Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Microsoft Office 365 catches up a bit more with Google’s productivity apps

Microsoft has announced a bunch of new features for Office 365 users, including the extension of real-time co-authoring beyond just Word, with the company now bringing it to PowerPoint.

Yes, when you’re collaborating with someone over a slide, you’ll now be able to see their changes appear live in PowerPoint for Windows on desktop PCs (although note this is only for Office 365 subscribers who are Office Insiders – in other words, it’s still in testing).

The feature is also available in the PowerPoint Mobile app on Windows tablets.

Microsoft has also brought a welcome change to Outlook, giving users the ability to take a traditional attachment to a message, and change it into a shared cloud-based document directly within the email app. You can also specify permissions to view or edit within Outlook.

This feature is available in Outlook on Windows for Office 365 subscribers, and also for Outlook on the web.

Notifications across the nation 

So what else is new? The Word, Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps will now give you notifications to let you know when shared cloud documents have been edited, or shared with others – so you can keep on top of things when on the move, and make sure nothing goes awry.

At the moment, notifications are only live for Office Insiders using the Android and Windows Mobile apps, with the functionality coming to iOS in December. These are only for consumers at the moment, mind, with commercial customers getting them in the ‘coming months’ according to Microsoft.

Other tweaks include the introduction of a Shared with Me tab in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, which is a handy list of all the files which have been recently shared with the user for quick access purposes. This is available for both Windows and Mac Office 365 subscribers – and it’s also on the iOS and Android apps, and will soon be gracing the Windows Mobile apps.




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Starting tomorrow – your free downloads advent calendar

The holidays are an expensive time, so we’re bringing you a special treat: a full, free, fun Windows program to download every day until Christmas.

Each day, we’ll open a door on our advent calendar to reveal a new free app, ready to download and enjoy. For our advent calendar we’ve picked only software that’s fun – whether it’s a drone sim, an app for making your own animations, or a cool way to find and enjoy new music from your favorite artists.

Check in tomorrow for your first free advent calendar download!



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Windows 10 Anniversary Update can now be installed by businesses

Windows 10’s Anniversary Update is now available to download and install for business users, after having been previously rolled out to consumers since the beginning of August.

In other words, companies running the Current Branch for Business (CBB) of Windows 10 can now deploy the update across their PCs.

The delay of almost four months is a typical timeframe for a big update, to ensure that it is thoroughly tested by consumers and major bugs are found before the upgrade is made available to business PCs.

In a blog post, Microsoft noted that the Anniversary Update is fully ready for firms to download, and that it had “addressed nearly a thousand items of feedback” across all manner of customers, including pilot deployments in enterprises.

Enterprise boost

Michael Niehaus, Director of Product Marketing for Windows 10 at Microsoft, further trumpeted some stats relating to the OS and businesses, saying that there had been a threefold increase in enterprise deployments of Windows 10 over the past six months.

He also pushed the security angle for Microsoft’s newest OS, noting that compared to Windows 7 users, those on Windows 10 were 58% less likely to encounter ransomware for one thing.

Niehaus also noted that Windows 10 makes upgrades far quicker and easier to deploy across fleets of devices, and added: “Windows 10 is also our most compatible release ever and with 99% of the top 3,000 apps shown to be compatible, customers are deploying at scale with confidence.”

All that said, some third-party stats have indicated a lukewarm reception for Windows 10 among businesses thus far, such as this study of US companies which was published back in August.

Via: Ghacks



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iOS 10 and iOS 10.1 features and updates

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The best free software for writers 2016

The best free email client 2016

The best free file recovery software 2016

The best free PC backup software 2016

The best free privacy software 2016

The best free music editor 2016

The best free software to speed up your PC

The best free YouTube to MP3 converter 2016

The best free software uninstaller 2016

The best free PDF to Word converter 2016

The best free presentation software 2016

Samsung Electronics considers restructure following pressure from shareholders

Photo credit: Paul Hudson http://ift.tt/1RnEYCG Samsung Electronics has revealed that it is considering splitting the company into two following pressure from investors. Read More

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Monday, November 28, 2016

As some shareholders call for split, Samsung will announce plans to boost value

shutterstock samsung Like just about everyone else, Samsung had a rough 2016 – though the South Korean company’s year was perhaps even tougher than most. There was that drawn out Galaxy Note incident, which entailed two recalls and a on-going apology parade, coupled with the subsequent recall of 2.8 million washing machines over reports of malfunctions and injuries, including a broken jaw. The… Read More

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Download of the day: Bandicam

Windows 10 Pro users just got a smart bonus with the Windows Store

You can now install apps from the Windows Store without signing up for a Microsoft Account, or at least this is the case for Windows 10 Pro users (but unfortunately not those running Windows 10 Home).

Microsoft recently changed its policy, as spotted by Ghacks, to allow for those on Windows 10 Pro to install both apps and games without having to be signed into their account.

However, there is one major caveat here: you can only install free apps, and in the case of paid-for software or games, you’ll still need to sign into a Microsoft Account (or use a workaround like side-loading the app in question).

