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Every computer needs a functional program to counter threats of viruses and malicious spyware, in both preventive and reactive aspects. Certainly, there is a plethora of quality anti-virus software in the market that a reasonable amount of money can buy. Given this market's high level of competitiveness, one would be overjoyed if there is software that provides rock-solid protection free-of-charge. Without a shadow of doubt, the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition has indeed brought smiles to faces of millions of users around the globe.

AVG Free Edition is not a new entry into this market; in fact, it has been around for a few years. According to Grisoft (the manufacturers), AVG has a total user count of approximately 60 million worldwide. The software is free to download and offers fundamental protection against modern electronic threats like spyware, Trojans and root kits.

The software allows you to scan your computer selectively, or to scan the entire hard drive, which is the default setting. The Test Centre can be accessed from the basic navigation window. From the Test Centre, updates for the software can be downloaded from the Grisoft server, which is rather redundant, in my opinion, since automatic updates are run every 2 hours by default. The scheduler can be configured manually to arrange for scans every fixed interval, as well as to set the time when you want AVG to update its virus database. The scanner automatically integrates itself in Outlook and becomes the default email-scanner, and with manual configuration, it can work together with other programs as well.

AVG Free Edition also has a very useful Resident Shield, which offers 'real-time protection' of your computer and your files. This means that it works as you surf the Internet and open files, it guarantees that your files in your computer would not be infected by any potential harmful viruses that may be transmitted.

In the unfortunate event that a file does get infected and become corrupted, the AVG Free Edition is still fully equipped to handle that eventuality. The infected files are quarantined in the Virus Vault, and can be eliminated from the computer. Of course, system files will not be deleted but secured inside the Vault and access restricted to prevent the virus from triggering.

The basic difference between the paid version (AVG Anti-Virus Professional) and the Free Edition is that in the Pro edition, there is much more advanced options on the scanner, making the scanner a hugely versatile tool. Also, users of Free Edition are lower on the priority list when updating the database as Pro users will take precedence. However, these two issues are not a significant concern - home users do not need more than the basic scanning functions and control for home protection; and the Grisoft server is so fast that it does not make much of a difference, be it Pro or Free.

Holistically, the fundamental features of AVG Free Edition are more than satisfactory, and can definitely provide security against malignant viruses. However, a significant amount of spyware can still get back the Free Edition's defenses and as such, requires the download of another AVG product - the AVG Anti-Spyware. The Free Trial is available for download and once the trial period expires, some features will be locked but it still remains a functional anti-spyware program. The scanning process is comprehensive enough for domestic use and the Resident Shield is a potent line of defense against viruses. It requires very little computer resources and scanning is very fast compared to scanning on Norton or BitDefender.

What I was disappointed with was that the scanner on AVG could not scan external drives, for example my USB thumb drive. It will detect the virus and prompt you to quarantine files but is unable to get rid of the threat. Also, as mentioned earlier, the AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition remains vulnerable to spyware intrusions. Moreover, the nature of an anti-virus software is that it is not stand-alone and it should work hand-in-hand with programs like anti-spyware and firewalls to fully protect a computer from external threats and this means that you would have to purchase or download yet another program like ZoneAlarm.

All in all, it is an easy interface to work with, most functions being self-explanatory and I would highly recommend AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition to all home users who require protection against basic threats.

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Here's one those looking for a laptop to work with. Introducing the Tablet PC. For those who have no idea what it actually is, it is a laptop, except for the fact that it allows the user to twist the screen flat down on the keyboard and write on it using the stylus pen. This is not a new idea, in fact, this has been on the market for a few years already, just that it has not been popularized and given much attention to as compared to the other laptops.

The Tablet PC allows users, especially students to write down notes on the touchscreen as if on a piece of paper, except that there is no need for storage places. Everything here is done on the PC and all information is stored like any other digital data, inside the hard-disk. It provides handwriting recognition which allows the computer to recognize the handwritings of people and to convert them into digital format without actually making the user type using standard keyboards. However, as compared to the typing speed of standard laptops using the keyboard, writing on the touchscreen could be slightly slower unless one is already very used to writing and has configured his Tablet PC to accommodate one's style of writing.

Taking down notes could not have been easier. With the stylus, users could use programs such as Windows Journal to take down precise sketches as compared to the old traditional method of using the auto-shape function of Microsoft Office. Also, Office has also integrated handwriting recognition in its programs such as Word and Powerpoint. It is now possible, using the stylus pen, to insert drawn diagrams into such documents. This could make the document much clearer by inputting precisely-drawn diagrams.

For all those digital artists out there, Tablet PCs are much more precise than the standard mouse movements. Using the stylus, artists could use the stylus and draw on the touchscreen, as compared to mouse movements which is more jerky. Hence, the Tablet PC is the PC of choice for professional digital artists and for those who want more precision in their work.

