mcafee

For a high-end suite, McAfee Total Protection 2012 (download) isn't a bad program. It's just not a particularly good program, and it misses being great by several miles.

We liked its interface, a continuation with only minor adjustments from its 2010 overhaul. The feature set is generally competitive, too, although this update really only brings it into line with the middle range of competitors. It doesn't really push the envelope as to what a high-end suite can do for its customers.

Its biggest problems lie in its performance, and for a security suite that can be the … Read more

Anyone who has used Twitter has seen those shortened URLs from TinyURL.com, Bitly, and other such services. The advantage of those shortened URLs is that they take up less space, which can be very important on Twitter, where messages are limited to no more than 140 characters, but the disadvantage is that you don't know where you're going until you're already there.

Unlike regular URLs, which show the actual domain to which you're navigating, these are meaningless codes that give you no clue of the actual destination. As a result, there is the possibility that … Read more

On today's show, how future generations will know all too well where they were conceived, thanks to Facebook Places--and yes, it's opt-out and lets your friends check you in, but somehow, I can still find a way to love it. Plus, Intel buys McAfee, Verizon's bringing TV to your iPad (in bed), and Windows 7 is killing it!

commentary The headline of the press pitch I received a few days ago read "McAfee to release shocking findings of teen's online behavior," but the actual data from the study, "Secret Life of Teens," are far from shocking.

McAfee's study (PDF) is actually a reassuring portrait of how most young people are exercising reasonable caution in their use of technology. The study, conducted by Harris Interactive, included interviews with almost 1,400 10- to 17-year-olds.

The survey reported that "almost half of youth (46 percent) admit to having given out their personal information … Read more

McAfee announced Tuesday the release of its new Firewall Enterprise 8 appliance, touting it as the next generation in firewall devices. The company is targeting the new firewall at security administrators trying to protect their networks from the growing threats of malware and hackers.

IT administrators will be able to set up and enforce policies to filter out thousands of different applications that can sometimes sneak past traditional firewalls, according to McAfee. By tapping into McAfee's cloud-based services and networks, users of the new Firewall Enterprise hardware should be able to keep up with newly developed malware and other … Read more

Is this the ultimate early adopter penalty? If you buy more than two iPads to send to your friends overseas or give to your family, you risk a lifetime ban on future purchases? That just can't be right. Also not right: the sweet little child who calls tell us how to get porn on the iPhone. Just upsetting. Plus: Palm deathwatch and Facebook's privacy untangled (er, sort of).

Lenovo interested in buying Palm http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTOE63M04J20100423 http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=33519… Read more

In one of the more intriguing tech tales of late, a blog site ended up in possession of what is believed to be a prototype iPhone 4G that was either left, lost, or stolen in a Silicon Valley bar.

Last weekend, Engadget posted photos of what appeared to be a yet-to-be-announced, next-generation Apple device that was allegedly found on the floor of a bar in San Jose, Calif. A tipster had apparently sent the photos to the gadget blog for posting.

Come Monday morning, Engadget rival Gizmodo upped the ante and said it was actually in possession of what appeared … Read more

The reputation of software security vendors like McAfee hinges on their ability to keep customers out of harm's way. It therefore doesn't sit well when the protector becomes responsible for a major systems meltdown.

Last Wednesday morning, McAfee pushed what would turn out to be a buggy update to its antivirus software. The problem was a whopper, one that caused widespread crashes for home and business users running Windows XP with Service Pack 3. Not good.

In addition to issuing an official apology, McAfee has promised to reimburse the users affected by the faulty software release. We'll … Read more

On today's show, a perfectly innocent-sounding caller makes a terrifying suggestion, McAfee bricks a whole lot of computers all at once, including like 1,000 inside a hospital, and Dell (no, seriously, Dell) is apparently making some seriously drool-worthy phones. Rrrowwwrrr.

Defective McAfee update causes worldwide meltdown of XP PCs http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=2003 http://www.pcworld.com/article/194776/mcafee_error_little_relief_in_sight.html

Dell Lightning: the ultimate Windows Phone 7 device leaks out http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/21/dell-lightning-the-ultimate-windows-phone-7-device-leaks-out/… Read more