Lavasoft Adaware Anniversary Edition
10 years of malware experience combined in one dynamic application. Ad-Aware - Anniversary Edition offers radically improved performance and efficiency, along with comprehensive malware protection. With real-time monitoring, threat alerts, and automatic updates you can rest easy knowing that you are protected
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Asquared Free
# Scan your PC for infections of Trojans, Viruses, Spyware, Adware, Worms, Bots, Keyloggers and Dialers.
# 2 Cleaning Scanners in 1:
Anti-Virus + Anti-Spyware
# 4 million users world wide rely on a-squared to clean their PC from Malware.
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Irfan View
IrfanView is a very fast, small, compact and innovative FREEWARE (for non-commercial use) graphic viewer for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista.
It is trying to be simple for beginners and powerful for professionals.
IrfanView is trying to create new and/or interesting features in its own way, unlike some other graphic viewers, whose whole "creativity" is based on feature cloning, stealing of ideas and whole dialogs from ACDSee and/or IrfanView!
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AVG Free Anti-Virus
AVG Free provides you with basic antivirus and antispyware protection for Windows and is available to download for free.
* The most downloaded software on CNET's Download.com
* Protection against viruses and spyware (antivirus and antispyware)
* Fast, effective security that is kind on resources
* Compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista
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Firefox Web Browser
The Web is all about innovation, and Firefox 3 sets the pace with dozens of new features, including the smart location bar, one-click bookmarking and blindingly fast performance.
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Google Chrome Web Browser
Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
Download Page
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VLC Media Player
VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.
It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network.
It doesn't need any external codec or program to work.
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Friday, February 27, 2009
A4tech HD-800 Dolby Virtual 7.1 USB Headset Review
Are you a gamer who wants to experience surround sound but doesn't want to disturb your neighbors? Or you don't have the money to buy those way too expensive 5.1 headphones which almost costs as a 5.1 surround speakers? Try the A4tech HD-800, for a price of $25 it offers a virtual 7.1 surround for an affordable price.
I have used two headsets that offers real 5.1 surround (3-4 speakers in each cup) and that is the Zalman Theatre 6 and the Tritton AX360 Dolby Digital headset. The Zalman broke and the AX360 wont fully work (its rumble/bass) on a PC. Because of that, I decided to give the A4tech HD-800 a try to fill my surround needs especially for gaming.
Comfort
The HD-800 is very comfortable. It covers all the areas of my ears without touching it. It feels very light too. I didn't feel any strain on my ears after hours of gaming and listening to music. The 1.8m cord is long enough to give you freedom for your movements. The clip and the volume control is very useful too.
Sound Quality
I'm very surprised how this headset sounds! It really exceeds my expectation! I've tried headsets from Sennheiser, Sony, JBL, Philips and other known brands and I can really say that the HD-800's sound quality is on par with the said brands.
Music:
The HD-800 is really good at music. The sound stage, imaging and overall sound quality is good. The HD-800 is way better than my once owned Zalman Theatre 6 5.1 headset in music. I used my Sennheiser PMX 100 for a head to head comparison and I can say that the HD-800 rivals my PMX100. The Sennheiser PMX 100 has the better overall sound quality but I use the HD-800 more on my PC because I like the Dolby effect and the difference is not really far anyway. Plus, the HD-800 does a good job at blocking outside noise.
Gaming:
I immediately felt the difference after switching from my stereo PMX100 to the HD-800. I can feel the surround and I can sense the direction of the sound when playing Call of Duty 4, Counterstrike Source and other 1st person and 3rd person games, it really helps pinpointing enemies. The virtual 7.1 really works! The audio positioning is not really that accurate compared to a true 5.1 surround headset like my Zalman 5.1 headset and Tritton AX360 Dolby Digital headset but you can feel it anyway.
Movies:
The Dolby effect really enchances the movie viewing experience. The bass is great, it can handle explosions and other low frequency effects of a movie. This headset just became my companion when watching movies on my laptop.
