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BitDefender for Mac OS X – *Bleh*

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BitDefender Antivirus has been popular since it’s release on the Windows platform. It’s now available for Mac OS X too. Like most other third party security programs for Windows, BitDefender is definitely not the best. At least not all the time. You need to know that the efficacy of antivirus programs differ from time to time and with version to version. So is the OS X version of BitDefender good? Let’s take a look.

How good is BitDefender Antivirus for Mac?

Firstly, I’m no expert in software security. But, I do have a decent skill that helps me differentiate between a good and a bad software. This article is to share my experiences with an antivirus program, on a system that is seemingly strong enough to be on it’s own – Mac OS X. And take a note of Av-Comparatives.ORG. It is a great place to get in-depth and professional analysis on the popular anti-viruses in the market.

Here’s a PSA about any security program in general – keep away from security programs that claim 100% protection. No security program has ever existed to protect against all possible threats. 

The test drive

Considering the non-existence of any add-on security mechanism on my computer, I was curious and hoping there could be at least 1 infection. But seemingly, there wasn’t any! This could be due the goodness of OS X’s built in security, or it could be the poor detection technique of BitDefender. It’s hard to decide with no up-to-date benchmark reports available for the current version of BitDefender Mac (v 2.30.5095). And my experience isn’t enough to prove a software’s performance. But, Thomas at TheSafeMac.COM did run a test for a number of antivirus programs available for Mac. He did mention about the tests being non-comprehensive, but that doesn’t necessarily invalidate the results. His article points to poor detection rates by BitDefender for OS X (v 2.1).

Real-time protection – not so much

BitDefender for Mac has real time protection working only if the program’s running in the ‘foreground’. What this means is, if you like to normally close apps after using them, BitDefender will completely quit and you will have no real-time protection in action, which is quite strange.

Bottom line

We often hear about Mac OS X and Linux derivates being better than Windows with respect to security. Well, that’s a true fact. Mac OS X already does a very good job at keeping away infections and attacks without any need of a third party security mechanism. But, you must understand that a good job doesn’t imply a full-proof state of protection. And that’s where anti-viruses are still needed in the Macintosh world too. The answer to how good BitDefender is for Mac, lies in ambiguity for now. We need more data on tests and evaluations from authoritative websites for security programs on Mac OS X.

As an end user, do not fall for recommendations from advertisements or peers blindly. When you chose your security program, it’s wiser to educate yourself with the concept of detection rates, real-time protection and memory footprints. And concepts are simply understood if you can relate them to real life situations. For instance, detection rates could be explained as the ability of the special security forces (antivirus) to hunt down the bad guys. Good day.

Stretching and Wirelessly Charging a Lithium-ion Battery

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Stretchable/ Elastic batteries have two primary purposes – medical and consumer electronics. Stretchable lithium-ion batteries can power tiny medical electronics that can be implanted inside the human body (monitoring heart rate for instance). And on the other hand, these batteries can well address the need of stretchable/ flexible electronics – an upcoming technology in the consumer industry.

This is more of a solution to a problem approach. A number of electronic devices are coming up with stretchable properties; the currently available line-up of batteries are simply not suitable for them. Only recently, suitable stretchable lithium-ion batteries have been successfully tested to address this concern.

Via – [NorthWestern.EDU]

Adobe Photoshop Touch – [Android] [iOS]

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[] [iOS] – iOS and Android users have access to a never ending list of apps for download. The App Store and Google Play are one of the most visited websites through internet enabled and compatible devices. Well known desktop apps have been ported to iOS/ Android platforms and some of the popular names include Skype, MSN Messenger and FX Movie Maker. Now Adobe Photoshop, a popular photo-editing tool that’s used by millions of developers and consumers around the world, is now available for Android and iOS smartphones as Adobe Photoshop Touch.

A bit of history

This isn’t the first launch of Adobe Photoshop Touch – it was already available for iPad and Android tablets. Due to the growing popularity among the platforms, the app has now been extended to smartphones too. The tablet version went mainstream quickly after the more features were picked up from the desktop version.

The smartphone version, however, doesn’t contain any new additions from the developers and is almost similar to its tablet counterpart. The only difference was the re-sizing and re-engineering that developers at Adobe did to make the app work smoothly on the phones with smaller screens. The app is also optimized for the taller display of the sixth-generation iPhone.

Photoshop users who have been using the desktop version of Photoshop can quickly grasp the concept and features of the app.

Runtime

Once the app is launched, the user will be presented with an option to proceed with a new project or whether or not to follow a tutorial. The tutorial is helpful to locate the tools and the positioning of the toolset isn’t similar to the desktop version of the software. This will also help first-time users to get accustomed to the user interface.

There are 13 tutorials in total, and they guide the user through different functions of the app such as how to use different effects, shadows, blends, colors and background effects. A small banner appears at the top of the screen displaying the instructions, and the user also receives a pop up notification stating the required tool on certain occasions.

With respect to the user interface, some tools are on the main screen, while others are located at the bottom corner. However, a small arrow can be swiped to display them. There’s also a layers palette on the right side of the screen. The top layer is the one that’s the top in the stack, just like on the desktop version of the Adobe Photoshop. There’s also a 3D view feature that can be accessed by double-tapping any layer.

Users will be able to add a photo as a layer, use the pencil, deselect options, edit levels and saturation, add different effects and customize images.

The app is available on (Android and iOS app stores) for $4.99.