
Combined with a common sense approach (only download software from a source you trust, select a ‘custom install’ option if it’s offered, and read each step of software installers carefully), it will help protect you from unwanted extras that pose a threat to you online.
Download here: Unchecky
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