As for me, the Tablet PC is a tool used by my school for teaching purposes. As our nation gradually proceeds towards the IT era, things are being digitalized, including education. Thus, the Tablet PC was introduced to us to facilitate our learning in school. This brings the world to our classrooms and allows teachers access to more information. No more heavy textbooks, almost every single textbook has been digitalized and more often than not, the Tablet PC is the only thing we bring to school.

All in all, the Tablet PC has brought convenience for those who are learning and it is much more precise than standard laptops. With the precision of pen and paper, the Tablet PC provides a more natural form of inserting information. Hence, for all those students who have messy files full of paper and diagrams at home, this is the gadget for you, the one that could pack up your messy closets.

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When you're talking about a legend in the media industry you're talking stars that never fail to provide the headlines for many popular tabloid magazines, gossip websites and of course, global newspapers. But when you're talking about legends in the music industry, that would be the fallen queen, Miss Britney Spears. Ever since she and childhood/long-time beau, Justin Timberlake went on with their decisions to go their separate ways, her life went on a downhill bringing down her multi-billion career down with it. It was obvious she didn't take the break-up too well considering the hasty marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander which lasted less then 55 hours. Being one of the most biggest-selling female stars in music history, she has been trying to redefine her image from that of innocent teen idol to raunchy sex icon. Her fourth album, In the Zone which was released in November wasn't well received by media critics but it did however, hit the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. It wasn't surprising because the singer has sold more than 54 million albums around the world.

Blackout, is her fifth album in total and first album after she decided to take a long career break after her marriage to Kevin Federline of which she had two sons, Sean Preston (2005) & Jayden James (2006). Officially scheduled to be released in November 2007, the album released date was pushed up to October 2007 due to a number of leaked album tracks that were circulating the Internet rapidly. According to the company's record label it was an attempt to stop song piracy and of course to ensure the success of the lead single. The current awards that the album has received to date are the Billboard Readers' Choice Album of The Year and holding third place in the Album of The Year category in Virgin Media Music Awards 2007.

Critics have been rather harsh on the album after the disastrous performance at the Video Music Awards (VMAs) earlier on before her album release in 2007. Billboard stated "This is still pop, but the last bits of Spears' song-and-dance girl veneer are cracking, along with the rest of her public persona." Newsday titled its review "Save your money" and labeled the album "terrible". Critic Jim Farber wrote that "If a blow-up sex doll could sing, this is what she'd sound like." The New York Times panned it calling the album "The electronic beats and bass lines are as thick as Ms. Spears's voice is thin, and as the album title suggests, the general mood is bracingly unapologetic." There were many comments about the lack of solid quality vocal elements in the tracks in Blackout. Most critics also said that a majority of the tracks had an overwhelming overdo of studio vocal editing in her voice making her sound annoyingly robot like.

Despite being bombarded by slicing reviews, there have been rather positive says on the album. As reviewed by Digital Spy, "the most danceable, modern and thrilling album that Spears has ever made, the disc where she finally shakes off the last remnants of her Mickey Mouse Club image". Rolling Stone also went on to give the album three and a half stars out of five and joked that Spears will "continue to crank the best pop booty jams until a social worker cuts off her supply of hits". This album was ranked at number fifty by Rolling Stone in its annual publication of top 50 albums of 2007.

Personally, I thought that she could have done a lot better to make a real comeback to the music industry. This album spells party, club and dance. The beat of certain tracks are appealing to dance such as her hit single, "Gimme More" and the other one, "Piece of Me". Basically 90% of the songs in there have playful hints on sexually contents like, "Get Naked (I've Got A Plan)". You wouldn't call this a very vocal album, thanks to all the background beats and overups, so don't be too hopeful if you're expecting something like her third or fourth album. Overall I think she's trying too hard to be sexy and ends up sounding quite constipated in some tracks but if you're a Spears kinda person, in for the bass and the beat, I'd say go for it.

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The genre of water based disaster-cum-action flicks were probably defined way back when Titanic was produced and broke the charts as one of the most successful films ever. Since then, there have been a few similar flicks with roughly the same storyline, and I'm afraid Poseidon (2006) is perhaps wannabe imitation of these movies, being a film remake of a movie of the identical name back in 1972.

The plot line of Poseidon is stereotypical. A number of guests are aboard the luxurious ocean liner, the S.S Poseidon on a transatlantic crossing during New Year's eve. As the story builds around a number of characters' background and stories during their first day on board the cruise, disaster strikes upon the ship, causing a crisis to all the passengers and crew on board. The story then focuses on a small group of survivors who work together to escape certain death.

