The Best Free Antivirus Software for Windows

If you have a Windows computer, you need anti-virus software. There always will be those who will insist that every virus attack is caused due to "user error" or because the person using the computer wasn't careful enough. That statement is only partly true. Even if you have all the latest Windows updates installed and are using the latest version of a secure browser, there are always some vulnerabilities can be used to attack your computer. Good anti-virus software stops you from downloading viruses or opening unsafe files. That's why it is essential to have anti-virus software installed and updated.
Many computer dealers will ask you to buy a licence for an anti-virus suite along with the PC, but free anti-virus software along with an anti-malware programme form a line of defence that's good enough for most people.
We looked at tests conducted by PC Mag and independent testing body AV-Test as a starting point and weighed them against our our own experiences to compile this list of the best free anti-virus software for Windows. Here are our picks:
Avast 2015 Free Antivirus
Avast is easy to understand, uses simple language to explain any problems, and has a great user interface that anyone can follow. It simplifies things like updating to the latest version and keeping the virus list up to date. Use silent mode to avoid the excessive announcements.
Download Avast 2015 Free Antivirus
Panda Free Antivirus 2015
Like Avast, Panda scored top marks for virus protection in AV-Test's report. Its interface is pretty but not as user friendly as that of Avast. It also has a nice feature called USB Vaccine - this prevents virus attacks that occur when you plug in an infected USB drive.
Download Panda Free Antivirus 2015
BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition
BitDefender's best feature is that it runs quietly in the background by default. It won't bother you until it spots an infection, unlike most other anti-virus software, which need a fair bit of tweaking to get them to stop popping up all the time.

If your PC is already infected
The software mentioned above are great if you install them before your PC is infected. Once there's a virus attack, it can get tricky to get install these programmes especially if system functions have been hijacked by the virus. Anti-virus software can still help, but malware removal tools are more effective in cleaning up your computer once the infection has set in.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Though not technically an anti-virus, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a very effective tool for getting rid of malware. It's not useful for protecting your PC from virus attacks as it doesn't offer realtime threat protection, but is excellent at cleaning up the mess.
Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Comodo Cleaning Essentials 6
Malwarebytes was, in our experience, the best tool for malware removal, but it still requires you to install it on your infected PC. Installing software may not be possible in some heavily infected machines. In such cases, Comodo Cleaning Essentials 6 will be useful. You just need to unzip the file to use this set of virus cleanup tools. Comodo Cleaning Essentials 6 is portable software that runs without installation, making it useful in worst case scenarios.
Download Comodo Cleaning Essentials 6
Anti-virus software, along with a malware cleanup tool should be good enough for most users. You can pick any of the software listed above for protection against threats, and feel secure when using your computer, without having to pay a small fortune for the software.
Which is your favourite anti-virus software? Let us know via the comments.

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Android Wear Smartwatches to Get Together

The next version of Android Wear, reportedly scheduled for release in August, will bring tap gestures and watch-to-watch communications, according to Phandroid.

The update initially was scheduled for launch on July 28th.
"For now, these features simply bring parity between Android Wear and [Apple's] watchOS," said Jitesh Ubrani, a senior research analyst at IDC.
Given that people's style and frequency of communication has evolved in tandem with developments in technology -- consider the transition from letters to email to instant messages to social media, for example -- these new features "ultimately lay the groundwork for future messaging platforms," Ubrani told LinuxInsider.
At present, however, there's little real difference between Android Wear and the Apple Watch, he remarked, and neither platform "offers a compelling use case or killer app, as they're both essentially first-generation products."

The New Android Wear Features

Taps will trigger various functions in the next version of Android Wear.
They will let users cycle through options for the appearance of the watch face, toggle between different applications on the watch, drill down into applications (to display a fitness graph, for example), and launch a new activity.
Google reportedly has reached out to developers to incorporate the new features into their watch faces.

Watches Talking Among Themselves

Google also will unveil a new communication feature for Android Wear that will let Android watches share information with each other.
Apple Watch users already can share heartbeats and doodles.
Android Wear watches reportedly will be able to exchange messages, stickers, emojis and doodles.
This new feature will be named "Together," according to Phandroid.
Google for some time has been beating the drum for making all devices work together, and for months has touted a new slogan for Android: "Be together. Not the same."
This communication feature currently is restricted to a single watch face, Phandroid reported, but it didn't name the vendor.

Who Needs Ya?

Whether these features are going to catch on with consumers remains in question.
"Nobody's pairing heartbeats with other people [on the Apple Watch] and finding out their hearts have stopped beating," remarked Jeff Orr, a senior practice director at ABI Research.
"The people I'm talking to that have Apple Watches aren't jumping up and down the way they did when they got their first iPhone or iPad," Orr told LinuxInsider. "It's not that life-changing thing that makes them say 'I can't believe I didn't have this before.'"
In fact, someone is putting together a meeting place for lonely Apple Watch users, he has discovered.
Device-to-device communications for wrist watches "is very gimmicky," Orr said. One alternative for device-to-device communications would be Google's Project Soli, Orr suggested.
Project Soli uses radar to track finger movements to control devices and interpret the gestures through Google's full gesture-recognition capability.