Enterprising move?

Ghacks further notes that this is likely the case for other versions of Windows 10 aside from Home, so those using the enterprise flavour of the OS, or education, are likely to be able to pull off this trick.

Slightly confusingly, comments from the original report on this which came from a German tech site (Windowsarea.de) indicate that some folks have had success using the enterprise edition of Windows 10, and others say this doesn’t work.

If any of our readers can shed further light on this, and whether they can successfully install Windows Store apps on enterprise/education without being signed in, please let us know in the comments section below.

At any rate, this is a positive step from Microsoft in terms of granting users greater freedom to do exactly what they please with their system, although it’s unlikely it will ever come to the Home version of the OS.

Via: Ghacks



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Sunday, November 27, 2016

Download of the day: qBittorrent

Top 5 best Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software

In all areas of business and administration, digitisation is a hard fact. If you fail to implement the latest digital strategies and technological solutions, you almost certainly risk falling behind the crowd. To survive, you have to put tech first.

Of course, while technology is clearly taking over, there are still a lot of people out there who’d prefer to stick to old-fashioned approaches. And physical paperwork is a good example. Sceptics who are fearful over issues such as privacy and security, especially when dealing with important documents, would rather print items off.

In areas such as government, law, education and healthcare, you have no choice when it comes to dealing with paper-based documents. If it’s a legal contract, for instance, it’ll probably be posted out to you. But that takes time and money.

This is where optical character recognition (OCR) technology enters the scene. Simply put, it is the process of turning images and electronic versions of handwritten, typed or printed documents into machine-encoded text. The idea is that when you’re dealing with physical documents, you have a way to digitise them.

There are a number of software packages out there that are capable of doing this, and they mainly aim to make typing up text easier. Normally, if you’re at a meeting and have to take down notes, you’d be expected to type it all into a Word document. Well, OCR makes these sort of tasks far easier and quicker. In this article, we’re going to highlight the best OCR solutions out there.

American software company Nuance has a number of useful applications for dealing with optical character recognition. OmniPage, the firm’s flagship program in this area, has been designed to make scanning documents to a local computer or network server quick and painless.

The system is capable of handling high volumes of documents from multiple devices, document archiving and document conversion in cloud storage. As well as this, you can turn paper, forms, digital camera images and PDF files into fully editable, searchable and shareable electronic files.

Nuance also offers a package called PaperPort Professional, which is aimed mainly at small businesses and sole traders. It offers you a productive and cost-effective way to scan, organise, find and share a mixture of documents, including paper, PDFs, legal documents and photographs.

All in all, it’s a solution well worth considering for those with less expansive needs when it comes to OCR duties.

Abbyy’s FineReader 12 Professional package has been designed to raise productivity levels within companies. The software wants to enhance the way you deal with documents, whether it’s extracting, editing, archiving or sharing items.

FineReader is capable of turning scanned documents, PDFs and photos into editable text forms, including Microsoft Word, Excel and eBooks. As well as this, it aims to preserve all aspects of original documents, avoiding reformatting. 

The system can perfectly protect items such as headers, footers, footnotes, tables, graphs and charts. Documents open quickly too, and you don’t have to worry about images looking low-quality. FineReader automatically selects the best possible optimum image pre-processing tools.

If you want to create PDF documents specifically, then it’s worth checking out Soda PDF. This software gives you the ability to turn pretty much any file into a PDF. In all, more than 300 file types are supported by the solution.

Once you’ve created a PDF, you can do some other neat things. For instance, you can edit the contents of your documents, and you’re even able to create custom files and add annotations to existing PDFs. There’s a handy feature for sending and tracking contracts as well. 

You can download the software onto Mac and Windows computers, or if you’d prefer, there’s the option to use it within a browser. Soda PDF requires you to sign up for an annual subscription, but before making a purchase, you can test the software for free to see if it fits your needs.

Adobe Acrobat is one of the most recognisable OCR software packages, although it’s placed at the higher-end of the market in terms of its cost. Of course, Acrobat is targeted at enterprises in particular, so it’s not likely to be cheap.

It offers an easy-to-use interface and lets you export items to Microsoft Office documents quickly and accurately. Even though you can’t create your own eBooks using the software, you can generate PDFs, and you can also use it to sign and send important forms.



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Monday, November 21, 2016

Instagram has launched its own take on Live Video and messaging

It’s in the very nature of social media to tread the line between being different and exactly the same as everyone else, and with its new live video and messaging features Instagram continues this trend.

Rather than go the way of Facebook Live and Messenger, Instagram’s live video and private messages will incorporate the popular ephemerality of Snapchat and Periscope. 

When using Instagram Live, users will be able to broadcast live streams to their followers, but followers will only be able to watch while the stream is happening in real-time – this means no replays and nothing saved on your profile afterwards.

When users begin live streaming, their followers will receive a notification that it’s happening and will then be able to watch and post comments on the stream in real-time. Comments can be turned off and there will be options to block and report any harassers. 

