The best (top-rated) personal security software

"The best things in life are free."

Sure, it's a cliche ...it's also true.

Every year, some of the best new software applications out there won't cost you a penny. Outlook is the de facto business e-mail standard and it's just plain clunky compared to G-mail.

In the security arena, this month's Consumer Reports again rates two of the best anti-malware apps at 54 (Microsoft) and 65 (Germany's Avira) out of 100. For reference, the top score for any security app is 67 (Symantec).

For the added benefit of a firewall, you can also choose Comodo's free app, just released in April, although CR scores the Comodo suite 30 points lower than the paid competition, and it's not compatible with Avira.

Anti-malware:

- Avira AntiVir Personal 9 (42MB)

- Microsoft Security Essentials (7.2MB)

Security Suite:

- Comodo Internet Security Free 2010 (61MB)

If the spam filter in your e-mail program isn't working well enough for you, CR also points to spamfighter.com as a good free alternative in that area.

Spend the money you save on a few good books.

If iWoz the CEO...

So if the other Steve (Wozniak) of Apple were the CEO, he says he wouldn't have dropped the price or offered the store credit rebate on the iPhone. Of course, he bought twenty of them that he's eventually planning to give away.

Actually some people are now more upset with the recent change to their AT&T bills to "simplify" them by taking off call detail (at no extra charge)! "Press one to continue in English..."

I think the marketing team at Apple could have done better.

Pour another cup of coffee for the other impending rollout -- Halo 3 hits the shelves at midnight tonight in the US after three years since the last version. Microsoft is expecting a $150 million return on their $25-40 million investment within the first 24 hours. A million copies are pre-ordered at $60. For reference, the iPhone went to 1 million units in two months and nine days. Stay tuned...

Bill Gates Meets Napoleon

Some people hate Microsoft. Some people hate Bill Gates. Some people hate the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." If you're in one or more of those groups, don't watch this video. You'll hate it.

Otherwise, you might think it's pretty funny... maybe even download it to your iPhone.

How to make your product popular? Make it free (or dirt cheap).

Microsoft has just announced a plan to bump its user base up to about a third of the earth's population in the next eight years by offering its suite of office, academic and e-mail software at $3.00 a copy in developing countries, where the current versions are most often pirated.

The plan goes into effect later this year. Possible catch: will these third-world users have to apply for a MS credit card to purchase online?

Cursor Security

I haven't had this happen recently but evidently if you're on a web site that changes your cursor to an hourglass or other animated figure, you should be thinking security. The good people at Microsoft weren't, until about December. Now they've thought about it enough to put out an emergency patch, including one for the newly released Vista, to keep hackers from being able to install malware through the breach. If your computer downloads updates automatically, you got the patch this week. If not, you're still vulnerable to this risk and should do a manual download from the Microsoft site.