No Consumer Is an Island

Consumer excitement over smartwatch apps may be limited, because Android Wear and watchOS run on their own platforms, and their features currently don't work with each other, suggested Rob Enderle, principal at the Enderle Group.
"Features that only work with one platform tend to be annoying to users," Enderle told LinuxInsider. "If they can get an app that will work cross-platform, it would be more interesting."
Reports that Apple Watch sales have been falling are making the rounds, but "I don't think there's enough evidence" to bear this out, IDC's Ubrani said.
"As the hardware and software evolve, we expect an increased uptake in these devices," Ubrani continued.
In fact, IDC's forecast for the worldwide wearables market is trending up. In March, it forecast 2015 wearables shipments would total nearly 46 million; in June, it upped the estimate to a little more than 72 million units.

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Microsoft offers all-inclusive app store for PCs, tablets and phones

Microsoft has renovated an online store that combines its Windows Store and Windows Phone Store into one big virtual shopping mall.

The newly redesigned app store is part of the company's attempt to unify the Windows 10 experience across all devices -- PCs, tablets and mobile phones. In the past, Windows PC and tablet owners looking for apps would have to browse the Windows Store, while Windows Phone users would have to check out the Windows Phone store. But now this one-stop shop is geared for everyone.
The store is a step in the direction toward a true "Universal App" store, which would offer apps for all types of Windows devices and other gear, including the Xbox gaming console. A spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed that the site lets you browse both Windows apps and Windows Phone apps but said that it's not the new "unified Windows Store." The true "Universal App" store has yet to open its doors.

Offering a common experience to Windows 10 developers and users alike is a key part of Microsoft's strategy for its new OS. With universal apps, Windows developers can create an app once using the same core programming code and then simply tweak the app to run on PCs, tablets and phones. That process will cut down on development time and expenses, which Microsoft hopes will encourage developers to create apps for both Windows PCs and mobile devices. In turn, users could benefit by having a greater variety of apps available no matter what device they use.

And what's the advantage to Microsoft? With the PC market in a slump and Microsoft's smartphone sales in dire need of a jumpstart, the company needs universal apps and Windows 10 in general to succeed. A user who likes the Windows 10 features and apps on a PC or tablet might be more persuaded to purchase a Windows 10 mobile phone to get a similar experience. It may be a long shot, but it's the best hope Microsoft has at this point to generate greater demand among PC and mobile phone buyers.

Beyond PCs and mobile devices, Microsoft's Xbox console is also part of the universal app movement, so Xbox game developers can use that common code to create games.
From the current store's homepage, you can scroll down to view the top Windows apps and Windows Phone apps. You can click on the Store menu at the top, drill down to Apps and then view all apps or view those for the Xbox. You can also look for a particular app by typing its name in the search field at the top of the page.

Clicking the name of a specific app brings up its description page where you'll see details about it along with ratings and reviews. For now, the store is a work in progress. You can browse or search for apps through the store but you can't actually install apps from the website, either directly or remotely to your device, the way you can with the Google Play store. To install apps for now, you still need to open the Windows Store on a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 device or the Windows Phone Store on a Windows Phone handset.

The ability to directly install apps may appear once Microsoft launches its true Universal App store at some point in the future.

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Net neutrality: Activists give panel a zero on zero-rating

There was a flurry of online activity after the department of telecom's (DoT) report on net neutrality was released on Thursday. Activists and others who had sent detailed recommendations to Trai and DoT came out against the report's stance on zero rating and VoIP, even as there was some optimism with the report going against regulation of over the top (OTT) services.

The report favours carving out exceptions to net neutrality where delivery of emergency services and delivery of "desirable" public and government services are concerned. Activists feel these exceptions are too vague and can be misused. "It is easy to say that zero rating is okay for something in public interest, but one has to define what public interest here would be," says Chinmayi Arun, who works at the Center for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi.

Bengaluru-based Kiran Jonnalagadda, co-founder of hasgeek.com and a part of the savetheinternet.in coalition that led the activism for net neutrality, points out that while the report claims to be in favour of net neutrality, on close reading it emerges that it actually isn't. "It is doublespeak," says Jonnalagadda, adding, "They have carved out exceptions to net neutrality that are onerous. There is technically no way to distinguish domestic VoIP calls from international ones."

The sticky point for most, however, was zero-rating. Zero-rating refers to the practice of a network making a bundled mobile internet service available for free to a user. Such zero rating deals caused much furore in the past, pushing e-commerce major Flipkart to back out of Airtel Zero. In this regard, the DoT panel has proposed either an ex-ante regulation, where the licensee would have to file the tariff plan before Trai prior to launching it, or an ex-post regulation, where complaints on tariff plans can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

"It has made a strong statement on Facebook's internet.org, but zero rating has been deferred to the Trai. That is irresponsible," says Jonnalagadda. Nikhil Pahwa, founder of medianama.com who also deposed before the parliamentary committee on net neutrality, finds DoT favouring one kind of gatekeeper over the other.