Expiry dates

To make sure users don’t miss the best and most popular live streams from people they’re not following, Instagram will display them as they’re happening in an Explore page which is curated according to viewing figures, geography, and language. 

This is reminiscent of Periscope’s enforced 24 hour expiration on its livestreams, which was eventually scaled back to allow for permanent replays. This now makes Instagram the only service which offers truly temporary live video broadcasts which could make people feel more comfortable using it more frequently.

If you’re less inclined to broadcast to all of your followers, Instagram is also giving you the option to privately share images or videos that you’ve added doodles and text to, though they’ll only be viewable twice before they disappear forever. 

These new temporary messages don’t mean the end of Instagram’s permanent direct messages. Now, you’ll simply have two direct message inboxes; one for temporary messages and one for permanent ones.

The features will begin rolling out today and over the next few weeks all iOS and Android users should be able to begin using them. You can see them in action below:



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Oculus’ VR painting app Quill will be released free next month

Quill – a virtual reality painting app created by Oculus – will be available to download as a free beta in early December. The date coincides with the release of the Oculus Touch controller, which you’ll need to create your own VR illustrations in Quill.

Oculus Story Studio – a division of the company dedicated to filmmaking – worked with traditional media illustrators to make Quill as versatile as possible. Paintings are built up from 3D brushstrokes, created in mid-air using the Touch Controller. 

Each stroke can be shaped and controlled after it’s made, allowing artists to maintain their preferred style while working in VR.

Quill was originally created for the VR film Dear Angelica, which Oculus showed at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Each scene is an illustration that’s rendered in real time as you look around using a Rift headset.



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Explore deep space with Microsoft WorldWide Telescope

Download of the day: Total Uninstall

Facebook could be killing your Android battery life

Although Facebook attempts to improve its Android app with every update, a recent independent test performed by Tech World Zone (TWZ) has revealed that the app has a tendency to suck up an inordinate amount of battery life on Android devices. 

Facebook has known about this issue for a while and the company’s central item officer, Chris Cox, even instructed his staff to drop their iPhones for Android devices in an attempt to help uncover and solve the problem. It’s an interesting move, but it doesn’t appear to have worked.

Earlier this year, Android blogger Russell Holly’s findings showed that Android battery life and performance improved without the Facebook app, and a group of people on Reddit supported his claims after performing tests of their own. These Redditors found that without the Facebook and Messenger apps, other apps on their smartphones launched faster and performed better. 

Power hungry

Seeing this, TWZ has decided to explore other means of accessing Facebook outside of its app to see if this would improve smartphone battery life. By swapping the Facebook app for Metal, a wrapper for Facebook’s mobile site, the tester found that their Huawei Nexus 6P battery life was 20% better off over the course of a day. It also proved to be the case over a whole week.

Using Android’s built-in battery statistics, the tester didn’t find that Facebook was using a large amount of power, but said it was evidently using more power in the background than it had to as it was having an effect on the battery utilization of various Android administrations.

When contacted by TWZ about the issue, Facebook replied saying “We have heard reports of a few people encountering speed issues coming from our Android application. We are investigating this and will update you as often as possible. We are focused on keeping on enhancing these issues.” They had no comment, however, on the battery life issues. 

Of course, the test performed by TWZ is only on one smartphone so if you want to see whether getting rid of the Facebook app on your Android device could actually improve its performance, the best thing to do is try deleting it for yourself. There are a few replacement apps out there such as Metal, but you can also just access Facebook through Chrome.

It’s not quite as convenient, but if it improves your smartphone's performance and battery life it could be worth it. Besides, you might find yourself mindlessly clicking into the Facebook app less - and there’s something to be said about not being bombarded with notification symbols as soon as you unlock your phone. 



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The best web browser 2016

Top 5 best project management services

Business processes are undergoing a rapid technological shift. There are now digital solutions for most aspects of running a business, whether we’re talking about accounting or email marketing – they’re improving sustainability and efficiency. 

And the same thing can be said for project management. Unless you’re super-organised, taking on and managing work-based projects can be time-consuming and a drain on resources. You’ll often have tough deadlines to work towards, and completing projects on time can be hard.

The traditional methods of project management just aren’t good enough anymore. Typing information into spreadsheets, using word processing software to compile notes, and recording meeting minutes on paper are tasks that take an enormous amount of time.

But there’s a new wave of business apps and solutions that have the ability to change this and make project management far simpler. And in many cases, they can let you perform a ton of useful things – like delegating tasks, creating trackable to-do lists and accessing progress reports. In this article, we’re going to look at five of the best project management solutions.

Over the last few years, Trello has emerged as one of the most popular project management applications. It lets you organise all of your work-based and personal projects through a computer, tablet or smartphone. 

You’re able to set up boards to organise everything you’re working on, delegate tasks among colleagues, get customised workflows, add to-do lists within task cards, attach files and comment on items. The idea is that you manage all aspects of a project within the app, regardless of whether it’s team-based or individual.

