best android security apps

1. Lookout Mobile Security

Lookout must be one of the first apps you must install right after buying an Android device. Lookout comes in two versions – free and premium. The free version lets you scan your phone/tablet for malware, back-up and restore your data online, and also to recover your lost phone. Though the free version is good enough for basic users, the premium version provides remote lock and wipe capabilities, enhanced backup and privacy advisor, all these for $3 per month (or $30 per year).

2. Norton Mobile Security Beta

Symantec’s Norton is one of the early entrants to the android security app space and they do have a quality product to show off. Now that we interact and use smartphones a lot, we leave a lot of private and confidential data within. Norton Mobile security (beta) allows you to remotely lock and/or wipe your phone data via a text message

 

3. AVG Antivirus Free

AntivirusFree from AVG (Droid Security) is a basic, yet popular Android security app which provides antivirus scan, malware scan, internet security, theft protection, remote lock/wipeout and SMS spam protection – everything for free. It does have a paid version – AntivirusPro which has even more functionality like premium SMS security and ad-free UI. Pro version costs $9.99, but for many users, the free version should suffice

4. WaveSecure Mobile Security

One of the earliest entrants to the android security marketplace, WaveSecure has made a name for itself amongst Android users. It was recently acquired by McAfee (which was acquired by Intel), doesn’t offer anti-virus protection at this point, though it does provide backup and restore functionality, as well as the ability to locate, lock or wipe a device remotely. At $19.90/year it’s considered to be pricey by many especially since Norton’s Android security app does most of the things for free!

5. SMobile Security Shield

SMobile’s Security Shield app costs a whopping $29.99/year, but offers anti-virus scanning, anti-theft protection, remote device lock, and remote device wipe. What’s more? it even provides anti-spam protection, firewall and parental control features.

6. NetQin Android anti-virus

NetQin’s Mobile anti-virus app for android is a cloud based security app and protects your android device against virus and malware attacks. It also comes with anti-lost feature based on GPS tracking and also a full cross-server contacts backup system also provide full protection for users’ data.

 

7. F-Secure Anti-Theft for Mobile

One of my personal favorites, when it comes to security, F-secure has released a dedicated app for mobile anti-theft which includes support for Android as well. As the name suggest, Anti-Theft feature ensures that that your personal information won’t be misused by anyone. f you suspect your phone is missing, remotely lock it or wipe the data so that your private text messages or pictures don’t end up in the wrong hands. You can also locate your phone remotely. You can download it for free!

8. F-Secure Mobile Security

F-secure’s mobile security app is a complete protection for your android device which includes antivirus scan, malware scan, browsing protection, remote locate and data protection. Unlike anti-theft app, this one will cost you $39.99 per year.

cyberattack targets iPhone, Facebook, Foursquare in 2011

According to a report released Wednesday by McAfee, Malicious coders and all-out cybercrooks will target newer and hipper forms of digital communication in 2011.
Here's a quick look at some of the types of threats it highlights:
Location services
Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places,which let mobile phone users alert their friends to their current whereabouts,pose an increasing security threat, the report says. Location-tagged Twitter posts are also a worry.

Social media
This is kind of a no-brainer. If criminals know lots of stuff about you from social media posts and profiles, they can use that information to try to trick you into trusting potential scammers. Security geeks call this "spear phishing."

URL shorteners
These sites,like bit.ly, is.gd and tinyurl.com,take long internet addresses and shorten them so that they are easier to send via e-mail, text or Twitter.
But with convenience comes risk, the report says.
"The trouble,and abuse,follows because users do not know where these shortened links actually lead until they click them. This is a huge opportunity for abuse," McAfee says.

Smartphones
There haven't been many cases of cyberattacks on smartphones.
But McAfee says that's about to change.
"McAfee Labs predicts that 2011 will be a turning point for threats to mobile devices," the report says, adding: "The widespread adoption of mobile devices into business environments combined with these and other attacks is likely to bring about the explosion we've long anticipated."

Apple operating systems
If you know an Apple-head, you've probably heard him or her say something to this effect: "My Mac NEVER gets bugs or viruses."
"The popularity of iPads and iPhones in business environments and the easy portability of malicious code between them could put many users and businesses at risk next year and beyond," the report says."
"The lack of user understanding regarding exposure on these platforms and the lack of deployed security solutions make a fertile landscape for cyber criminals. McAfee Labs expects to see botnets and Trojans (types of cyber attacks and viruses) move from a rare encounter to a more common occurrence on Apple platforms in 2011."

