BitDefender Total Security 2010

In the past, BitDefender has suffered from something of an identity crisis: in the beginning, its highly Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery customizable settings made it a sleeper hit among techies. Then, in an effort to court more mainstream users, it simplified its user interface, angering some of its early adopters. When it tried to make amends, its UI suddenly seemed complicated again (see our review of BitDefender Total Security 2009). With Sony PCGA-BP2V BitDefender Total Security 2010, however, the company aims to please everyone: users can specify, essentially, how tech-savvy they are, and the UI will adjust itself accordingly. The feature set is designed to be all-encompassing, too: in addition to antivirus and malware protection, BitDefender includes identity theft protection, parental controls, tune-up utilities, and 2GB of online storage. While the suite remains king when it comes to manual features, the interface could still use some streamlining—and a slight price Sony VGP-BPL9 drop wouldn’t hurt, either.

Installation and Setup

At the beginning of our installation, Total Security 2010 searched the computer for existing security software (we didn’t have any, but if we did it would have suggested we remove it, and would have provided a simple interface from which to do so). Installing the large 600MB program on our Toshiba Tecra M10 took 2 minutes, but before Sony VGP-BPS13 the installation process began, our (sluggish) computer took 10 minutes to install Microsoft .NET Framework Version 1.1.

After all this was done (12 minutes in total), we had to restart the computer, something Symantec and Trend Micro’s offerings did not require us to do. Once our system had rebooted, a screen prompted us to choose what kind of network the computer was connected to (either home/office, or a public/university network). During this time, we were also asked to enter a license key. Meanwhile, we saw a pop-up in our system tray (a firewall alert) when Sony VGP-BPS2B Battery checked our Gmail account in Internet Explorer.

User Interface

When you run BitDefender Total Security 2010 for the first time, you’ll be asked to choose a user profile, defining how tech-savvy you are and how many custom settings should be readily accessible from the main screen. Profiles include Typical, a default UI for novice and intermediate users; Parent, which also highlights parental controls; Gamer, which Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad R51E Battery includes more advanced options and also minimizes the performance impact while playing a game; and Custom, for advanced users who thrive on tweaking their applications’ settings. You can change your profile at any time by clicking the Settings link at the top of the page.

As you continue through the setup wizard, you’ll not only pick a profile type, but specify if you’re using sony vgp-bps13/b a notebook (so that the program can automatically enable laptop mode, which defers unnecessary activity until the computer is plugged in). You’ll also be given the option of setting a time for a daily scan, as well as running one when the wizard completes.

BitDefender also asks you to choose one of three interfaces: novice, intermediate, or expert. This seems redundant, since the whole point of having user profiles

(gamers, parents, typical and custom users) is that each type of user would prefer a different level of simplicity. Although the tabbed interface is pretty self-explanatory, it’s not as slick or easy to use as Symantec Norton 360’s—but then again, Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery Norton 360 has frustratingly few advanced settings, so at least BitDefender offers more variety.

One last note about the UI: there’s a lot of popups. We mean that in two ways: one, it’s not a self-contained interface. When you open something from the main screen (say, a tuneup utility) it will open in a separate window. You could easily end up with three or four open windows in your taskbar without even trying. But BitDefender also spat out good battery popups from our system tray. One was the firewall alert we got just after setting up the program, and we got another when we plugged in a USB drive. Fortunately, you can check a box (in the popup, of course) to halt the deliver of popups in similar situations.

MSI GT660

MSI is out to prove that powerful gaming chops doesn't necessarily mean a large and barely Sony VGP-BPS9/S Battery portable notebook. The flashy GT660 is heavy, yes, but not so big that users won't be able to carry it in a normal laptop bag. Plus, the flashy lights outside and the Core i7 CPU inside means you won't embarrass yourself at a LAN party. You won't get the full HD experience here, but the GT660's excellent display and juiced Nvidia graphics make this $1,849 system worth a serious look.