The app is available on both Android and iOS devices, and there’s a version that’s been optimised specifically for the iPad Pro. The latter sports a larger canvas and a variety of handy email shortcuts to speed up projects. It’s free to download, although there’s the option to upgrade to a premium plan if you’d like to get more features.

Asana, like Trello, is another project management solution you may have heard of – even if you haven’t used the service in the past. While it offers a ton of handy features to boost productivity, there’s a bigger emphasis placed on tracking.

The app lets you create to-do lists and reminders so you always meet deadlines, plus you can add due dates, colleagues, instructions to tasks, and comment on items. You can even share images from other apps directly to Asana. And more importantly, you can actually track everything you and your colleagues work on in a bid to ensure the project is running smoothly and to schedule.

If you’re concerned with who is working on certain projects, then you can bring up a list of teams and individuals, and there’s also a search functionality so you can find completed tasks easily. Asana is free to download on Android and iOS devices, but for about £6 (around $7.50, AU$10) per month, you get unlimited usage and more functionality. 

Podio has been designed for professionals who are always working on multiple projects and generating new ideas. More than 400,000 businesses and teams from across the world are using it. 

With the app, you have the ability to create tasks and customise them based on deadlines and responsibilities, and there’s a built-in instant messaging function which you can use to share ideas and see how others are getting on with delegated tasks. It’s also handy for getting quick feedback without having to send several emails.

There are integrations with third-party services such as Dropbox and Google Drive, meaning you can share content quickly and easily. Podio is available in a number of additional languages, including French, German, Danish, Chinese, Spanish and Russian. It’s free to download, with the option of accessing in-app purchases.

Basecamp is one of the oldest project management solutions, having been around for more than ten years, building a reputation which makes it a highly credible tool for businesses that work on big projects.

The latest version of the app offers a variety of helpful features, including the ability to send direct messages for quick discussions, set up a schedule so you only get notifications within work hours, and show your appreciation for colleagues by clicking an applause button.

There are some nifty functions for dealing with clients, too. For instance, you can easily save and track client feedback and approvals, and you can also get reports on how projects are going. And when you want to collaborate with others, you can create group chats. While the app is free to download, business subscriptions cost up to £80 (around $100, AU$135) per month.

Evernote is one of the most reputable apps for boosting productivity, both on a personal and professional level. And while it’s not strictly a full-on project management app, we believe it’s worth mentioning on the strength of being a great companion app when it comes to managing a ton of complex, time-sensitive business projects and tasks.

The app gives you all the tools you could possibly require in order to keep organised and stay on top of tasks. You can write and save project ideas as notebooks, checklists, searchable notes and to-do lists. However, they needn’t just be text-based, as there’s the option of adding sketches, video, audio, PDFs and web clippings.

Everything is synced across devices via the cloud, and you can use your smartphone’s camera to scan items such as business cards and handwritten notes. The premise here is that Evernote acts almost like a personal assistant. Premium plans cost £30 (around $37, AU$50) per year.



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Samsung says its Galaxy S7 smartphones are safe and do not have battery issues

samsung galaxy s7 Samsung has denied that devices in its Galaxy S7 range are affected by the same battery safety issue that forced it to kill off the Galaxy Note 7. Read More

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Saturday, November 19, 2016

Top 7 best email marketing services

The way companies present and market themselves has changed radically over the last few years. With more consumers using internet-connected devices, digital marketing has become a crucial area of business management.

Any modern business that wants to get messages out to customers successfully can’t afford to neglect the power of technology. Traditional methods like printing and distributing leaflets have become almost obsolete.

There’s so much more you can achieve by sending company brand and product information through email. Not only can you do this at the relevant points in time – to coincide with things like sales and discounts – but you benefit from the fact that so many people have email accounts.

According to the Radicati Group, there are something like 2.5 billion email users around the world these days, up from 1.9 billion in 2009. This number is expected to grow to 2.9 billion by 2019. There’s obviously a lot of potential here, but to succeed, you’ll need the right email marketing software. And that’s exactly why we’ve highlighted the best offerings here.

Bronto is one of the best email marketing software packages out there, providing you with easy-to-use commerce marketing automation for your business needs. It’s targeted specifically at retail companies, integrating specialist services such as Magento and Netsuite.

Using the system, you can manage a database of customer email addresses and send personalised campaigns to target specific customers at the right time. So if you’re running a sale on baby clothes, then you can target customers who have just had children or have bought baby items in the past.

The software is aimed at medium-sized and enterprise organisations, and it’s already used by major retailers like Trek and Lucky Brand.

CommuniGator is another well-respected company that offers email marketing and automation software for small and medium-sized businesses. The firm’s Gator Express tool lets you put together an email campaign within a matter of minutes, and you don’t need to have any coding or design skills. 

It offers a suite packed with expert-designed templates to ensure you have a campaign that looks good, plus there’s a drag-and-drop editor, so you can easily add different elements based on the type of campaign you’re working on. Every email is designed to be well-presented on mobile devices, and you have the option to send emails to a specific audience or customer group.

Even if you haven’t used email marketing software before, you’ve more than likely heard of MailChimp. Launched in 2001, it’s a veteran and leader in this arena, allowing users to create and send professional marketing emails to a database of customers. 