The group of survivors who eventually band together includes a wide range of different characters. Robert Ramsey(Kurt Russell) is the doubtful father of Jennifer Ramsey(Emmy Rossum) who is hoping to be engaged to her boyfriend, Christian(Mike Vogel). Elena(Mia Maestro) is a stowaway of her friend Valentin(Freddy Rodriguez) who works as a waiter in the dining room of the ship. 9 year old Conner James(Jimmy Bennett) is the young son of Jacinda Barrett (Maggie James), Dylan(Josh Lucas) is a professional gambler on board along with Nelson(Richard Dreyfuss), a homosexual architect. The list continues on, including the famous singer Stacy Ferguson, better known by her stage name "Fergie", playing a minor character of the story.

Within the movie, the first half an hour or so is dedicated to exploring the histories and tensions between each and every character, introducing each of them to the audience in a different way, before moving on to the crux of the story. A gigantic rogue wave is spotted by a passenger heading straight at the ship, and any evasive action is futile. The result is that the ship is horribly overturned, capsizing the ship, dealing a significant damage to it, throwing the guests all into panic.

One of the few things which amazed me are the elegant visuals within the movie. As the story began, we are given our few glimpses of the S.S. Poseidon, a luxury cruise liner indeed. Beautifully crafted sets modeled after rooms within of the renowned Queen Mary 2, as well as computer generated images of the ship's destruction and demise creates an extremely life-like image for the movie. I personally can say that their huge $160 million budget was well spent this sector, given how the movie was a nominee for an Academy award for visual effects.

With a stale plot, an overused genre and mediocre acting, Poseidon (2006) is not a movie one would go expecting something fresh and appealing. The only spark of light which shines within this movie would be the impressive visuals, however, I am afraid that graphics alone, do not make a good movie.

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Cartoons are certainly enjoyed by all children, however as most people grow up, they inevitably become more mature and stop watching these cartoons. However, it seems like the Japanese have been able to keep teenagers and even adults drawn into seemingly childish shows in the form of animes. They've probably captured the hearts of so many people due to their simple presentation but yet deep and immersive plots and stories. One such example of a pretty good anime in my opinion would be Black Lagoon.

Despite the title of the show, it has absolutely nothing to do with an actual lagoon. It is set in the port city of Roanapur where the biggest criminals and gangsters in the world gather at. Black Lagoon is the name of a "delivery company" which often has brushes with the wrong side of the law. Their job is simple: deliver a package (or even a person at times) to a specific location, except they usually use a torpedo boat to do so. The show starts off with the crew (Revy, Dutch and Benny) hijacking another boat to steal a certain disc containing valuable information to the client and then delivering it to the client. While doing so, they kidnap one of the office workers on board and intend to collect some ransom for his safe return. However, due to a turn of events, Rock ends up joining the crew of Black Lagoon and then follows them on their various missions throughout the 25 episodes.

Probably the most stunning and striking thing about Black Lagoon is its presentation. Being a show with many violent scenes throughout, the show makes use of a lot of graphic violence in order to portray large scale gun fights. Oftentimes, characters seem to possess extraordinary strength and skills which help make the show all the more exciting. The different characters and personalities of the crew members also make for interesting scenes. For example Revy is a trigger happy girl who always uses violence and guns to solve problems and has little disregard for other people. However, Rock is almost the direct opposite as he dislikes violence and is a cool headed negotiator who is able to help the group out but hinders them at times due to his inexperience in gun fights.

Initially, the jobs they get are on a fairly small scale, however as the series progresses, we get to see a lot more action, mostly in the form of gun fights. Revy has the nickname of "Two-hands" for a good reason, she has 2 pistols (whom she names Cutlass) in holsters that are easily accessible to her at all times, and she frequently pulls them out throughout the series to take down enemies and defend Rock and the other crew members of the Black Lagoon. This becomes all the more important later in the series when the crew becomes entangled with modern day Nazis, triads and even a triad war in Japan. The stories become more and more epic and deaths aren't uncommon. The different story arcs are all very well thought out and provide plenty of opportunities for large scale gun fights which make the series all the more exciting to watch and enjoy.

Unfortunately, despite many great story arcs throughout the 25 episodes, there isn't much continuation between the different arcs. One arc just suddenly ends and the next one begins in the next episode and the viewer is left to wonder what happens in between. This means that there is no overall storyline to make the show feel complete, rather it feels like bits and pieces thrown together to form an entire series. For example there are a few twists near the end of the series (for example one of the characters turns out to be CIA operative) but nothing ever comes of them, which is really disappointing. The last episode also doesn't seem to round up the series at all, but it's still unclear as to whether there'll be a third season. However, that seems unlikely since the second one ended a year ago and there's still no news about a third season.

All in all, Black Lagoon is still a really great anime series which I would recommend to almost anyone who enjoys watching action packed gun fights as well as detailed and compelling story arcs. The only drawback is that there isn't much of an overall story to the whole season. Still, the individual story arcs as well as the great presentation all make up for it.

You can watch this anime series for free over at Anime Crunch or you can search for it at Veoh. It's in Japanese with English subtitles.

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