Design

Aesthetically, there's a lot going on with the GT660. Almost too Dell GD761 Battery much. Unlike the GT725 and GT627, which lacked the audacious flair of most gaming notebooks, it seems like MSI pulled together as many cool-looking elements as they could while still keeping the GT660 below two grand. So it's got some funky cuts along the edges and a Sony VGP-BPS13A/B Battery glossy, beveled lid complete with glowing MSI logo.

Under the hood you start to notice how busy the GT600 looks. There's a mix of matte and glossy--though the Toshiba PA3534U-1BRS latter dominates--and the piano black of the display bezel and top of the deck fades into a glossy slate color, which then turns into a textured honeycomb pattern on the palm rest surrounding the touchpad.

Two speakers ringed in red sit on the left and right of the upper deck, and between them is a control deck outlined in red and chrome with touch-sensitive LEDs. Though MSI claims this element evokes a Knight Rider aesthetic, it reminded us more of Aquaman's underwear. A light tap activates each function, including enabling or disabling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the Windows key, and switching between power modes. There's even a button users can program to HP Compaq 6715B Battery launch an oft-used app. A shield-shaped power button sits in the center. Though we found this strip very useful, it picked up fingerprints.

No gaming notebook would be complete without glowing LED accents. The GT660 sports thin bands of orange LEDs as part of the lid design along the lower edges of the Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery lid, and wrapped around the edge corners at the bottom of the deck. We don't like that the color doesn't quite match the red accents splashed across the keyboard and top edge, but we it was cool that we could turn the LED accents completely on or off by tapping the icon on the far right of the control Sony VGP-BPS10 deck. With the MSI LED Manager utility, you can turn each area off and on individually or all of them completely. Users can also set the LEDs to "breathe," which results in a gentle fade in and out, or to pulse along with the audio coming from your speakers. This latter feature was a lot of fun when we began playing loud, drum-driven music. Overall, it's not as comprehensive as on Alienware systems, but it's a nice touch.

This 16-inch system is portable in theory, but its 7.4-pound weight will likely keep it sitting on your desk most of the time. Still, at 15.6 x 10.6 x 2.2 inches, the system is nearly 3 pounds lighter than the Toshiba Qosmio X505, and unlike that 18-inch system,Sony PCGA-BP2V will still fit in most regular size notebook messengers or backpacks.

Keyboard and Touchpad

A pool of glossy plastic surrounds the matte, chiclet-style keys on the GT660, Sony VGP-BPL9 was a little distracting under bright lights. Since the keys aren't backlit, you won't be able to game as easily with the lights dimmed as, say, the X505. Still, we appreciate the red accents on the keys most games default to for movement--WASD, 8462, and arrows--making them easier to find.

Though the keyboard is full size and the keys Sony VGP-BPS13 are springy, we found ourselves making more typing errors than we normally do. Something about the spacing is slightly off.

MSI made some placement and size choices that we're used to seeing on netbooks, but not full-size laptops. The right Shift key is a little undersized and shifted to the left to accommodate the arrows. Plus, there's an extra backslash key between the Alt key on the left and the space bar. This made executing keyboard shortcuts harder because the Alt key Sony VGP-BPS2B Battery isn't where our fingers expect it, plus it's smaller than

normal. There's plenty of room on the deck, even with the full number pad on the right, as MSI left at least Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad R51E Battery an inch of deck around the keyboard, so we're not sure why the layout has these little issues.

The touchpad is pretty big--3.2 x 1.9 inches--but it could be even larger if the designers good battery had used more of the available space. The slightly rough touch surface and mouse button has a thick chrome outline that flows down into a chevron shape.

Under the single mouse button are status indicators for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Battery, Sleep, and the hard drive are appreciated. Plus, our fingers kept naturally gravitating to the bottom edge of the notebook where the mouse buttons usually sit. On this battery system they're higher, which took some getting used to.