Like many other products, there’s a built-in designer that offers a selection of templates which can be edited to your tastes. You can add elements like clickable text, graphics and logos, and there’s also the option of designing your own email from scratch if you have the requisite coding skills. 

MailChimp does well on the integration front, too, especially for online retailers. You’re able to link the system up to services such as Shopify, WooCommerce and Magento to send targeted product campaigns. Once you’ve unleashed your campaign, you can analyse its performance via the report feature. The software is free-to-use, although there are premium business packages which you'll need to purchase.

Mapp Digital, which was created by BlueHornet Networks and TeraData, provides companies of all sizes with a package of tools for online marketers, covering crucial areas such as email, social, mobile push and web marketing. With email marketing in mind, Mapp offers an easy-to-use dashboard that lets companies design and execute successful campaigns.

The emphasis is on ensuring emails are customer-centric, with plenty of regard for brand image and generating meaningful results from audiences. More than 3,000 companies are using the software, including big firms like Puma, PepsiCo, KFC, Thomas Cook, Xerox, Lloyds Bank, TSB and more.

Tech giant Adobe is also a proven leader in the email marketing arena. Adobe Campaign gives you the ability to personalise and deliver a marketing push across a variety of online and offline channels. 

You can create campaigns by making use of a drag-and-drop platform, identify appropriate customer channels using integrated profiles, deliver contextual and timely campaigns, automate campaigns so you can focus time and energy in other areas, and get reports on how your campaigns are performing.

Shutterstock, which is a database of premium stock images, isn’t a company you’d think to associate with email marketing software. However, it’s just launched a new easy-to-use, web-based app that lets you quickly upload, edit, publish and share assets.

Editor offers businesses a way to find images and graphics for highly visual email campaigns, and there’s certainly no shortage of pics to choose from. The database recently surpassed 100 million images, covering a diverse range of categories.

Shutterstock Editor offers professionally designed templates, and lets you search for high-quality images, edit photos and illustrations using a range of tools, personalise designs by uploading a logo, and publish your creations on social media.

Campaign Monitor is a web-based platform, like many of the other offerings listed here, and it sports a professional-grade email builder that lets you create fully branded and personalised messages for customers. All emails are tailored to work well on a variety of different screen sizes and resolutions.

Once you’ve created a campaign, you’re able to send it to a list of subscribers automatically, or schedule it to go out at a set time. For example, if you have a Black Friday sale, you can schedule a campaign to go out in the early hours so customers are informed of certain deals with the maximum notice.

There’s handy list management facilities here, too, letting you manage all your customer emails and arrange them into target segments. The service is extremely popular, with over two million users from 200,000 businesses worldwide.



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Download of the day: Speccy

Get started with uTorrent

Friday, November 18, 2016

Weekly Roundup: Facebook’s fake news, MacBook Pro reviewed, first human CRISPR-ed

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 12, 2016, file photo, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers the keynote address at the F8 Facebook Developer Conference, in San Francisco. In an interview Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, with "The Facebook Effect" author David Kirkpatrick, Zuckerberg said the idea that Facebook influenced the outcome of the U.S. election is a "crazy idea." (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) Facebook’s fake news frenzy continued as the company came under scrutiny for its debated influence on the U.S. election, LinkedIn was blocked in Russia and a human CRISPR-ed for the first time. Also, the human species has about 1,000 years left according to Stephen Hawking. But do we deserve survival? The existence of Coca-Cola’s selfie bottle points toward no. Read More

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10 best security suites for 2016

 

Our computers are more secure than they’ve ever been, but unfortunately the threats they face are more sophisticated than ever too. That means security software isn’t just a nice thing to have; it’s essential, especially on Windows PCs.

As more of us move to multiple platforms, security suites have moved too – and you’ll find that some big-name suites now offer to protect not just PCs, but Macs and mobile devices too.

It’s hard to buy a bad security suite these days, but with wildly differing features and pricing it can sometimes be tough to pick the best one. These are our current favourites.

Bitdefender is a regular visitor to the top of the security charts, and with good reason – it’s lightning fast, exceptionally accurate and boasts a range of tools including secure browsing, a password manager and a very effective spam filter.

In its Total Security guise it also delivers password management, secure browsing, battery management, Wi-Fi protection, ransomware protection, system optimisation, file encryption and shredding, and a licence for five PCs, Macs or Android devices. Not bad for £59.99 (around $75, AU$95) per year. Bitdefender’s secret is simple: it’s very, very good at what it does.

Kaspersky is another name you’ll hear mentioned when talking about the top security players, and with good reason. The company’s Total Security product starts at £32 (around $40, AU$50) for one device, rising to £48 (around $60, AU$75) for five devices, with support for 10 devices setting you back £64 (around $80, AU$100) for a year’s coverage in each case. Pay for two years and you’ll get a bit of a discount at the lower-end of the scale, or a substantial one for the top-tier offerings.

