When Microsoft introduced Recall for Windows 11, data privacy and protection experts were horrified. Why? Because Recall continuously takes screenshots of your screen and saves them on your computer, even if those screenshots contain sensitive data like passwords and credit card details. Back then, Recall was still in testing, and the backlash was enough to get Microsoft to postpone its release. Microsoft has since developed Recall even further and implemented several promised security and privacy features, but some remain unconvinced. We’ve tested Recall ourselves and still don’t trust it, and we aren’t the only ones. The Register carried out a test and found that it can “still capture credit cards and passwords, a treasure trove for crooks.” In short, Microsoft promises the opposite, but Recall can continue to record passwords and credit card data under the right conditions. Microsoft integrated a filter to recognize the input or display of sensitive data and prevent screenshots in those cases, but The Register was able to get around that filter. Mark Hachman / Foundry Their test also found that Recall also took screenshots of account balances currently visible on the screen. Only the login details for the bank account were avoided by Recall. The Register writes: “So an attacker would know which bank I use and how much money I have, both details that could help them, but not my credentials or account number.” Recall recorded credit card details in one case, but didn’t in another. Recall reliably recognized the input of passwords and didn’t record them, but it did create screenshots of a file containing passwords. Recall obviously doesn’t always recognize when passwords are displayed on the screen and can therefore possibly record them. Also, when logging in to PayPal, Recall captured the login screen with the user name but not the password. Microsoft’s Recall safeguards can still fail The conclusion here is that, despite Microsoft’s improvements and additions, Windows Recall still has problems reliably recognizing sensitive data and refraining from recording it. According to The Register, Recall’s filtering of sensitive information is “good, but not good enough.” It should be noted, however, that Windows Recall stores its screenshots in encrypted form, so it isn’t exactly easy for strangers to view them. Still, if you want to avoid the potential for sensitive data leaks, you should disable Windows Recall and skip the risks altogether. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Extremely powerful and granular selection criteria Support for legacy and modern storage — including online Excellent performance Anti-ransomware monitoring Cons No disaster recovery Not always easy Minor bugs Pricey given the missing features Our Verdict Retrospect 19 Solo shares many excellent features with its Desktop sibling, including ransomware protection and new support for cloud storage. But it lacks disaster recovery, which is a bit of a gotcha for pay backup software. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Retailer Price Retrospect $49 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Retrospect Solo Retailer Price Retrospect $49 View Deal Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Retrospect 19 Solo shares a lot of useful features with its pricey Desktop sibling — including ransomware protection and fantastically powerful selection criteria. However, what it doesn’t share is arguably the most important feature of pay backup software: disaster recovery. Windows offers several backup tools that take care of data, but its disaster recovery tools are unreliable. Yeah, go figure. The pricier Desktop version of Retrospect 19 does offer disaster recovery. Hint, hint. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best backup software for comparison. What are Retrospect 19 Solo’s features? Retrospect Solo is a stripped down version of a venerable enterprise-level backup program that is sold to smaller businesses and end users. The Desktop and enterprise versions offers features well beyond the scope of most consumer backup products. Solo does not — with one or two exceptions. The most welcome new feature in Retrospect 19 Solo is cloud storage support. This includes third-party services such as Amazon S3 and S3-compatibles, Dropbox, Wasabi, Google cloud, Azure, and even Retrospect’s own (using Wasabi as the back-end). Retrospect 19 now supports cloud storage services. Unfortunately, support for the popular OneDrive and Google Drive have been omitted. Why Dropbox and not those? Don’t know. But the lack is exacerbated by Retropect pricing its own online storage well above the mean. More on that below. On the plus side, there is a new granular compare function that let’s you see the actual differences between your existing data set and a backup. This gives you a bird’s eye view of changes that could indicate suspicious activity, aka ransomware activity. If Retrospect sees a troubling pattern, it will flag it as a possible ransomware attack. More on that later. Features and options include: compression and password–protected encryption; extremely granular scheduling; pre- and