Veetle is a venture-backed digital media company based in Silicon Valley. Started by a team of top-notch engineers who were former graduate students from Stanford University, Veetle provides the next generation live broadcasting platform that can deliver extremely cost-effective streams at a massive scale with unprecedented quality. This unique platform therefore enables content owners, broadcasters and websites to reach millions of concurrent viewers with the highest fidelity content possible, at little or no additional cost.
Version 0.9.17 now supports Google Chrome on Windows.
BearFlix roars out of the cave with swarming, hashing, fast downloads and a video player, but hibernates when confronted with proxies.
BearFlix almost configures itself, and its toolbar and icon interface is geared toward novices. (Configuration options help advanced users suit the program to taste.) Based on the popular BearShare, and connected to the Gnutella network, this utility is optimized for video files. Simply enter a search term, and find files immediately. As with all P2P networks, there’s no guarantee the files are available, accurately named, or virus-free. However, BearFlix’s file-rating option helps users self-police spam off the network.
BearFlix uses hashing to discover identical files across the network, making file swarming easy without user intervention. We found that files downloaded very quickly, but BearFlix took slightly more system memory than Firefox 2. However, it includes a video player to help forestall memory creep. This freeware version includes a banner ad, and download speeds are slightly crippled. Advanced users will note configuring BearFlix is easy but will be disappointed the program lacks proxy server support.
Novice peer-to-peer users will find BearFlix a great entry-level P2P program, but most users will prefer an application geared to files of all types.
Connectify is a free Windows 7 application that turns your laptop or home computer into a real WiFi hotspot to share the Internet with friends, co-workers, and mobile devices. Connectify allows you to take any Internet connection and share it wirelessly with no additional hardware, wires, plugs, or chargers. You can then easily connect any number of WiFi enabled devices to your personal network including laptops, phones, gaming systems, and more. WiFi enabled devices can see and join your Connectify hotspot just like any other WiFi access point and are kept safe and secure by rock solid WPA2 Encryption. So don’t break the bank paying for multiple WiFi connections on the road, Connectify is free and can actually save you money.
Rich in Web content, short on cash? This free, open-source FTP application is handy if you’re looking for a solid tool to handle FTP transfers and don’t want to part with your bucks.
The straightforward interface offers translations in most of the world’s major languages. Caching directories speeds up browsing FTP sites, and multiple secure connection options ensure that you can move files around without concern. Bookmarking comes in two flavors: the Site Manager for all your major FTP locations, and QuickConnect for fast switching on the fly.
The program lets you download or upload multiple files at once from and to several servers. If your bandwidth is somewhat limited, you’ll appreciate a feature that lets you automatically adjust transfer speeds based on the time of day or date. FileZilla also lets you browse FTP sites mid-transfer. The lack of a task scheduler is compensated for, in our eyes, by a powerful filter so you only see the files you need.
FileZilla is no monster, either, eating up a manageable 50 MB in memory. Clearly, this is one of the best FTP tools around.
FileZilla is an FTP program for file uploading and downloading to and from your FTP site, server, or host. The program lets you transfer files and navigate among folders, Web sites, and your computer. This software enables you to perform multiple file transfers simultaneously.
Avast Free 5, an A-list freeware antivirus app, provides the same steadfast protection of well-known, pricier antivirus programs. Avast is remarkable for both its effectiveness and arguably providing the most complete free antivirus on the market.
Avast Free 5, formerly known as the Home Edition, protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer, and Web shields. The behavioral shield is a common-sense feature, as security software publishers leverage their large user bases to detect threats early and warn others. Other new features include a silent-gaming mode and an "intelligent scanner" that only looks at changed files after establishing a baseline. The biggest change in Avast 5, though, is the interface. Gone is the music player default look, which was skinnable but confusing. In its place is a sleek UI that new users should find far more manageable. It’s also Aero-friendly, with Explorer-style navigation buttons in case you can’t remember where you tweaked a particular setting.
Avast’s recent independent third-party testing has been notably solid, able to hold its own against better-known programs from Symantec and Microsoft. Avast 5 Free lacks features in the paid upgrade including antispam measures, a testing sandbox, a Script shield, and a firewall. Even without those, Avast Free 5 is probably the strongest, free antivirus currently available.
CNET video review of Avast Free Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus is based on multiple protective layers that work together to provide security. The product is designed for the average consumer who wants easy-to-use protection for basic email and web surfing. It is limited to home and non-commercial users.