Hacktivism
"Hacktivists" are internet activists who shut down websites and cause other digital trouble to make a political point. The most recent high-profile example of this was the WikiLeaks saga, when hacktivists shut down credit-card websites as a show of support for that document-leaking website.
Hacktivism is at least a decade old. But it will continue to be prevalent in 2011, McAfee says, partly because of the attention WikiLeaks has drawn to the activity.

Source: cnn.com

Skype's New App Brings Video Chat To The iPhone, iPad And iPod Touch

Skype is launching a brand new version of its iPhone app that includes the ability to turn on video in any Skype chat.

Users can make free Skype-to-Skype video calls over AT&T’s 3G network and on Wi-Fi. Android phones are not yet compatible.

Video chatting is already popular among people who use Skype on their computers, accounting for 40 percent of all Skype minutes during the first half of this year. However, Skype's mobile phone users have been unable to make and receive video calls until now.

The beauty of the app is that it brings free video calling to iPhone 3G devices, iPad and iPod Touch, all of which couldn't run Apple's video calling feature.
Skype’s new app is compatible with recent iPhones and iPod Touches. Recent iPads can receive video calls, but not make them.
[TechCrunch]

Apple could release three different versions of iPad 2

Apple's next-generation iPad could arrive in three versions, each offering a different way to connect to the Internet, in an attempt to attract more consumers, according to a report from a Taiwanese news website.
The second-gen iPad, which many have taken to calling the iPad 2 as rumors and speculation about Apple's next tablet have increased in recent months, might also go into production as soon as the second half of January, according to a report from the website DigiTimes.

DigiTimes also reported that about 60% to 65% of current iPad shipments are models equipped with both 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities, versus Wi-Fi-only models, and that Apple is working closely with telecommunications companies to offer more wireless options for the iPad 2.

Currently, 3G service for the iPad is only available for the iPad through AT&T, though other carriers such as Verizon and Sprint sell 3G mobile hotspot devices that can work with Wi-Fi versions of the massively popular tablet.

Last week, the Japanese website Macotakara published a video of what it said was a prototype case for the rumored iPad 2. Macotakara reported a rumor that the next iPad is likely to feature a flat back as opposed to the rounded back of the current model.

Rumors from past months and weeks have led to speculation that the iPad 2 will feature one or two cameras, possibly for use with Apple's FaceTime video chat standard, and improvements such as a lighter and thinner design.

Oracle Launches Exalogic Cloud Software for Java Deployments

Oracle on Dec. 8 launched Exalogic Elastic Cloud X2-2, a new-generation Java application infrastructure for virtual machines.

The Elastic Cloud X2-2 is the cloud middleware expressly designed for Oracle's SPARC Exalogic, which is the company's new hardware platform for cloud systems. Its sister product, Exadata, is the SPARC database server. Oracle isn't shy about claiming that they're both the fastest in the world at what they do.

Elastic Cloud X2-2 on the Exalogic is powered by either x86 Wintel processors or Sun SPARC chips [which run Solaris OS], whichever the user prefers.

At OracleWorld in September 2010, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Chief Hardware Executive John Fowler showed the x86 Exalogic as a 30-server, 360-core system that companies can use to run their own private clouds in a single rack

Elastic Cloud X2-2 on the Exadata machine is a pretty powerful system. It combines 64-bit x86 processors, an InfiniBand-based I/O fabric and solid-state storage with the Oracle WebLogic Server, other enterprise Java Oracle middleware products and a choice of Oracle Solaris or Oracle Linux operating systems.

Source :eWeek

Facebook Overtakes Google To Become Most Visited Website In 2010

According to Hitwise data released today, Facebook.com was the top visited website in the US in 2010, taking up 8.93 % of site visits between January and November 2010. Google.com came in second at 7.19%, Yahoo Mail is third with 3.52% and Yahoo.com is fourth at 3.30%. YouTube came in fifth at 2.65 %.

While this is the first time Facebook has been named most visited site of the year (crowding out last year’s winner Google), the visits to Google properties combined still cover 9.85% of all site visits, making Google still a formidable opponent. "Facebook" also ranked #1 for most searched term of the year directly in front of the hilarious "Facebook login" at #2.

