REVIEW: Bitdefender Total Security 2012

Our lives are divided into two distinct realms, online and offline, and as we start taking up more online time, security becomes a serious issue, protecting our online lives from the malicious, dubious and nefarious is a pretty serious business.

Bitdefender Total Security 2012 - BTS2012 - was developed by Romania based software company SOFTWIN. Bitdefender Antivirus has a great tradition of providing leading edge antivirus technology in a simple to use interface. Bitdefender was the first antivirus applications that allowed automatic software updates, the first to include a personal firewall, and the first to include behavioral detection – B-HAVE – to spot virus’s without a virus definition. SOFTWIN continues to push these boundaries of technology, staying one step ahead of the steadily evolving world of virus and antivirus.

There’s a bevvy of Antivirus/Protection software out there, so what seperates Bitdefender from the pack? First up, BTS2012 doesn’t require a reboot after install – we like this a heap, it’s also a clue at just how clever this suite is –  the program is up-and-running In-Full, immediately. We downloaded BTS2012 which was pretty seamless, and were immediately struck by BTS2012′s ease of use, for such an outwardly simple application, BTS2012 certainly packs some serious tech-punch.

• Antivirus and Antispyware, Vulnerability Scanner, Social Networking Protection, Search Advisor, Personal Data Filter, Scan Dispatcher and Antiphishing
• Antispam, Parental Controls and Two-way Firewall
• File Shredder, Encryption, Tune-up and Online backup/file synchronization

REVIEW: Read the full article »»»»

GAME REVIEW: Dead Island Review

The game  is centered on the challenge of survival on a zombie-infested island. Dead Island was released on September 6, 2011 in North America and September 9, 2011 for PAL regions. Dead Island features Open World roaming, played in the First Person perspective. The focus is on melee combat, incorporating customizable weaponry, vehicle customization, combat, and RPG elements.

The Game – Dead Island: first person horror action-adventure video game

Game Modes: Single Player | 4 Player Online Co-op

Developed by: Techland | Published by Deep Silver

Available On: Microsoft Windows | PlayStation 3| Xbox 360.

PC gamers who made an early start on Dead Island got a shuddering shock when they downloaded the colossal day one patch. The patch caused maximum chaos, erasing all saved game data and it still did’t fix all the games bugs. In light of the bugs that riddled the main game, TechLand put the upcoming ‘Bloodbath Arena’ DLC on the backburner to iron out all the current kinks.  Dead Island launched with no less than 37 bugs, requiring an immediate day-one fix. Ripping that band-aid off’s gotta hurt. Bloodbath Arena DLC for Dead Island has been pushed back to an unspecified date - to be announced – so Techland can spend more time fixing launch bugs. The developers made the announcement via the Dead Island Facebook page. Read the full article »»»»

Beats Audio Sensational HTC Sensation XE

Introduced back in May, HTC’s 4.3-inch Sensation flagship smartphone will soon be available in an upgraded version – the HTC Sensation XE.

There are two major differences between the original and the new XE.  The main improvement will the incorporation Beats Audio, a technology that improves the audio playback on the model by enhancing both software and hardware that is supplied with the phone.

Hardware wise, the update is via  high quality new headphones, offering a much better frequency response especially on lower frequency sounds.

The software built into the phone detects when these headphones are plugged in and switches the handset from standard audio mode to Beats mode, optimizing frequencies.

You don’t have to be a music lover however to benefit from some of the other improvements that this model offers.

The original Sensation was a very slick phone, the XE steps speed by offering a brilliant 1.5Ghz dual core processor, coupled with an impressive 768MB of RAM memory – expandable to 1gb :: Read the full article »»»»

Panasonic Lumix GF3

Just months after announcing the Lumix GF2, Panasonic has trumped itself with the tinytot sized GF3. Panasonics ever growing – yet shrinking - stable of Lumix Micro Four Thirds cameras. Panasonic claims it’s GF3 is the world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable lens camera with a built-in flash. The new DMC-GF3 is 16 percent smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the DMC-GF2. The Panasonic GF3′s size and weight reductions are largely thanks to the elimination of an optical viewfinder and mirror-box, which also means there’s – eek – no electronic viewfinder.

The Panasonic GF3 is smaller than Sony’s latest NEX series of mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, and offers a larger – DSLR-sized – 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor in comparison to the Sony’s NEX C3‘s APS-C sized sensor. The Panasonic GF3 also features the same Venus Engine FHD image processor found in the GF2 to produce low noise images in low-light conditions at high ISO settings.

For still shots users can lock onto a subject with a touch of the 3-inch 460,000 pixel touch display and the camera will track the subject using the AF tracking feature. Another touch allows the user to select the size of the autofocus area, while a Pinpoint AF function enlarges the focusing area to allow for near pixel level touch control focusing on close up macro or still life objects. Users can also release the shutter using the touch-screen. While all the camera’s functions can be controlled via the touchscreen menus – which can also be customized using drag and drop – the touch interface can be disabled for users that prefer using the physical thumb wheel. Read the full article »»»»