defend

Have you found yourself wishing that your Android's battery would last longer? Don't answer that, I already know. Be it poor app design, ever-larger display sizes, or our constant desire to play mobile games, we're eating up battery life faster than we'd like.

As a platform, Android has improved with each iteration and task management, and multitasking keeps getting smarter.

With that said, one of the first complaints from new smartphone users is that the battery doesn't seem to live up to expectations. Sure, the 2013 crop of flagship phones seems promising, but not everyone … Read more

The bottom line: Bitdefender Total Security 2013 remains one of the best high-end security suites around. This update gives you a fully isolated Web browser for secure financial transactions.

Review: Bitdefender Total Security 2013 presents a convincing alternative to its better-known competitors. It's a strong program, with all the major tools that users expect, and some additional useful tricks in its arsenal. When it comes to efficacy, Bitdefender isn't the best in every area, but it's definitely competitive.

Editors' note: Portions of this review are based on CNET's review of Bitdefender Total Security 2012.

Installation Bitdefender … Read more

Anti-malware protection is almost as important as antivirus protection for keeping your PC safe. Many popular antivirus programs also include anti-malware scanners and other tools designed to block and remove threats. But count us among those who prefer to augment their antivirus solution with a top-quality anti-malware program. Anvisoft's Anvi Smart Defender is a free anti-malware tool that offers multiple scan levels as well as cloud-based scanning and extras that clean and optimize your PC and repair issues caused by malware and garbage files.

Five buttons define Anvi's features: Scan, Cloud, Guard, Optimize, and Update. We started with … Read more

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you've probably heard about Flashback, a piece of malware targeting users of Apple's Mac OS X that's now estimated to be quietly running on more than 600,000 machines around the world.

That number, which came from Russian antivirus company Dr. Web earlier this week, was confirmed today by security firm Kaspersky. More than 98 percent of the affected computers were running Mac OS X, the firm said.

That's certainly a big number, but how does it stack up to past threats?

"It'… Read more

Most people don't want a bulky case for their new iPad, but some folks are looking for some serious protection. While there are plenty of tough cases for the iPhone 4S, the selection is more limiting for the iPad, and Otterbox remains among the top choices in rugged iPad cases with its Defender Series case.

The company has made some tiny tweaks to the design of the Defender (the new case fits both the iPad 2 and iPad third-generation). You get three layers of protection, including a built-in screen cover, and the Defender's outer "shield stand" … Read more

Midway Arcade offers classic games from the '80s arcades and gives you touch-screen options that work pretty well, but it's not perfect. This 99-cent game features Joust, Defender, Rampage, Spy Hunter, Arch Rivals, Root Beer Tapper, and then some other more-interactive games one would usually find at classic arcades, like air hockey, basketball quick-shot games, billiards, and Roll Ball (a skee-ball clone). You have the option to buy two more 99-cent packages of games through in-app purchase. The Adventure Game Pack includes Gauntlet 1 and 2, and Wizard of Wor. The Action Game Pack comes with NARC, Total Carnage, … Read more

One of the great things about having grown up with video games and then writing about iOS apps is that all my favorites seem to eventually be playable on my phone. I wrote about Atari's Greatest Hits some time ago, but even though I liked seeing some of the old classics on my phone, the controls were flawed. Though they were playable, most of the games didn't really live up to my memory of them.

Yes, I know I'm probably looking at my youth through rose-colored glasses, but in this case it's true--the control issues really took away from the games.

Today, another group of classic arcade games were made available on iOS, and this time they might have the control schemes (mostly) worked out. Midway Arcade (99 cents), out today, takes a lot of those classic games from the '80s and gives you some touch-screen options that work somewhat better, though it's still not perfect (Rose-colored glasses again? Maybe). This 99-cent game features Joust, Defender, Rampage, Spy Hunter, Arch Rivals, Root beer Tapper, and then some other more interactive games one would usually find at classic arcades like, air hockey, basketball quick-shot games, billiards, and Roll Ball (a Skee Ball clone). You have the option to buy two more 99-cent packages of games through in-app purchase. The Adventure Game Pack includes Gauntlet 1 and 2, and Wizard of Wor. The Action Game Pack comes with NARC, Total Carnage, and APB.… Read more

Well, here it is. The first e-mail for a case for the iPad 3.

It comes courtesy of Otterbox, which is getting a jump on its competitors and is already asking media members to line up for review samples of its new Defender Series case. (Average civilians can sign up to receive an e-mail alert when the new case launches). … Read more

Microsoft is launching a new version of its Windows Defender antivirus tool that will run before Windows even boots up.

Making its debut as a publicly available beta, the new Windows Defender is designed to run directly off a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive to scan your PC outside of Windows. As such, its aim is to detect rootkit viruses and other malware that can infect your computer during the boot process.

You first need to install the software on a recordable disc or USB stick. You can then use that disc or device to boot up any PC … Read more