New features match top detection with increased efficiency. Computer memory requirements for the new antivirus and antispyware engine have been cut in half. Scanning is 40 percent faster, saving both time and computer resources. Complete rootkit protection includes real-time detection to ward off initial installation, on-demand scanning and boot-time scans. The user friendly 5.0 has a new interface with easy-to-adjust settings, a context-sensitive help menu and graphs showing ongoing protection activities. Users can set the time and conditions for complete scans, with avast even waking up their computer from hibernation for midnight scans before putting it back to bed. Multiple shields prevent the spread of malware via email by checking incoming and outgoing emails for suspect content, identify malware by its anticipated behavior or by looking out for unusual activity and attempts at system modifications.
CNET Editor’s Note: Avast Antivirus Home Edition is free to use but requires e-mail registration before the end of the initial 60-day trial period. Following the registration you will receive by e-mail a license key valid for a period of 1 year.
–Support for DirectX 9 graphics device with 128MB of memory
–HD: 20GB (32-bit), 40GB (64-bit)
–Processor: 1 GHz
–RAM: 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit)
–Support for DirectX 9 graphics device with 128MB of memory
–HD: 16GB (32-bit), 20GB (64-bit)
Interface
–Luna theme
–Introduces task-based windows options
–Skinning possible but difficult
–Desktop Cleanup Wizard automates removing old icons
–Aero theme
–Introduces transparent panes, window animations, live thumbnails of running programs
–New desktop sidebar supports gadgets
–Supports touch screens
–Aero theme
–Supports slideshow backgrounds, RSS and theme packs
–Introduces Aero Shake and Aero Snap
–Desktop gadgets can be placed anywhere
–Supports multitouch on touch screens
Explorer
–Replaces tree navigation by default with task pane
–Improves image handling
–Offers thumbnail previews and group views
–Supports some metadata
–Task pane integrated into toolbar
–New breadcrumb navigation
–New metadata display
–Improved icon resolution
–Some documents can be edited from the preview pane
–Support for federated searches and libraries
–Virtual folders aggregate content from local and networked drives
Start menu
–New layout
–Devices and some Control Panel options appear in menu
–Added search box
–All Programs folder changed to a nested format
–Configurable power button
–User profile picture
–Taskbar jumps appear in the Start menu and replace the right column when viewed
–Documents, Pictures, Music buttons now link to their libraries
–Control Panel options have been integrated into search results
Taskbar
–New look
–Hideable icons in System Tray
–Refreshed look
–Alt-Tab hot key now shows preview thumbnail of program
–Interactive mouse-over preview panes
–Replacement of the Quick Launch bar with pinned programs
–Program-specific jump lists based on pinned programs
–Aero Peek for mouse-over desktop viewing
–Revamped System Tray
Devices
–Introduces Universal Plug-n-Play
–New driver library allows for downgrading drivers when necessary
–Debuts portable device API, designed to communicate with cell phones, PDAs, and portable media players
–Introduces Sync Center for managing data synchronizations
–New Device Stage provides a centralized, unified window for managing all aspects of printers and portable devices
Misc.
–Introduces context-menu CD and DVD burning from Windows Explorer
–Supports multiple versions of a single DLL to prevent programs from overwriting each other
–Introduces Hibernate and Sleep modes
–Remote Desktop for accessing a computer from another location
–Fast user account switching
–Built-in drive partitioning
–More powerful screen-capturing tool
–Hybrid Sleep and better configuration options for more nuanced power management
–User-based file-type associations
–Previous Version automatically backs up changes to individual files
–Expands Windows Explorer disc burning to include ISOs
–Introduces XP Mode
–Expanded options for disabling components
–Can search text in scanned TIFF
–Additional power-saving features for laptops
Performance
Windows 7 feels faster than Windows XP and Vista, but it turns out that’s not always the case–sometimes, it’s the slowest out of the three operating systems. CNET Labs tested four 32-bit Windows operating systems: Windows 7 RTM build 7600, Windows 7 Release Candidate build 7100, Windows Vista with Service Pack 2, and Windows XP SP3, all on an Inspiron Desktop 530 Mini Tower running an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E4500 at 2.20 GHz, with a 128MB NVIDIA 8300 GS graphics card, 4GB of RAM, and two 320GB SATA 7,200rpm hard drives.
