Avast 2014 update improves detection, performance and compatibility
Avast Software has announced the update of Avast 2014 (including Free Antivirus 2014, Internet Security 2014 and Premier 2014) to build 9.0.2011. Don’t be fooled by the minor version number, though -- this is a major update with some significant new features.
The installer now uses Avast's self-defense driver from the moment it launches, for instance, making it much more difficult for active malware to shut it down.
herdProtect scans your PC for threats with 68 anti-malware engines
Your PC has been behaving strangely for the past few days. You’re wondering if it’s been infected by malware, but your antivirus package hasn’t raised any alerts. And so it could be time to call in herdProtect, which checks your PC with 68 anti-malware engines and warns you of any threats.
The program is extremely straightforward to use. There’s no awkward interface no navigate, no complex options to consider: just manually launch it and click "Scan".
Keep desktop icons out of sight with AutoHideDesktopIcons
Is your desktop a cluttered mess of shortcuts, files and folders? If you can never quite find the time to clear it up, then you might appreciate AutoHideDesktopIcons, a free tool which hides any desktop icons until you need them.
The program is portable, no installation required; just run it, click "To-Tray", and wait. Within five seconds your desktop icons will vanish. When you need them, left click the desktop and they’ll return. Easy.
Notepad too limited? Give Poet a try
If you’ve finally given up on Notepad and its extreme lack of features, then Googling for "Notepad replacement" will point you towards plenty of alternatives. But these can be very complex, packed with developer-oriented features, not so welcome if you’re mostly only interested in simple plain text editing.
Poet is a little different. While it can be used as a simple programmer’s editor (there’s customizable syntax highlighting, for instance), it doesn’t pile on the unnecessary extras. You can’t sort or split lines, there’s no column editing, no XML manager, no built-in telnet client. And although the program has some useful bonus tools of its own, they generally stay out of your way, only appearing when you need them.
Quickly take, upload and share screengrabs with ICUP
There’s not exactly a shortage of PC screen capture tools around, but Starpunch’s Chris Gingerich has just added another with ICUP (Image Capture and Upload Program). Is it worth your time? We took a look.
Setup is unusually flexible. Run ICUP.exe and it’ll offer to install itself locally; refuse and it’ll run as a portable version, with the option to install it fully later. Either way, there’s no adware or other marketing trickery here.
PhraseExpress 10 debuts phrase searches, Outlook add-in, input validation
Bartels Media has announced the availability of PhraseExpress 10, its powerful text expansion and auto completion tool. The company describes the release as a "cornerstone", and that’s not an overstatement: it’s absolutely packed with major new features.
These start with the ability to search within a popup for whatever phrase you need. Forget shortcuts and hotkeys, they’re no longer necessary; just trigger a popup, type a few characters, and matching phrases appear right away. Even if they’re in a subfolder.
It’s Christmas! Get into the holiday spirit with these desktop decorations
Christmas is coming. And soon! Okay, we don’t have time to prepare just yet, either, but there are quick and easy ways to get into the holiday mood. Just giving your PC a little desktop decoration can make a real difference, and there are plenty of fun options around.
Microsoft’s Snowy Night theme is a great place to start, thanks to 13 beautiful winter photos from around the world. (The theme only works on Windows 7/ 8, but 7-Zip will extract the wallpapers so that you can use them anywhere.)
Kaspersky Internet Security 2014 tops latest AV Comparatives 'real-world' test
Security software testing lab AV Comparatives has released its August-November 2013 "real-world" protection report, which assesses the accuracy of leading antivirus tools when confronted by a range of malicious files and websites.
Topping the tables this time was Kaspersky Internet Security 2014, with the package achieving a detection rate of 99.9 percent without blocking a single legitimate domain or file.
Compress PNGs up to 40 percent with Image Optimizer
PNG is a great format for compressing images without any loss in quality, but its files are usually much larger than the equivalent JPEGs, and that can be a problem. Especially when you’re using them on a website.
There are tools which can help, though, by using various lossless compression techniques to slim down your graphics. Daanav Software’s Image Optimizer is the latest, and we downloaded a copy to run a few tests.
Adobe Lightroom extends camera support, fixes bugs -- lots of bugs.
Adobe has updated Lightroom to 5.3 with extended camera support, new lens profiles and a lengthy list of bug fixes.
The upgrade includes support for 20 recently-related cameras, including the Canon PowerShot S120 and EOS M2, Casio’s EX-10, Fujifilm FinePix XQ1, Nikon 1 AW1, Olympus Stylus 1, Pentax K-3 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10.
Paragon releases Partition Manager 2014 Free
Paragon Software Group has released Paragon Partition Manager 2014 Free, the cut-down, free-for-personal-use edition of its Hard Disk Manager 14 Suite. The big addition this time is complete support for Windows Storage Spaces, Windows 8 and 8.1.
The previous Express Mode launcher now has a Windows 8-style interface. It’s surprisingly realistic, too, right down to a "live tile" with an animated "Upgrade to Hard Disk Manager 14 Suite" ad. (If you’re not a Modern UI fan, the regular "full scale launcher" is still available, and looks much as it always did.)
SUPERAntiSpyware 5.7 now available
Support.com has announced the availability of SUPERAntiSpyware 5.7. The new release can now identify and remove "potentially unwanted programs": toolbars, browser extensions, and software which is commonly bundled with adware installers.
SUPERAntiSpyware’s various tools -- Repair, Scan Logs, Quarantine, Preferences and more -- are now all accessible from the "System Tools and Program Settings" dialog.
Express Project is a free project management tool
Project management tools are generally aimed at large businesses, and perhaps as a result tend to be bulky, expensive, and difficult to use.
Fortunately, NCH’s Software’s Express Project is, well, different: a 209KB download (and that’s the whole program, not just an installer), entirely free (no adware), and so simple that anyone familiar with project management basics will have mastered it within minutes.
Backup4all gains cloud backup support
Romanian developer Softland has announced the release of Backup4all 5.0, a major update of its flagship backup package.
As previously, the program is available in Lite ($19.99), Standard ($39.99) and Professional (currently $49.99) editions. And perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the high-end Backup4all Professional edition which gains the most, with support for backing up to Microsoft Azure and Amazon S3 destinations.
Take control of the Windows firewall with Tweaking.com’s 'Allow, Block or Remove'
If you’re currently using the Windows firewall then you’ll know the system can work well: it’s lightweight, configurable, and generally does a good job of blocking incoming attacks. But it’s not always easy to use, and deciding which programs can (or can’t) go online is a particularly tricky process.
Fortunately Tweaking.com’s latest tool, "Allow, Block or Remove", is on hand to help. There are no complex dialogs here, no lengthy lists of rules, protocols, ports or anything else. Instead, just find the executable you’d like to configure in Explorer, and you can block or allow it through the firewall in a couple of clicks.
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