Total Security protects PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices, with very solid security scanning supplemented with file backup and encryption, password management, parental controls and child safety measures, along with privacy protection, including a VPN for trace-free browsing. 

At £89.99 (around $110, AU$145) per year, the Intel-owned LiveSafe isn’t the cheapest product out there, but it’s particularly user-friendly. There are parental controls and anti-spam, password management and identity protection, website scanning and a guaranteed 100% virus removal or your money back. The licence covers unlimited PCs, Macs, phones and tablets, although as with any such suite the PC gets all the toys while Macs and mobile get a subset of the main package. 

Norton Security Premium is usually £59.99 (around $75, AU$95) per year for up to 10 PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices, but at the time of writing it’s just £39.99 (around $50, AU$65) – making it less than half the price of other premium suites.

Once again we have parental controls, identity protection and excellent malware scanning, and there’s also a useful Android feature that warns of dodgy apps – the biggest current source of Android malware. There’s a 100% virus removal guarantee, 25GB of cloud backup and a network firewall, but you don’t get a password manager or any system optimisation tools.

Here’s another security suite with big discounts: BullGuard is usually £69.96 (around $85, AU$110) per year for 3 PCs but always available for cheaper. Once again the basic antivirus protection is enhanced – you get parental controls, anti-spam, identity protection, 25GB of online backup and automatic upgrades, and BullGuard also offers to warn you about inappropriate content on your children’s social media. There’s no password manager or support for mobile devices, but BullGuard is a solid offering for protecting PCs. 

Oh look! Trend Micro is on sale! We’re starting to detect a trend here, and that trend would make us very wary of signing up for any security suite that isn’t currently offering a big discount on the RRP. You don’t want to be the only person who paid full price for a sofa, after all.

Trend Micro’s Maximum Security protects up to five PCs, Macs or mobiles for £41.97 (around $50, AU$65) per year (it’s usually £69.95 – which is about $85, AU$110), and the suite includes ransomware protection, identity protection, parental controls and a password manager. It also offers PC optimisation tools to speed up sluggish computers.

Avast is well known for its excellent free antivirus product, and its paid-for Internet Security starts at $49.99 (£40, AU$65) per year for one PC. In addition to the core antivirus/antimalware product you get router security, browser clean-up, password management, sandboxed downloads, DNS hijacking protection, secure browsing and anti-spam. It’s a very good product but it can’t help but look awfully expensive when everybody else appears to be offering double-digit discounting.

As with most security suites, the main tools within Panda Internet Security are for Windows, with additional apps for Mac, iOS and Android; although unusually the three-license option only allows one Mac installation. 

At this level you get antivirus, Wi-Fi protection, parental controls, backup and data protection as well as smartphone location and Android antivirus – but if you want file encryption, file shredding and PC tune-up tools you’ll need to move up a level to Global protection.

That starts at £38.49 (around $50, AU$60) for one PC, rising to £129.49 (around $160, AU$210) for unlimited devices.

AVG has done well from the freemium model, offering a very good antivirus package for nothing in the hope that it’ll drive sales of its paid-for products. 

At £69.99 (around $85, AU$110) per year for unlimited Windows, Mac and Android devices, AVG Ultimate is good value for money, especially if you’re a small business with lots of different devices.

The suite also boasts one of the fastest malware scanners around – although in independent testing that speed meant it was found to be missing some potential threats. 

There’s no password manager, secure browser or parental controls, but it’s a good option for protecting multiple PCs, Macs and Android devices.

F-Secure’s flagship product has three pricing options, to cover three, five or seven devices at £79.99 (around $100, AU$130), £99.99 (around $120, AU$160) and £119.99 (around $145, AU$190) per year respectively.

That’s at the higher-end of the market, but you do get a lot of tools for your money including a private VPN for encrypted connections to Wi-Fi hotspots and to evade geoblocking.

In actual fact, Total Security and Privacy is two products bolted together: the F-Secure SAFE security suite and F-Secure Freedome VPN. The suite covers Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices, although the Mac component is just antivirus.



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Top 10 best antivirus software for 2016

Whether it's browser hijackers grabbing your search page, or the latest ransomware encrypting all your files, every PC 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.

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.

Browse the lengthy feature list of Avast Free Antivirus and it might sound complex: antivirus, password auditing, a secure browser, software updater, network vulnerability checker, and more.

Fortunately, the program bundles everything into its 'Smart Scan'. Launch this with one click and you'll soon get a report listing any malware it has uncovered, software patches you're missing, potentially risky browser add-ons, weak or duplicate passwords, and more.

The top testing labs give mixed results for Avast Free's antivirus protection, rating it anything from excellent to mid-range. We've found it reliable, but a little more consistency in large-scale reviews would be welcome.

Where they do agree is on performance, with just about everyone saying the package has little impact on your PC's speed.

There are stronger products around, but if you're interested in its extra features, or want something that won't slow you down, give Avast Free Antivirus a try.

Opt for the Avira Pro Antivirus though and you get a few extra features like background, automatic software update and a proper Data Shredder. 