Conclusion
The A4tech HD-800 is a really great product. It really exceeds my expectations. For a cheap price (around $25) it rivals other headsets with double its price! And it beats other headsets with the same price! I once owned a Sennheiser HD-202 that I bought for $50-60 and I really think that the A4tech HD-800 sounds better than the Senn HD-202. The virtual 7.1 really works for me. My only gripe is the sound leaks that people around you knows what music you are playing but its not a big deal anyway. Other than that I cant find any negative about this product. This headset is highly recommended!
Pros:
-Cheap
-Good sound quality
-Comfortable
Cons:
-The sound leaks
Specifications
Type:3D Surround Dolby Earphone.
Power Input:USB Power Supply.
Style:Headset
Frequency Response:20Hz~20KHz
Impedance:32Ohm
Speaker Diameter:F50mm
Sound Pressure:(1khz/0db):111db±3db
Cable Length:1.8m
MIC:-58 db±3db
Max. Power:16mw(1khz/0db)
S/N: 82db
I have used two headsets that offers real 5.1 surround (3-4 speakers in each cup) and that is the Zalman Theatre 6 and the Tritton AX360 Dolby Digital headset. The Zalman broke and the AX360 wont fully work (its rumble/bass) on a PC. Because of that, I decided to give the A4tech HD-800 a try to fill my surround needs especially for gaming.
Comfort
The HD-800 is very comfortable. It covers all the areas of my ears without touching it. It feels very light too. I didn't feel any strain on my ears after hours of gaming and listening to music. The 1.8m cord is long enough to give you freedom for your movements. The clip and the volume control is very useful too.
Sound Quality
I'm very surprised how this headset sounds! It really exceeds my expectation! I've tried headsets from Sennheiser, Sony, JBL, Philips and other known brands and I can really say that the HD-800's sound quality is on par with the said brands.
Music:
The HD-800 is really good at music. The sound stage, imaging and overall sound quality is good. The HD-800 is way better than my once owned Zalman Theatre 6 5.1 headset in music. I used my Sennheiser PMX 100 for a head to head comparison and I can say that the HD-800 rivals my PMX100. The Sennheiser PMX 100 has the better overall sound quality but I use the HD-800 more on my PC because I like the Dolby effect and the difference is not really far anyway. Plus, the HD-800 does a good job at blocking outside noise.
Gaming:
I immediately felt the difference after switching from my stereo PMX100 to the HD-800. I can feel the surround and I can sense the direction of the sound when playing Call of Duty 4, Counterstrike Source and other 1st person and 3rd person games, it really helps pinpointing enemies. The virtual 7.1 really works! The audio positioning is not really that accurate compared to a true 5.1 surround headset like my Zalman 5.1 headset and Tritton AX360 Dolby Digital headset but you can feel it anyway.
Movies:
The Dolby effect really enchances the movie viewing experience. The bass is great, it can handle explosions and other low frequency effects of a movie. This headset just became my companion when watching movies on my laptop.
Conclusion
The A4tech HD-800 is a really great product. It really exceeds my expectations. For a cheap price (around $25) it rivals other headsets with double its price! And it beats other headsets with the same price! I once owned a Sennheiser HD-202 that I bought for $50-60 and I really think that the A4tech HD-800 sounds better than the Senn HD-202. The virtual 7.1 really works for me. My only gripe is the sound leaks that people around you knows what music you are playing but its not a big deal anyway. Other than that I cant find any negative about this product. This headset is highly recommended!
Pros:
-Cheap
-Good sound quality
-Comfortable
Cons:
-The sound leaks
Specifications
Type:3D Surround Dolby Earphone.
Power Input:USB Power Supply.
Style:Headset
Frequency Response:20Hz~20KHz
Impedance:32Ohm
Speaker Diameter:F50mm
Sound Pressure:(1khz/0db):111db±3db
Cable Length:1.8m
MIC:-58 db±3db
Max. Power:16mw(1khz/0db)
S/N: 82db
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Fiio E5 Portable Headphone Amplifier
Some of us wanna improve our portable PMP's sound quality by using a portable headphone amplifier. There are a lot of headphone amps available on the market but they are not portable enough to fit in your pockets together with your PMP or your phone. Ive have a portable DIYed Cmoy headphone amp but its not small enough for portable use that I gave up using this amp outdoors. Searching for a better alternative, I found the Fiio E5 portable headphone amp.
