NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, December 2011
President' Corner
by Wes Eckles, President
alert@ieee.org
(click to email author)

Ratings for 2012 Antivirus and Internet Security Suits Subject of January 21st Meeting. Wes Eckles, Jr. will present review of ratings.

Test results of the latest 2012 anti-malware products are coming in weekly. Tests are available for the two types of products. One is for antivirus programs and the other is for internet security programs. In past Tips, I pointed out the difference between the two. Antivirus programs are less expensive and lack extra features included in suits. These programs are not free. The antivirus programs cost from $28 to $70, while the suits cost from $70 to $80. Most of these programs allow installation on three or four computers for one year. Renewal and upgrades are often offered at a discount. The top rated antivirus and internet security suit and Editor's Choice by PC-Magazine is a tie. Come to the meeting to see the charts and reviews for the anti-malware products. Are you using a third or fourth rate protection and security program? Will the one you are using be excellent in removing and blocking bad stuff?

Tip 1 - The latest hoax spreading by Facebook users concerns a picture of a sick boy in intensive care. The hoax claims that sharing a picture of a sick boy will grant him a heart transplant.

Tip 2 - A free music player called Clementine is rated very good by PCWorld. The player is strictly for music. Your music collection is organized and you can access Internet music from Last.fm, SomaFM, Magnatune, and other sites. For a review of Clementine and program download go to FIND.PCWORLD.COM/72058 .

Tip 3 - How can you save battery energy on your cell phone? Take these steps suggested by Robert Strohmeyer: "1. Dim the screen; 2. Set screen timeouts to kick in as quickly as possible; 3. Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when they're not is use; 4. Go easy on power-hungry GPS; 5. Don't use vibrate; and 6. Buy an extended battery."

Tip 4 - Do you want to find information or location for someone? Google "SPOKEO" and you will reach a data base that contains a lot of information. "Spokeo is a people search engine that organizes vast quantities of white-pages listings, social information, and other people-related data from a large variety of public sources. Our mission is to help people find and connect with others, more easily than ever." Put in your name. You will be surprised how much info that is available about you. The basic info is free. To unlock detailed information for people, a fee of $35.40/year is charged. Three and six months subscriptions are available.

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