Microsoft Office Performance (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Windows Vista SP2 (64 bit)
571
Windows 7 RTM Build 7600 (64 bit)
600
Windows 7 RTM Build 7600 (32 bit)
684
Windows 7 RC Build 7100(32 bit)
752
Windows Vista SP2 (32 bit)
673
Windows XP SP3 (32 bit)
483
iTunes encoding (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Windows Vista SP2 (64 bit)
199
Windows 7 RTM Build 7600 (64 bit)
199
Windows 7 RTM Build 7600 (32 bit)
187
Windows 7 RC Build 7100(32 bit)
188
Windows Vista SP2 (32 bit)
189
Windows XP SP3 (32 bit)
187
Boot time (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
Windows Vista SP2 (64 bit)
60
Windows 7 RTM Build 7600 (64 bit)
50.3
Windows 7 RTM Build 7600 (32 bit)
41.25
Windows 7 RC Build 7100(32 bit)
44.81
Windows Vista SP2 (32 bit)
40.16
Windows XP SP3 (32 bit)
40.03
Shutdown time (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
As you can see in the chart, we found that Windows 7 RTM was the fastest to shutdown, and was tied with XP for iTunes encoding. However, it was slower than XP and Vista for both booting up cold by a bit more than 1 second, and slower than either of its predecessors in its Microsoft Office performance. After having used Windows 7 beta, RC, and now the RTM for more than six months combined, it still feels faster for us when launching programs, opening the control panel, and dragging icons, files, and folders around than XP. That’s not to denigrate the value of the benchmarks, but keep in mind that the perception and reality might differ based on hardware and usage.
Support
When you try to use a file already in use, Windows 7 goes beyond Vista and XP by telling you not just that it’s being used, but where it’s being used so you can manage the situation faster. Other than that, Windows 7 offers on-board operating system support nearly identical to Windows Vista. Screen darkening, one-click action hand-holding, and a useful question mark icon on all Explorer windows maintain Vista’s improved help features, when compared with Windows XP.
In sum
Windows 7 looks like the operating system that both Microsoft and its consumers have been waiting for. By fixing most of the perceived and real problems in Vista, Microsoft has laid the groundwork for the future of where Windows will go. Windows 7 presents a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X, while reassuring the world that Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system.
Deserved or not, Microsoft had dug itself a cool, deep, dark hole with Windows Vista. Users demanding that Redmond extend the life of Windows XP wasn’t exactly something they could be proud of, either. Bombarded by complaints and negative press even after the first service pack was released, the bar had been set high for Vista’s successor: Windows 7.Luckily for Microsoft, Windows 7 is more than just spin. It’s stable, smooth, and highly polished, introducing new graphical features, a new taskbar that can compete handily with the Mac OS X dock, and device management and security enhancements that make it both easier to use and safer. Importantly, it won’t require the hardware upgrades that Vista demanded, partially because the hardware has caught up, and partially because Microsoft has gone to great lengths to make Windows 7 accessible to as many people as possible.
It’s important to note that the public testing process for Windows 7 involved one limited-availability beta and one release candidate, and constituted what some have called the largest shareware trial period ever. As buggy and irritating as Vista was, Windows 7 isn’t. Instead, it’s the successor to Windows XP that Microsoft wishes Vista had been, and finally places it on competitive footing with other major operating systems like OS X and Linux.
Microsoft is offering six versions of Windows 7: Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, OEM, and Enterprise. The three versions that Redmond will be promoting most heavily are Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, although Starter will also be available to consumers.
Windows 7 will support both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. The bare minimum requirements for the 32-bit include a 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB available hard-disk space, and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. 64-bit systems will require at least a 1 GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 20GB of free space on your hard drive, and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. A touch-screen monitor is required to take advantage of the native touch features. Do note that some users have claimed to have limited success running the Windows 7 beta with less than 1GB of RAM, but that’s not recommended.
Installation
Microsoft is offering several paths to install Windows 7. People can buy a new computer with the operating system already installed, upgrade from Windows XP or Vista, or do a clean install on a computer the user already owns. The clean installation took us about 30 minutes, but that will vary depending on your computer.
The upgrade procedure is different depending on whether you’re running Windows XP or Windows Vista. Vista users merely need to back up their data before choosing the Upgrade option from the install disc. Both XP Home and XP Pro users will have to back up their data, then choose Custom from the install disc. Custom will have the same effect as a clean install, although it’ll save your old data in a folder called Windows.old. Once you choose Custom, you’ll need to select the partition of your hard drive that contains Windows XP, and then follow the instructions to enter your product key and allow the computer to reboot as needed.
If you’re not sure if your current computer can run Windows 7, you can download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft.
Features: Taskbar and Aero Peek
Although the look of Windows 7 may seem to be nothing more than some polish applied liberally to the Vista Aero theme, make no mistake: This is a full replacement operating system, and more than just "Vista done right." From driver support to multitouch groundwork for the future, from better battery management to the most easy-to-use interface Microsoft has ever had, Windows 7 is hardly half-baked.