Octopus Attachable Battery For iPod And iPhone

The Octopus Attachable Battery is an external battery back-up that can provide additional power to your Apple iPod or iPhone in case they run out of juice. What makes it unique is that it comes with eight suction cups on one side that can be used to attach itself into your device. This makes it easier to use with the external battery and your device attached to each other. The Octopus Attachable Battery is available at Chinavasion for US$30.

you can get at Chinavision

Samsung intros NX11 and WB700 digital cameras

Samsung launched two of its digital camera that will be shown to the public at Consumer Electronics Show. First is the mirrorless compact NX11 camera from the NX Series. The NX11 is an upgrade to its NX10 camera and sports a revamped design and i-Function lens support.

With the help of i-Function lens, photographers can adjust settings like aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance directly from the lens while shooting. The NX11 is equipped with an APS-C sensor, which means DSLR-like picture quality, 14.6MP resolution support, 3-inch AMOLED display, VGA electronic viewfinder, 720p HD video recording, face detection, various shooting modes etc. It will start selling from February for $649

Another camera that was shown today is WB700. This point-and-shoot camera boasts an ultra-zoom of up to 24X with the help of a 24mm Schneider-KREUZNACH lens supporting 18X of optical zoom and 1.3X of Smart zoom. The camera can take pictures in up to 16MP resolution and features zoom noise reduction, dual image stabilization, full HD video recording, HDMI-out, Smart Filter 2.0 and RAW image support. The WB700 will start retailing from April for $299.99.

How to post from Twitter to Facebook

Below are few apps that allows you to do the function. Easily update your Facebook status from twitter.

Selective tweets

As the name suggest, you can post selective tweets to your Facebook update. Just install the app and connect with your twitter account. Once you've authorized your twitter account, when ever you want to post an update to facebook, just end your tweet with #fb , so that it sends the tweet to your Facebook status update.

Smart Twitter

Smart Twitter updates your Facebook status from your twitter status. However, it lets your configure which tweets get copied to Facebook. By default it doesn't copy tweets like @replies, retweets, or #hashtags, but you can change these settings.

Ftwitter app

Fwitter updates your status with your latest tweet.

Do let us know if you've tried out any other Facebook app that allows you to post tweets into Facebook status updates.

Samsung Galaxy Player Launch At CES 2011

Samsung is planning on launching the Samsung Galaxy Player at CES 2011. The Samsung Galaxy Player is an Android powered device.

Samsung Hub reported that the media player will be modeled after the Galaxy S smartphone, running the Android OS 2.2 Froyo. Furthermore, the Galaxy Player would feature two cameras, front and rear facing, coming in 8, 16, and 32 GB models.

Specs

• 9.9 mm wide
• 1 GHz Hummingbird processor
• 4-inch LCD screen with up to WVGA resolution (800 x 400)
• SoundAlive audio enchancing technology
• Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth 3.0 enabled
• 3.2 MP rear-camera
• HD video playback
• microSD card slot
• Android Market and Samsung Apps access

Middle East Most Visited Websites During 2010

Here are Middle East's most visited websites:

1. Yahoo! Maktoob – previously Maktoob.com Founded in 1998 by Samih Toukan and Hussam Khoury in Jordan was the first Arabic email service in the world. Now part of Yahoo! Inc. (Yahoo acquired Maktoob on the 25th Aug 2009).
   
   
   Maktoob is a news and email portal in addition to it being the region’s largest network of forums, as the majority of it’s content is in the Arabic language.
2. Kooora.com Founded in 2002, By Khaled Al Dosri in Bahrain. Kooora (slang Arabic for ball) is the largest network of Arabic forums that discuss/provide football news in the world. Kooora also provides an English version under Goalzz.com.
3. Fatakat.com started as a family project in Cairo back in 1997. Fatakat is an Arabic network targeting Arab women that hosts sections on Cooking, Marriage, Gaming, Video, Photos while almost 80% of its traffic is generated by its forums alone.
4. Traidnt.net Founded in 2004 by Khalid Al Qahtni in Saudi Arabia. Traidnt is a network of Arabic forums that is specialized in technical information and tutorials related to web development, design, and forum hosting.
   
   
   Traidnt is also a web development and hosting shop based in Saudi many regional forums currently use.
5. Myegy.com Founded in 2005 by an anonymous web developer who goes simply by Khaled M. in Cairo Egypt.
   