"While they have said Facebook should not be allowed to become a gatekeeper of content through internet.org, it seems they are saying other forms of zero rating may be okay. Telecom operators will become gatekeepers providing zero rating for services that pay them. Zero rating is against net neutrality," Pahwa told TOI.

Arun lauds the fact that DoT held public consultations and responded to them. However, even she was disappointed with the noncommittal attitude towards zero-rating. "That's where India is likely to trip," she says. Arun also felt that the report's articulation of different people's inputs "could use work". "The saving grace is that they have invited comments. So that can be corrected," she says.

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Technology Predictions and Trends Happening in the Year 2015

2015 is going to be a year to remember with the beginning commercialization of some long-awaited technology – which is here now and wowing the buying public.

We’re looking forward to Virtual assistants, virtual reality, cognition enhancing headsets, home batteries, self-driving cars, drone deliveries, and wearable tech. From CES Las Vegas, MWC Barcelona, to E3 Los Angeles, and numerous product announcements in between, the crowds have been going wild.

Virtual Assistants

In 2015 Apple, Google, and Microsoft have all continued developing their virtual assistant software, and whilst Apple’s Siri and Google Now are already established emerging virtual assistants, Microsoft’s Cortana will be hitting PCs in the second half of the year. Expect major updates and a lot of publicity for each in the third quarter.

Virtual Reality

For decades we’ve been promised virtual reality headsets for gaming, and augmented reality glasses to give us our own personal heads up display (HUD) of what is happening around us. The field is really opening up in 2015 with Microsoft’s Hololens, Oculus Rift, Samsung VR, and StarVR poised to take the market by storm come the end of the year.

The days of waiting for immersive VR are finally over. Interestingly, the acquisition of Oculus by Facebook promises to make VR social and that will spur even more sales.

Cognition Enhancing Headset

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) headsets are starting to enter the market, notably from foc.us, and these devices pass a very small current across the brain to enhance thinking and learning.

Another supplier, Thync, claims that their devices help with meditation and give users more energy to complete tasks. Cognitive enhancement is a new field that will be huge.

Self-Driving Vehicles

Google, Uber, Apple, Tesla, and several major car companies are working on self-driving cars which several US states, the UK, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands have approved for testing in traffic conditions.

The disruption to the transport industry that these vehicles will bring is enormous and we could see mass take up as early as 2017. Expect membership clubs for self-driving vehicles and les cars overall in the future.

Drone Deliveries

Amazon is leading the way with drone deliveries, but they’re not alone, and surprisingly the small family owned shops and take-away restaurants could benefit the most by letting them compete against the big players.

We can visualise a world where your local chippy doesn’t need to pay exorbitant rents in the high street; they just need a website, a fibre broadband connection, and a fleet of drones.
Wearable Tech

Apple’s iWatch, Samsung’s Gear, and the Motorola 360 are all available now, and by the end of 2015 we expect major promotional campaigns in time for the Christmas holidays and January sales. Wearable tech has come of age, and is likely to be huge. They still need to be paired with a smartphone, but offer a lot of convenience for checking notifications.

2016 could be the year we see them incorporate arm projectors and mini Sim cards. Wearable could be about to disrupt mobile in ways the smartphone did to feature phones.

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Mail Bird

 The best email client for Windows

Connect all your favorite email, calendar, task and messaging apps into one.

1.     Multi-account (Supports IMAP & POP3)
2.     Complete touch support
3.     Integrated messaging apps
4.     Integrated task management apps
5.     Unique productivity features
6.     Supports 17 languages
7.     Integrated calendar apps
8.     Customization (Colors & layout)

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK BELOW LINK.

http://downloads.ziddu.com/download/24918531/MailbirdInstaller.exe.html

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Tor Browser

Tor works differently than other browsers on this list. Privacy is the driving factor behind this browser. It uses a network of computers throughout the world to prevent any online spies or hackers from tracking you. These “relays” are run by volunteers who are dedicated to keeping the Internet a safe, private place. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux and can even be installed on a USB drive so you’re secure no matter where you browse.
This browser is more for privacy than straight security. The developers recommend still only using sites you trust and always checking for “https” on secure sites. They also recommend using anti-virus and firewall software in addition to the browser.

Additional Tips
No matter which browser you use, you should always use caution while online. Never submit any personal or financial information on sites you don’t trust. Only browse the Internet when your anti-virus and/or firewall software is running. If you suspect you might have a virus, disconnect from the Internet until you can remove the threat.


TO DOWNLOAD TOR BROWSER CLICK BELOW LINK: 

http://downloads.ziddu.com/download/24916234/torbrowser-install-4.5.3_en-US.exe.html

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