The first thing that should stand out is the new taskbar. This is one of the best improvements Microsoft has made–third-party program dock makers are going to have to do some serious innovation when Windows 7 goes public. Besides incorporating the translucent style of Aero, the new taskbar is arguably even better than the Mac OS X dock. It features pinned programs using large, easy-to-see icons. Mouse over one and all windows associated with that program appear in preview. Mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window. Hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front. Because of the button size, people with touch screens should find it especially easy to use.
Jump lists are another new taskbar improvement that make recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you’ve recently used in that program. In Internet Explorer, this will show recently visited Web sites, although it doesn’t yet seem to work in Firefox.
If you’ve noticed the missing Show Desktop icon, that’s because it’s been baked into the taskbar itself. Mouse over to the right corner. Hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all your programs.
Resizing programs has been simplified and improved by the capability to drag a window’s title bar. Drag a program window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they’ll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor. Dragging a program away from the top or sides will return it to its original size. This is an entirely new feature in Windows 7, but it should prove easy to adopt because it mimics and expands on the maximize/restore button that people have been resizing windows with since Windows 95.
Theme packages also make it much faster to change the look of Windows 7. From the Control Panel, you can change the theme under Appearance and Personalization. Microsoft has created several theme packages to give people a taste for what the feature can do. Click on one to download it, and it instantly changes the color scheme and background–no need to reboot. Users can create their own themes, as well.
Windows Media Player and Device Stage
One of the biggest new features makes Windows Media Player useful again: you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network. Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple.
When you open Windows Media Player, there’s a new Stream option on the toolbar. Click it, and you’re presented with two choices. Both require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you’ve associated a second Windows 7’s WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer. Windows Media Player’s mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art–sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it’s a definite improvement.
The new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining printers, phones, and portable media players into one window. A large photo of the peripheral summarizes important device stats and makes it easy to identify which devices you’re using. Device Stage can also be used to preset common tasks, such as synchronization. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7’s best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don’t need to be upgraded. One annoying change is that Bluetooth driver support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you’ll either need the installation disc on hand or you’ll have to go download it.
Search, touch screens, and XP mode
Windows 7’s native search feature has been improved. Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly. This should appeal specifically to people who juggle large numbers of long documents, but it’s a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster. However, the search field is available by default only in the Start menu and in Windows Explorer, and cannot be easily added to the taskbar.
Touch-screen features worked surprisingly well. The hardware sometimes misread some of the multitouch gestures, occasionally confusing rotating an image, for example, with zooming in or out of the image. Overall, though, there were few difficulties in performing the basic series of gestures that Microsoft promotes, and this places Windows 7 in an excellent position for the future, as more and more computers are released with multitouch abilities.
Experts and people or companies who hope to use Windows 7 for business situations will appreciate the new XP Mode. It doesn’t have much of a practical application for the home consumer, but if you need to access programs designed for Windows XP that have not been upgraded to Windows Vista or 7, XP Mode creates a virtual environment within Windows 7 that should assuage any fears of upgrading without backward compatibility.
It’s not easy to set up once you’ve downloaded the XP Mode installer. You’ll need to double-check that you have the right hardware, and can get the right software. Hardware Virtualization Technology, also known as AMD-V, Vanderpool, or VT-d, must be supported for it to work. Motherboards older than two years probably won’t work, and even if you do have a newer one you might have to go into your BIOS and activate Hardware Virtualization. CPU-identification utilities are available from Microsoft that can tell you if you’re in the clear or not. However, if compatibility is the issue, this hassle will be worth it to you. Users will have full access to peripherals connected to their Windows 7 hardware, including printers, and the clipboard can be used to cut and paste between the virtual operating system and the "real" one.
Security
User Account Control, or UAC, is back in Windows 7. Microsoft has tweaked the feature so that it’s less intrusive, but it’s not clear whether that means you’re actually more or less secure than you were in Vista. UAC was one of the biggest changes in Vista. It tightened program access, but did it in such a way as to frustrate many owners of single-user computers. Windows 7 provides more options for user customization of UAC.
The default setting is to notify users only when programs try to make changes to the computer, one step below the most restrictive setting of Always Notify. Under Always Notify, anytime a program tries to access the Internet, or you try to make changes to the computer, Windows 7 will require user confirmation. The second-least restrictive option doesn’t dim the desktop when UAC is activated, and will only notify the user when programs try to make changes to the computer. When the desktop dims, Windows 7 is locking it down and preventing access. Never Notify is the most relaxed option, and is only recommended by Microsoft for programs that aren’t compatible with UAC.
UAC also displays a blue banner when confronted with a program from a known publisher versus a yellow banner and exclamation point when the program is from an unknown publisher. The number of clicks it should take to use UAC safely has been reduced, However, it’s important to note that it’s a less aggressive default posture by UAC.