   Myegy is the region’s largest website for downloading infringed copyrighted media in both English and Arabic.
6. Aljazeera.net is the home of the region’s leading news network Al Jazeera founded 1996 in Qatar. Providing news in both English and Arabic languages, Al Jazeera is one of the only leading portals that generate the bulk of their own content.
7. Masrawy.com Founded in 1999 by Nancy Bassiouny and Gamal Selim now owned by LINKonLINE (a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Holding). It hosts a variety of news content and videos channel. Plus it includes services as Classifieds, Food Delivery, Mail, Hosting, and Games.
8. Youm7.com Founded during 2007, by Egyptian Company for Journalism and Advertising, it is an electronic journal; The Editor-in-Chief is Khaled Saleh.
9. Yallakora.com Founded in 2002, By LINKonLINE (a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Holding). YallaKora is portal providing everything and anything related to Football in Arabic and English with a focus on regional football coverage and multimedia.
10. Jeeran.com Founded in 2000 by Omar Koudsi and Laith Zraikat, Jordan. The website is one of the region’s leading Arabic Blogging, Musical and Social Networking platforms.

Source : thenextweb.com

Samsung to unveil world’s ‘thinnest’ Blu-ray player at CES

Samsung has announced that it will be unveiling the “thinnest Blu-ray player in the world” at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Not much is known about the device’s core features aside from the fact that it is just under an inch thick (23mm) and will be able to convert conventional 2D images into “quasi-3D” images, according to PC World.
 It’s also expected that the device will allow for wall mounting and be Internet-ready with support for Facebook,YouTube, Twitter, etc.
Samsung’s quest for having the slenderest of the slender when it comes Blu-ray players is not a recent development. The Korean company released a 39mm player in 2009 that seems positively obese when compared to the 29mm model it touted in 2010. And next year’s model looks to achieve supermodel proportions coming in at just 23mm. 

Onkyo unveils 10.1" TA117 tablet with Tegra 2

Onkyo  has unveiled its TA117 tablet, which will ship in two versions: the TA117C1 and TA117C3. Both models run Android 2.2 Froyo, sport a 10.1-inch touchscreen with a 1024x600 resolution, and are powered by Nvidia's 1GHz Tegra 250 system-on-a-chip. 

Each measures 267 x 173 x 14.8mm and features built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI-out, a front-mounted 1.3-megapixel camera, and a connector for an optional dock. Both iterations are practically identical, except the TA117C1 carries 512MB of DDR2 RAM with 8GB of internal storage, whereas the C3 raises that to 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage.

The TA117 is reportedly set to ship in Japan on December 31 for an undisclosed price, and there's no word on global availability. For what it's worth, Akihabara reports that preorders might open tomorrow at GeekStuff4U.com, which ships internationally and accepts both euros and US dollars


 

CityVille passes FarmVille as most played game on Facebook

CityVille has surpassed FarmVille as the most popular application on Facebook.

About 69 million have played CityVille over the last 30 days, according to a Monday report from AppData, a website that tracks the use of Facebook applications.

FarmVille, formerly the most used app on Facebook, has been played by about 57 million people over the last month, said AppData, which collects information on more than 75,000 apps directly from Facebook.

Both CityVille and FarmVille are made by Zynga, a San Francisco-based company that also makes the fourth- and fifth-most popular Facebook apps, FrontierVille and Texas HoldEm Poker.

 In CityVille, players create digital cities that they manage as mayor, deciding how in-game funds are spent to nurture local businesses, build infrastructure and attract residents.

Just as in FarmVille, players can visit the communities their friends create in the game and even operate businesses in their friends' cities.

most anticipated gadgets for 2011

iPad 2
Apple could simply morph the current iPad into a different size and it will still break all sales records. But here’s hoping the company listened to the criticism of the original iPad and worked in some of the suggestions. Early leaks seem to indicate that it will at least have a camera, which only makes sense with Apple’s recent Facetime virtual product strategy. A lower price would be nice as well even if it means a smaller screen size.