The Fiio E5 comes with a USB cable (for charging), a long and short 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, and a manual (not shown).
My DIYed Cmoy amp and my Fiio E5.
The E5 looks similar to the Ipod shuffle, its very small and lightweight. It never gave me any problems putting this into my pocket together with my iphone. You can also use its clip for added convenience. The E5 has a volume control for quick volume adjustments and a bass boost function. The battery lasts long enough for a whole day listening.
SOUND TEST:
Headphones used for testing: Sennheiser PMX 100, JBL 510, Sony MDR-CX1 and Xtreme Mac FS1
Devices used for testing:
Iphone/Ipod
Using The E5 on the Iphone and Ipod, I noticed a slight improvement on the sound quality of my headphones, the difference is not that big but you will notice it. The bass booster barely gives the music additional punch on the lows.
Nintendo DS/Sony PSP
The sound quality of the NDS is not really good. Only few people using it as their portable music player. the volume of the NDS is limited, its DAC doesn't give enough power to please music lovers. After connecting the E5 to the NDS, I immediately noticed the improvement, HUGE improvement! The sound became more livelier and more detailed, the bass is much more deeper, the overall sound quality greatly improved!
Gaming is more enjoyable now especially when playing Elite Beat Agents!
Laptop
My laptop, Acer 5920G is equipped with Realtek ALC888. Its sound quality is good and it gets better with the Fiio E5 connected to it. The sound improvement is very noticeable. I hear more sound details when playing games and watching movies is more enjoyable now. Its like I upgraded the soundcard of my laptop!
Conclusion
The Fiio E5 doesnt give much power like the other amp does but for me it is the better choice for outdoor use because of its portability. The E5 is perfect for portable gaming devices, PMPs and alike. For a very affordable price of $20 this is perfect if you want to improve your sounds on the go. Highly recommended!!
Pros:
-Small, lightweight.
-Good sound quality.
-Long battery life
-Cheap.
Cons:
-Less powerful.
-Bass boost is not really effective.
4.5 out of 5
The Fiio E5 comes with a USB cable (for charging), a long and short 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable, and a manual (not shown).
My DIYed Cmoy amp and my Fiio E5.
The E5 looks similar to the Ipod shuffle, its very small and lightweight. It never gave me any problems putting this into my pocket together with my iphone. You can also use its clip for added convenience. The E5 has a volume control for quick volume adjustments and a bass boost function. The battery lasts long enough for a whole day listening.
SOUND TEST:
Headphones used for testing: Sennheiser PMX 100, JBL 510, Sony MDR-CX1 and Xtreme Mac FS1
Devices used for testing:
Iphone/Ipod
Using The E5 on the Iphone and Ipod, I noticed a slight improvement on the sound quality of my headphones, the difference is not that big but you will notice it. The bass booster barely gives the music additional punch on the lows.
Nintendo DS/Sony PSP
The sound quality of the NDS is not really good. Only few people using it as their portable music player. the volume of the NDS is limited, its DAC doesn't give enough power to please music lovers. After connecting the E5 to the NDS, I immediately noticed the improvement, HUGE improvement! The sound became more livelier and more detailed, the bass is much more deeper, the overall sound quality greatly improved!
Gaming is more enjoyable now especially when playing Elite Beat Agents!
Laptop
My laptop, Acer 5920G is equipped with Realtek ALC888. Its sound quality is good and it gets better with the Fiio E5 connected to it. The sound improvement is very noticeable. I hear more sound details when playing games and watching movies is more enjoyable now. Its like I upgraded the soundcard of my laptop!
Conclusion
The Fiio E5 doesnt give much power like the other amp does but for me it is the better choice for outdoor use because of its portability. The E5 is perfect for portable gaming devices, PMPs and alike. For a very affordable price of $20 this is perfect if you want to improve your sounds on the go. Highly recommended!!
Pros:
-Small, lightweight.
-Good sound quality.
-Long battery life
-Cheap.
Cons:
-Less powerful.
-Bass boost is not really effective.
4.5 out of 5
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