A less glitzy, but no less important, change to how removable drives are handled also can affect your media. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun external hard drives and USB keys when they’re connected. This kills off a risky vector for malware infections that has been the bane of many security experts.
Although Microsoft is working on a revamp of its antivirus and antimalware program, now called Microsoft Security Essentials, it won’t be bundled with Windows 7. Users are still required to download a third-party antivirus and antimalware program, although the Windows Firewall remains intact. As with many features in Windows 7 that have been carried over from Windows Vista, people will notice there’s far more granular settings control than before. Features like filtering outbound traffic, which were available in Vista but not exposed, are easier to access in Windows 7.
Spelling checkers keep those of us who never won a spelling bee from looking like high-school dropouts. IESpell’s spelling checker for Microsoft Internet Explorer provides a safety net for interactive message boards and Web-based e-mail.
We found it unobtrusive, convenient, accurate, and fast. When you want to check your spelling, activate the program from the Tools menu, the toolbar button, or the right-click menu. The intuitive interface resembles that of any other spelling checker, with options for adding words to its dictionary and for ignoring URLs and e-mail addresses. It also provides a direct link to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, giving you the opportunity to expand your vocabulary as you work.
Though we wish IESpell could have fixed punctuation errors and checked our spelling as we typed, we were happy it detected all our misspelled words and offered spelling suggestions. This is a great free tool for the orthographically challenged.
IESpell is a free Internet Explorer browser extension that spell-checks text-input boxes on a Web page. It should come in particularly handy for users who do a lot of Web-based text entry (Web mail, forums, blogs, diaries). Even if your Web application already includes spell-checking functionality, this utility is faster than a server-side solution. Plus, you get to store and use your personal word list across all your applications instead of having to maintain separate ones on each application.
Rich in Web content, short on cash? This free, open-source FTP application is handy if you’re looking for a solid tool to handle FTP transfers and don’t want to part with your bucks.
The straightforward interface offers translations in most of the world’s major languages. Caching directories speeds up browsing FTP sites, and multiple secure connection options ensure that you can move files around without concern. Bookmarking comes in two flavors: the Site Manager for all your major FTP locations, and QuickConnect for fast switching on the fly.
The program lets you download or upload multiple files at once from and to several servers. If your bandwidth is somewhat limited, you’ll appreciate a feature that lets you automatically adjust transfer speeds based on the time of day or date. FileZilla also lets you browse FTP sites mid-transfer. The lack of a task scheduler is compensated for, in our eyes, by a powerful filter so you only see the files you need.
FileZilla is no monster, either, eating up a manageable 50 MB in memory. Clearly, this is one of the best FTP tools around.
FileZilla is an FTP program for file uploading and downloading to and from your FTP site, server, or host. The program lets you transfer files and navigate among folders, Web sites, and your computer. This software enables you to perform multiple file transfers simultaneously.
As a way of avoiding spyware and pop-ups, Torpark successfully allows you to surf the Web anonymously, although the publisher warns of possible connection slowdowns.
The self-extracting file installs quickly, and you can run it from your hard drive, or as the publisher suggests, from a jump drive. Torpark adds to your browser’s toolbar a few unobtrusive buttons, which allow you to activate/deactivate the tool and configure its privacy settings according to your specifications. The tool effectively restricts pop-ups; blocks surreptitious installations of adware, spyware, and cookies; and hides any traces of your surfing. You can check the Torpark Tools menu while visiting a site and build a list of blocked items for the current page; from the same list box, you may add to a white list any or all of the displayed items.
The publisher cautions that using Torpark may slow your Internet connection speed, particularly if you’re using a dial-up, but we noticed no slowdown during our tests. Torpark is free, easy to use, and suitable for all users interested in protecting their privacy while visiting Web sites.
The main advantage compared to other anonymous Web browsers is that xB Browser requires no configuration or technical knowledge in order to achieve anonymity. xB Browser is open-source so you can feel safe knowing what goes into our code. Additionally, it is even portable on a USB stick so you can take it to work, school, or on vacation. xB Browser does not store a cache on the user hard drive, nor does it store cookies, so there is no mess to clean up with eraser programs. xB Browser also has advanted features such a DOM object and flash cookie protection, cross-site scripting, attack prevention, and java proxy control. xB Browser can also detects and disables hidden and malicious browser addons that are hidden in the windows registry. When used in the free mode, xB Browser will connect to the internet through the Tor anonymity network. For greater security and speed, users can upgrade to the XeroBank anonymity network at any time.
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(4 out of 5)