BlackBerry PlayBook
RIM knows a thing or two about what the enterprise market wants in mobile — maybe even more so than Microsoft or Apple. That’s where the PlayBook will make the biggest impression. Corporations will likely snap up the PlayBook instead of the iPad as long as it integrates with their IT infrastructure without issue. The PlayBook might not be as a big of a hit with the direct consumer market — it will likely steal Samsung Galaxy Tab sales rather than iPad sales — but RIM will be just fine as long as companies and government agents buy them for execs.

Motorola Droid Tablet
Motorola knows how to make Android handsets. The hardware is top-notch. So is the marketing. Motorola and Google have been said to be working closely on the tablet so it should correct many of the downsides of the current Android tablets. Hopefully both companies follow Apple’s lead by creating a product centered around the user experience, not hardware specs — but having a Tegra 2 in there will be nice.

PalmPad
WebOS provides a fantastic user experience and just feels like it could be even better on a larger screen. The PalmPad’s philosophy will likely be a lot like the iPad’s where hardware takes second chair to the software. Then with the power of HP’s market-leading manufacturing and distribution channels, the PalmPad is set to be a hit.

Sony PSP phone
Apple pretty much has the mobile gaming field to themselves right now. There are only a handful of Android games worth talking about. But there are a plethora of PSP games. If Sony can combine the mobile power of Android with the gaming library of the PSP, it would instantly capture a significant chunk of the tasty Android marketshare pie. Well, as long as it launches on the right carrier at a competitive price.

Notion Ink Adam
The price is right and the hardware seems adequate. The software demos released by the company show a smooth and fluid interface. The young company made some marketing blunders primarily by over-promising and under-delivering, but if the Adam actually starts to ship worldwide on time and lives up to the hype, it could be a great tablet for many users.

Chevy Volt 2.0
The next Voltec vehicle is said to bring the technology downmarket a bit. This was of course the plan all along as automakers develop platforms that are shared by many vehicles, but a lower-priced Volt should act as a counter to many of the arguments against the high price. This cheaper Volt will likely have a more pedestrian styling and lack some of the techno-wiz gadgets on the inside of the Volt. It’s the price that matters. The goal should be to bring the price closer to the $30k mark before government tax credits kick in.

The Old Republic
The Old Republic should be a very important game in 2011, but that’s assuming EA Louse’s accusations weren’t truthful. The Louse shook the industry to its very core a few weeks ago when he (it?) accused BioWare of being a bunch of bumbling fools who have no idea what they’re doing, burning through cash like they’re in a Rick Ross video. (Does he burn cash in videos? It seems like something he’d do.) But considering the game has literally years of hype going for it, I can’t see it being anything but a big hit—at least for the first month

Top BitTorrent Search Terms 2010

TorrentFreak has released the BitTorrent Zeitgeist 2010, a list of the 100 most searched-for phrases and keywords in 2010 on one of the most popular public BitTorrent indexes, KickassTorrents.com

Here’s the top 20:

1. inception
2. iron man 2
3. 2010
4. xxx
5. french
6. avatar
7. dvdrip
8. despicable me
9. porn
10. clash of the titans
11. toy story 3
12. glee
13. salt
14. twilight eclipse
15. dexter
16. the sorcerer’s apprentice
17. axxo
18. robin hood
19. prince of persia
20. windows 7

Yike Bike

The Yike Bike is a unique portable bicycle designed to bring along with you anywhere. It is a convenient foldable bike that is super light and has a small form factor when folded, making it easy to store and carry. But what probably makes it unique is that it is a super light electric bike. A 40 minute re-charge can make it go for 10 km and has a maximum speed of 23 kmh. It’s a wonderful mode of portable transportation, if only it costs a lot less than its US$3,595 price tag. It is available at the Yike Bike site for you to check out.

Image Source: Yike Bike

DC Universe Online Becomes Live on January 2011

Sony Online Entertainment is about to release a brand-new MMORPG based on the characters of DC Comics, which includes the likes of Superman, Joker, and Wonder Woman. DC Universe Online is set at present time, where players assume a hero or villain character and take on quests from their mentors (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for the heroes; Joker, Lex Luthor, and Circe for the villains) as well as other non-playable characters.

There are, however, several downers in playing this game. For one, players cannot choose to play as Superman or The Joker because they serve as your mentors. Oh, and did we mention that the game is not free in the first place?

The MMO will cost US$15 per month to play or go for a lifetime subscription for $199. The hard copy, meanwhile, will be $49 for the PC version and $59 for the PS3. Those who have played the beta would have to start over once the game becomes officially live on January 11, 2011.