AVG - now owned by Avast - has struggled to keep up with the competition in the past few years, but don't rule out the company entirely – its latest engine is showing real signs of improvement.

Independent lab AV-Comparatives has consistently rated AVG in the top 10 for its Real-World Protection test. AV-Test has recently found it offers above average protection rates, with few false positives.

The free edition only provides the core antivirus and web protection basics, but it does have builds for Android and Mac, as well as Windows. Even better, you can remotely manage all your devices from a web console.

There are some issues. In particular, AVG AntiVirus Free doesn't get priority real-time updates, leaving you a little more vulnerable to the latest threats.

Just remember that Avast purchased AVG in July but we've been told that it is business as usual for now.

But you can fix this by buying the commercial release, paying extra adds an enhanced firewall, free support and anti spam functionality. Both products are solid, reliable, and the best AVG releases for a while.

At first glance, Avira Free Antivirus doesn't look like the best security choice. The interface is dated and relatively complex, there's a distinct shortage of extras, and even basic web protection requires installing a separate browser add-on.

The package scores where it matters, though, with all the big testing labs – AV-Comparatives, AV-Test and Virus Bulletin – giving it stellar ratings, comparable to high-end competitors like Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Avira Free is easier to use than it looks, too. The program can take care of most threats all on its own, and if you do need any assistance then a capable local help file explains everything you need to know.

You do get some bonus features, including a simplified interface to help you make use of the Windows firewall, and autorun blocking to reduce the risk from infected USB keys.

The package is also very lightweight. AV-Comparatives' April 2016 performance test placed Avira first out of 19 for having the least performance impact on a PC.

Overall, it's not flashy – there's no touch-friendly interface or HD icons here – but for value and pure desktop protection Avira Free Antivirus is hard to beat.

While Avira free antivirus does the job, its bigger brother, the Ultimate Edition Suite 2015, might be a better bet with support for up to three devices for three years for one user. 

You also get Laplink PCMover Express, DriveLock Private, SuperEasy Driver Updater and Avira Antivirus Pro for Android thrown in.

In a world packed with free security software, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2016's annual £29.95 fee may look expensive. But there are discounts available – a 3-device, 3-year licence costs £89.95 – 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 antiphishing 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 2016 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 2016 edition for not much more. It adds a firewall, parental control, antispam, file encryption and much more!

If you're tired of the junk that weighs down some antivirus tools, F-Secure Anti-Virus 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.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2016 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 2016 will serve you well.

For better, more rounded protection, Kaspersky also has 2016 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.

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 – £29.99 for year one, £39.99 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.

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 2016 is a likable and effective tool.

Although Panda Antivirus Free is a superb deal, you can get the Global Protection (2016 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.

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 10 (2016 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 on this front. 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 the company's 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.

Webroot SecurityAnywhere Antivirus comes with a money-back guarantee as well as 25GB of online backup. This is the 3-device pack that contains a card only (you will have to download the actual product, either for Windows or for Mac, and activate it).



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Download of the day: Artweaver Free

The best free anti-spyware and anti-malware software 2016

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Google signs on to the .NET Foundation as Samsung brings .NET support to Tizen

2016-11-15_1502 Microsoft is hosting its annual Connect(); developer event in New York today. With .NET being at the core of many of its efforts, including on the open-source side, it’s no surprise that the event also featured a few .NET-centric announcements, as well. For the most part, these center around the .NET Foundation, the open-source organization Microsoft established to guide the future… Read More

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The best free FTP client 2016

The best free photo editor 2016

Best business antivirus: 8 top paid security tools for small businesses

If you're looking to protect your company PCs from malware then you could just equip each one with your preferred free antivirus package. You'll get a reasonable level of protection, and it might well seem like you're keeping costs to a minimum.

Of course you'll have to manually install each copy. And train every user in its operation. And rely on them to let you know if there are any problems. And hope they won't turn off particular functions – or remove the whole package if they think it's getting in their way. The software may be free, but it could still have some major costs attached.

If you have plenty of systems to protect – 10 or more, let's say – it could make more sense to choose a business security solution. These can often be remotely installed over the network, and offer a central management console to monitor devices, and create fine-tuned security policies to enforce your preferred settings.

Best of all, the price per installation can sometimes be cheaper than even our recommended best home antivirus packages. So, what's on offer? We've checked out eight of the best business antivirus tools around in order to find out.

Most offer discounts if you buy a two or three-year package, so where possible we ordered them by their 10 PC, two-year package prices to maximise your savings. You can, of course, choose whichever package suits your needs best when buying.

All prices below are for one-year and five end points. You can of course customise these on the vendor's website.

If Avast Endpoint Protection looks cheap, that's because it's the most basic business product the company offers – there's core antivirus, browsing protection and remote management for PCs only. That may well be enough, though, and even if it isn't, moving up to the Endpoint Plus edition will get you a firewall, spam filter and server protection while still remaining good value.

The web-based management console covers the basics only: remote installations, updates, plus there's a scheduler for automatic scanning, real-time security alerts, and so on.

