Recently in Computer Software Category

Isn't Internet security all about feeling secure? But it seems that just when you think you're secure, another virus, worm or other cyber-nasty announces itself either on the web or in an email from a friend.

I've always put great faith in Norton products to supply the utilities needed to make my computer run fast and smooth. Well, Norton Internet Security 2006 does just that. (I'm not alone in that faith -- Symantec -- Norton's "parent" -- protects more than 370 million computer or email accounts worldwide.)

Here's what the 2006 model has to offer:

    * Automatically filters spam and phishing email
    * Automatically removes viruses, Trojan horses and worms
    * Automatically blocks intruders and identity thieves
    * Hides your computer from hackers
    * Scans email and IM attachments for virus threats
    * Alerts you to serious virus outbreaks and adjusts your security settings accordingly
    * Gives you control over all incoming and outgoing Internet traffic
    * Prevents confidential information from being sent without your permission
    * Blocks Web sites you don't want your children -- or others -- to visit
    * Blocks banner ads and popup windows

New features include:

    * Automatically detects and blocks high-risk spyware and adware programs before they are installed on your system
    * Now includes 12 months of protection updates and new product features as available throughout the year
    * On-going protection keeps your computer protected from the latest Internet risks by automatically renewing your subscription at the regular subscription price (plus applicable tax) -- if you want
    * Inspects your computer for security holes with one click
    * Detects and removes dangerous spyware, keystroke loggers and other unwanted monitoring software

It packs a wallop!

Price: $69.99 (download or retail)

www.symantec.com

Microsoft has released the beta of Office Live, which offers small-business owners (and others!) the opportunity to sample (for free) the company’s new Internet-based software services.  If you’re interested in participating in the beta program, register online at http://www.OfficeLive.com.

The illustration below is the screen users would see when they sign up for Microsoft Office Live.

Office Live is designed to help lower the barriers to doing business online by offering small companies a set of Internet-based business services. Designed for ease of use and affordability, the online services are designed to give small businesses the same advantages as larger enterprises by getting them up and running on the Internet quickly, easily and inexpensively without traditional enterprise management requirements.

Microsoft Office Live offers free domain name, Web site and company e-mail accounts that are advertising-supported to more comprehensible services available on a subscription-fee basis. The offerings are designed to be especially attractive to companies with 10 or fewer employees, which typically lack in-house technical resources or the budget to keep an IT person on staff.

An all-in-one solution supported by online advertising, the beta trial offers free versions of all three Microsoft Office Live versions included in the initial public release:
• Microsoft Office Live Basics. A collection of free services (advertising-supported) will provide a small business with the core requirements for establishing an online identity. Services include a company domain name; five e-mail accounts using that company domain name, each with 2 GB of storage; a Web site with 30 MB of file storage space; an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop design tool for creating a professional-quality Web site; and a tool for monitoring and analyzing Web site traffic. Below is a screen shot of Live Mail.

• Microsoft Office Live Collaboration. Designed for small businesses that may already have a Web site, this subscription offering provides a rich, versatile set of Internet-based business management tools that are managed and maintained by Microsoft. Based on Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services technology, the Microsoft Office Live Collaboration service offers small businesses password-protected online workspaces (intranets and extranets). Capabilities include customer management, project management, sales and marketing management, employee management and company administration as well as password-protected internal shared sites to facilitate collaboration among employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners.

• Microsoft Office Live Essentials. A comprehensive set of business services, this subscription offering will provide the resources and collaboration tools needed to establish and manage a small business online. Services include a company domain name; 50 e-mail accounts using that company domain name, each with 2 GB of storage; a Web site with 50 MB of file storage space; the same Web design tool as Microsoft Office Live Basics, plus Microsoft Office FrontPage support for advanced Web design; more advanced Web site analytics; and a rich set of Internet-based applications to help small-business owners streamline and automate daily business tasks, such as management of customers, projects and documents.

All three Microsoft Office Live services are designed to work independently, as well as to integrate with other programs in the Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

For those of you who fear no beta and love to be the first one to get your hands on anything new, Microsoft is making a beta preview of its upcoming web browser, IE 7, available to developers and enthusiasts at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/ie7/default.mspx.

(You may call this product by its full name, Internet Explorer 7, too.)

IE 7 offers dynamic security protection and makes everyday tasks easier with improved platform and manageability (at least according to Microsoft). I'm sure they have listened and learned from all of those error reports they receive daily. (I wonder what they've learned from Firefox and Netscape.)

If you do go for it, let us know how you like -- or hate -- it ...

There's plenty of action now that CES in Las Vegas has opened, but much of the big news and buzz today centers around Bill Gates' keynote speech and the formal introduction of the next generation of the Windows operating system -- Vista.

I'll leave it to others to go into all the nifty features of the Microsoft OS -- many of them directly influenced (or more) by Apple's Macintosh OS X -- but I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing for better, not newer. How about less flash in the features and more reliability under the hood? And wouldn't it be nice if Vista ran smoothly on all of our existing computers?

Anybody out there think differently? The phone lines are open ...

I can’t say enough good things about Adobe’s Acrobat 7.0 Professional.  While Adobe’s Reader software is invaluable for anyone looking at company literature (particularly PDF product files) on the web, Acrobat 7.0 Professional opens up the review, markup and approval process by enabling enhanced capabilities in Adobe Reader. 

Not to be outdone, in addition to the ability to reliably view and print Adobe PDF files, Adobe Reader 7.0 now offers more powerful capabilities.  Users can participate in document reviews, have Yahoo! Search capabilities at their fingertips and can interact with 3D objects placed in PDF. 

Adobe has distributed more than half-a-billion copies of Adobe Reader since its 1993 introduction.  If you’re not one of those half-a-billion, the free download is available at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Acrobat 7.0 comes in two versions – Professional ($449 or as a $159 upgrade) and Standard ($299 or as a $99 upgrade) – directly from the Abode web site (www.adobe.com).

With its recent purchase of Macromedia and its Flash technologies, this is one company – and product line – to keep a close watch on this year.