Source: CrunchGear

App Inventor for Android

App Inventor for Android makes it easier for people to access the capabilities of their Android phones and create apps for their personal use. Until now, it was only available to a group of people who requested and received invitations. Last week, Google announced that App Inventor (beta) is now available to anyone with a Google account. Visit the App Inventor homepage to get set up and start building your own Android app—and be sure to share your App Inventor story on the Google App Inventor user forum!

Instagram Gets 1 Million Users

Phone photo sharing application Instagram announced today that it has hit 1 million registered users, a mere 10 weeks after the app launched to the public. The company had all kinds of odds against it, yet here it is - fast growing and widely loved. As M.G. Siegler wrote in a good profile of Instagram today, it took Foursquare a year to hit 1 million users and Twitter, two years.
ts users like the filters it offers, the community they find there and the ease of cross-posting Instagrammed photos out to other networks like Flickr, Facebook and Foursquare. It's really as simple as that; and look at all the reasons that logic would imply that it shouldn't have worked.

Coca Cola and Google offer sponsored live wallpaper

he soft drink retailer has teamed up with Google’s AdMob team to develop the first sponsored live wallpaper for Android devices, celebrating the holiday season with its annual holiday commercial.

Live wallpapers go further than a static image, responding to user input and phone movement, also reacting to the time and device’s location. The Coca Cola wallpaper will take Android users into a snow-globe featured in the advert, visiting scenes from the video but also allowing users to move the characters.

The partnership is Google’s attempt at developing a similar service to Apple’s iAd network, giving advertisers the opportunity to boost their brand by showing branded content when a user unlocks their phone or exits an app.

Coca Cola will promote the live wallpaper via a mobile campaign on the AdMob network, sending users directly to the Android Market in an attempt to increase the amount of downloads the wallpaper package receives.

Apple Removes WikiLeaks App From App Store

iPhone and iPad app that let you view WikiLeaks site content and follow the WikiLeaks Twitter account on the go has been removed from the App app store earlier today.
the paid app was selling WikiLeaks content (available for free) for $1.99. Its entry into the app store on December 17th was actually surprising, as Apple is usually quite strict and somewhat vague about its app approval standards. WikiLeaks and founder Julian Assange are quite controversial, to put it lightly but I’m not sure if the app directly violated anything in Apple’s TOS.

Track Stolen-Lost Laptop with Dropbox

Download this shell script for Mac/Linux or this bat script for Windows. This script writes output from useful commands like ipconfig, netstat etc to your Dropbox, and also queries whatismyip.com (using the low bandwidth page they set up for automation projects like this) writing the public IP address the computer is connected as (assuming a NAT configuration then this will be the IP of the router connected to the internet).
You can run the batch script as a scheduled job on Windows (instructions). On mac you can schedule it using CronTab or CronniX. Make sure you go through the instructions given inside the scripts. It is better to schedule the script to run daily, If someone steals the notebook or Macbook, (and assuming they don’t wipe the HDD right away and get online) you must get some real useful information back into your Dropbox account.

Pillow Remote Control

The Pillow Remote Control is a full featured universal remote that works with over 500 different components. Based on the average person’s ear to unintended touchscreen phone button press ratio, I’m going to guess that putting a remote on the pillow will lead to a lot of accidental button pushing. And you know that despite it’s size, you’ll probably still manage to lose it somehow just like every other remote. $35 from Brookstone.

5 Reasons to Move to Windows 7

1. It will solve your networking headaches. Windows XP can be a major pain when it comes to connecting networked PCs. Windows 7, thanks in part to HomeGroup, makes it easy-peasy.

2. It's significantly more secure. Windows XP is like a leaky balsa-wood boat floating in a sea of malware. Windows 7 is more like a battleship. I say this based on experience; I'm running nothing more than Windows 7 and a couple free third-party security tools.

3. It makes finding stuff so much easier. Thanks to features like Libraries and the ubiquitous Search box, you no longer have to waste (as much) time hunting for documents, photos, MP3s, and the like.

4. Windows Media Center is awesome, especially if you pair it with the Ceton InfiniTV 4 card. Seriously, it's better than TiVo.

5. It's just...better! Windows 7 is packed with little conveniences that make life easier. You don't fully appreciate them until you switch back to an XP system and your productivity nosedives.