The antivirus protection you get is generally rated as good by independent testing, with Avast's engine blocking 99.7% of threats in AV-Comparative's September 2016 Real-World Protection report. If value for money and simplicity are key factors, Avast Endpoint Protection could be a sensible choice.

Symantec Endpoint Protection's first benefit is the company's Insight file reputation technology, an effective way to detect and block even the very latest undiscovered threats.

Other layers of protection include antivirus, behaviour monitoring, intrusion protection, a firewall, and the 'Power Eraser' to remove stubborn threats and repair your system.

Symantec's security policy options are a real highlight. You can set application blacklists or whitelists, control file and Registry access, restrict and control access to external media, and more, then monitor systems and enforce policies from a central console.

While there's no bundled protection for mobile devices, the package runs just about everywhere else: PCs, Macs, and a host of virtual environments and Linux distros.

Symantec Endpoint Protection isn't cheap, but if you need its high-end features and policy control options then it still looks like a good deal to us.

If reliable protection is a top priority, Bitdefender GravityZone Business Security needs to be on your shortlist. Bitdefender products are loved by the independent testing labs, highly rated for malware detection, removal, performance and usability.

Most of the features work automatically – antimalware, firewall, web advisor, URL filtering – but you can also customise the product to control user actions. You're able to restrict access to certain websites and applications, block the transmission of sensitive information, remotely deploy the product to unprotected systems, and allow or deny users the ability to modify their security settings.

All this is managed from a central console where you can control and monitor remote users, create and apply custom security policies by user, location (the product adapts when users are outside the company), and more.

Avira Antivirus for Endpoint is the company's main small business product. It takes all the core features you'd expect – antivirus, baseline network protection, web filtering – and extends them with file server protection and optimisation, along with application whitelisting and blacklisting.

Avira's Online Essentials web console lets you manage your devices. This is simpler than some of the high-end competition, but that's not necessarily a disadvantage, and there's some useful functionality here: drive partition reports, licence management, remote deployment, and assorted mobile phone tools (antitheft, phone finder, and more).

Avira Antivirus for Endpoint doesn't have the longest of feature lists, but it's easy to use, and offers excellent protection, regularly matching competitors like Bitdefender and Kaspersky in AV-Comparative's Real World tests.

Endpoint Security Cloud is Kaspersky's latest small business product, which comes ready to protect Windows PCs, file servers, Android and iOS devices.

The desktop side of the package has all the usual quality Kaspersky modules – antivirus, antispam, a firewall, more – but the mobile security technologies are even more impressive. There are tools to detect insecure devices, control password rules, manage camera use, filter unwanted calls and texts, and remotely lock or wipe data from lost devices.

That’s topped off with an easy-to-use web console managing network and Bluetooth configuration, internet access policies, device settings and more.

There's impressive levels of protection, too. Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud came first out of four contenders in AV-Comparatives' October 2016 Business Security Test, detecting and blocking 100% of known malware and exploits. The package also produced an above-average five false positives, so overall, it put in some impressive results.

Only available through value added resellers and specialist online retailers

Webroot SecureAnywhere products stand out immediately for being incredibly lightweight: they're tiny (2MB disk space), install so quickly you'll barely notice (from 5 seconds), and consume the absolute minimum of system resources.

Scans are fast, too, and because just about everything is done in the cloud, there are no bulky updates or definitions to download – you're always up-to-date.

Other features include behaviour monitoring, an outbound firewall, along with identity and privacy protection. These don't always have the power and options of other tools, but they're implemented with real intelligence, and generally cope well with day-to-day tasks.

A cloud-based console enables tracking all your installations, and the package runs on just about any Windows or macOS system.

Factor in the price and Webroot looks very appealing to us, but it really is a product you need to try for yourself to understand the benefits. If you're interested, grab a copy of the trial and see what it can do for you.

F-Secure Client Security Standard is a popular endpoint protection tool, highly rated by the independent testing labs.

Antivirus is just the start. There's also a firewall, intrusion detection, web filtering, online banking protection and device control.

If you need more, the Premium edition adds a software updater to scan for missing patches, and an option to restrict a user's web access by category. Whatever version you buy may be deployed and managed from a central console.

There are some issues here, in particular the fact that F-Secure's engine is more likely than most to flag legitimate software as malicious. But overall F-Secure Client Security Standard offers good protection for a reasonable price, and it's certainly a product worth thinking about.

Only available through value added resellers and specialist online retailers

Sophos Endpoint Protection Advanced is a powerful tool which uses many technologies to keep you safe. It blocks dangerous URLs, and is capable of detecting and removing exploit code, analysing behaviour to uncover even the very newest threats, and identifying endpoint connections with malicious servers to find compromised systems.

The results can be impressive, with the core engine doing an above-average job of blocking zero day threats, yet raising almost no false alerts at all.

There's a price to pay for this kind of safety, though: Sophos Endpoint Protection's background activities can noticeably impact your PC's performance.

There are some business-friendly features to compensate, including DLP along with device and application control, although other packages give you more at a much lower cost.

Only available through value added resellers and specialist online retailers



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