post-backup operations; filtering (including a copious helping of presets for common file types); differential, incremental, full, and block-level (only changed portions of a file) backups; deduplication (not backing up copies of the same file); notifications, and most of the bells and whistles found in the backup space. Retrospect features vary by the license you purchase. Alas, Solo lacks many of them. That’s all well and good, but Solo’s lack of disaster recovery is a major issue, dwarfing the lack of backup from NAS, or network locations; and the inability to back up using tape drives. Few users will care that Solo can only run two backups simultaneously, whereas Desktop can run four and some of the Enterprise versions 16. Two is more than most of us need! Not all these types of media are supported by every version of retrospect 19, but they are all supported at some price point. This capture is from the Desktop version, not the affordable Solo, which doesn’t support tape. As to Retrospect 19 Solo’s anti-ransomware features — ransomware is no joke. I was attacked while hosting my website on a local NAS box with an outdated version of WordPress (yes, I know…). A recent local backup (hint, hint…) saved my tuchus, but geez Louise was it a wake-up call! Retrospect’s local anti-ransomware features aren’t real-time like a true anti-malware, anti-data tampering background application such as Acronis True Image, Macrium Reflect, or Windows Defender. Instead, before Retrospect starts backing up, it checks to see how much the data has changed and in what ways. If the number of new or altered files exceeds a user-definable percentage, it cries foul and alerts you; meanwhile not overwriting anything in an existing backup. This is referred to as anomaly detection. If you’re not familiar, most ransomware attacks work by encrypting your files to new ones, deleting the old ones, then ransoming the encryption key. That entails a whole lot of changes, and what Retrospect is looking for. ProactiveAI protects backups if too many changes are registered. Of course, this approach is passive and relies upon your backing up regularly so you can restore the un-ransomed, unencrypted versions of your files. As Retrospect Solo has granular scheduling, I recommend daily as the minimum. The other half of Retrospect’s anti-ransomware solution is interfacing with the immutable data option offered by services such as Backblaze, Wasabi, S3, etc. Immutable data is data that a storage service won’t allow to be altered or deleted for a set period of time — even by known entities, unless specifically disabled. How much does Retrospect 19 cost? Retrospect 19 Solo is $49. That’s a perpetual license for a single computer (Solo). You can also get Annual Support and Maintenance (ASM), which includes more than rudimentary support and updates to new whole number versions should they appear, for an additional $80. Ahem. I should note that some of the competition such as Acronis and Macrium no longer offer perpetual licenses. Hence, over time, Retrospect 19 Solo might be a relative bargain. A Retrospect 19 Solo perpetual license retain all functionality and will receive any dot upgrades — i.e., it’s not subscription software that goes into restore-only mode if you stop paying as do Acronis True Image and Macrium Relfect X. Retrospect Solo is the most affordable version of the program; however, it’s missing some key features such as disaster recovery media. If you want a more detailed breakdown on the differences between versions of Retrospect, check the comparison chart on the Retrospect site. As you can see below, the Wasabi-powered Retrospect cloud storage is a bit pricey for the average user. Did I say a bit? I meant a whole lot. In point of fact, it’s three times Wasabi itself, which was $7 per TB per month at the time of this writing. Err… Retrospect Cloud Storage is Wasabi- based and somewhat pricey. Even though Retrospect Solo 19 makes it a tad difficult to use third-party online storage, I can’t recommend a service that’s three times the cost of others. Even if it’s slightly easier to use. As to that… Is Retrospect 19 Solo easy to learn and use? Retrospect 19 Solo’s interface is a bit dated in appearance, but the major learning hurdles come from it operating differently from most backup programs. Everything makes sense in the end and the power and versatility of pricier versions can be worth it, but the program’s approach simply makes for a steep learning curve. A good long look at the Retrospect 19 users guide is almost a necessity. Thank me later. As to some of the particulars… First off, the program’s vernacular is off the beaten path. Data repositories to be backed up are defined as “Volumes,” which can be drives, per normal nomenclature, but also clients on other computers, or files and folders, which are added under “Subvolumes,” and “Defined as volumes.” Destinations are “Backup sets,” which makes sense when it comes to sets of media you might rotate (which Solo does not help with), but isn’t intuitive to the average user. BTW, rotating means swapping out multiple discrete media according to a schedule — say, employing seven hard drives, optical disc/tape “Devices,” and using each only on a specific day of the week. This is really an enterprise deal where carousels and tape libraries are still common. “Selecting” is where you find the filters that skip or include various types of files. This is an area where Retrospect really shines — you can apply any number of rules or criteria about what to back up and what to skip. It’s also likely overkill for the average user. Jobs are “Scripts,” which aren’t created until you schedule a job created with Backup Now. Extremely efficient but not entirely intuitive. Scripts are not found under the Backup, but the Configure section of the function tree at the left of the main window. You can apply any number of rules or criteria about what to back up and what to skip. Scripts are created when you add a schedule to a Backup Now task. Retrospect uses discrete catalogs, aka indexes, for its backups and these are stored separately (with the rest of the program data) from the backup. Most backup programs store indexes inside the backup container, or along with it. Discrete catalogs have a great advantage in speed when retrieving data from a slow medium such as tape. Solo does not support tape, so catalogs could be seen as an unnecessary adjunct for mainstream users. You can, of course, rebuild the catalog from the backup should you somehow lose the original — however, this can be a rather lengthy procedure. I had to do it once with tape. Never again. The company recommends that you back up these catalogs to external media for access in case you need to perform a full system recovery from a crashed computer. These are just some of the myriad options available within Retrospect. Retrospect is decently easy to use once you know it, but it’s obvious that functionality was removed from Solo without proper adjustment to the interface. The program will actually let you select a network resource to back up (see above), but then not back it up, with an error in the log that basically says “not allowed by license.” Sloppy. Adding a cloud destination requires either providing keys from your storage provider, or signing in to the service via web access. However, this must be done for every different backup. Perhaps this is more secure, but it’s most certainly a pain during setup. Most backup programs retain their storage service connections. So, no, Retrospect 19 Solo is not easy to learn, but yes, once you know it, it’s easy enough to use. It is extremely versatile and powerful, but if you’re looking for simplicity then Retrospect 19 Solo is quite likely not your cup of tea. How does Retrospect 19 perform? To confirm that Retrospect’s backup engine hadn’t gone AWOL after 30 years (it hasn’t), I ran a host of backups: full, differential, and several incrementals, targeting a 10Gbps USB SSD, the network, and internal NVMe SSDs. As expected, Retrospect purred like a kitten during those backups and the subsequent restores. Even with two backups going at once. Indeed, the only times I’ve ever had an issue with a Retrospect backup, it was a problem with the media — back in the days of, yes, tape. I also tested the anomaly detection by altering and renaming files in various numbers, and Retrospect detected those changes as advertised. While it is nice that you can select network sources with the Desktop version of Retrospect, this is the Solo version, and the folder I selected was never backed up. Retrospect 19 Solo was perfection when it came to both the backup and restore operations that it supports. Faster than most, glitch-free, and with accurate feedback on the progress of backups — something not a lot of backup programs provide. I have zero qualms about Retrospect 19 Solo’s reliability and performance, it’s merely a matter of value. Should you buy retrospect 19 Solo? Honestly, no. The steep learning curve, but most especially the lack of disaster recovery makes it largely an unnecessary expenditure. You can do roughly the same thing using Windows File history. Retrospect 19 Desktop is a different kettle of fish. It’s initially pricey at $169 for the perpetual license, but it has the disaster recovery, network backup, and extensive hardware support that Solo lacks. But there are plenty of more affordable (some free) options than either Retrospect version out there. Easeus Todo Backup, Aomei Backupper, and Minitool ShadowMaker to name a few. Check out the best backup software hub for even more choices. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Strong antivirus protection Essential protection against major online threats Simple, straightforward features Cons Performance impact on some PCs User interface would benefit from Consolidation Upselling of additional services Our Verdict A one-device limitation can feel tight to many people, but if that’s all you need, Norton Antivirus Plus provides plenty of value for its price. This entry-level antivirus suite is affordable and reliable while still costing less yet offering more features than rivals. If you can work comfortably with its quirks and potentially heavy performance effect, it can be ideal software for digital minimalists. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Norton Antivirus Plus Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Antivirus makers stuff a ton of features into their most touted-plans, but not everyone needs those extra bells and whistles. Maybe all you seek is the basics for online protection in a single software package—and for just one device. Norton Antivirus Plus is one slimmed down option that hits those notes exactly, with malware protection and a password manager as the standout features. As an affordable entry-level suite, you can skip the extraneous pieces of more expensive plans without sacrificing what you really need. The only caveat: You can acclimate to Norton’s quirks, including an app with two different interfaces. What does Norton Antivirus Plus include? Though its name lacks the reference, Norton Antivirus Plus is part of Norton’s 360 lineup—albeit as the most stripped down version, both in features and number of devices supported. Its primary focus is on direct threats to your online security, with the antivirus engine protecting you against malware and the firewall blocking network threats. The app screens for dangerous links and attachments as well. This subscription also offers 2GB of cloud backup storage, access to Norton’s password manager, and PC utilities that include the ability to clear temporary files and monitor for outdated software. Norton’s introductory pricing can vary—but generally you’ll find it between $20 and $30 for the first year.Norton / PCWorld As an entry-level software suite, Norton Antivirus Plus is an affordable, reliable option for those who don’t mind its dual set of interfaces. How much does Norton Antivirus Plus cost? If you buy through Norton, the Norton Antivirus Plus plan costs $30 for the first year, and then increases to $60 thereafter. You can try the software for 30 days before committing, though you’ll have to put down a credit card. Subscriptions also come with a 60-day money-back guarantee. Be aware that Norton automatically enrolls you into auto-renewal at sign-up. Norton Antivirus Plus (1 device) $30 for the first year $60 per year thereafter Norton Antivirus Plus supports PC, macOS, Android, and iOS, but this plan limits you to just one device. You can save even more on Norton Antivirus Plus if you purchase your license through third-party retailers like Amazon or even PCWorld’s own software store—generally the price hovers around 75 percent off the normal price, and sometimes with extra bonus months. Key features of Norton Antivirus Plus Installation and user interface After purchasing a subscription to Norton Antivirus Plus, you’ll get access to the installation file, which automatically downloads. Norton Antivirus Plus’s interface has two different views, and you have to switch between both for access to all features. After installation, the My Norton window will be the first thing you see—it’s one of two interfaces you’ll interact with. It has a contemporary look and serves as a springboard to the most important features. You can start scans, update the app and its virus definitions, jump over to the password manager, manage your cloud backups, and fire up the secure browser. You can also run the software updater, as well as dig into a few program settings. (Tip: Turn off notifications for “Special offers” in the settings while rooting around.) Generally, this view is simple and straightforward, with one exception. You get no back button while navigating through submenus (like in settings). For a deeper dive into the program, you must switch to the Classic view by clicking on the Open button within the Device Security part of My Norton. A second window with a more outdated vibe will appear. Selecting any four of the tiles (Security, Internet Security, Backup, and Performance) reveals the full lineup of features related to that topic. The fifth tile takes you back to the My Norton view. To tweak the settings of features, you have to first open the Classic interface view, then choose Settings.PCWorld Also within the Classic view are the feature settings (like behavior of antivirus scans). You can adjust how antivirus scans, the firewall, and backups behave, as well as the protections for email and apps, and a several app settings. This dual interface setup can be confusing initially—but it becomes less of a problem the more you use the program. Virus, malware, and threat protection Real-time protection Norton Antivirus Plus protects your PC in real time by scanning new or changed files, watching for unusual app behavior, and screening for malicious scripts, attachments, and links in downloads and local email. Additional defenses (like protected folders, if you have a particular concern about ransomware) are only available on higher plans—though these days, ransomware is less of a concern for most individuals. To avoid phishing sites and other malicious pages (including ones that cause your PC to automatically download sketchy files) while browsing, you must first install the Norton Safe Web extension. It blocks dangerous sites and provides visual indicators for how trustworthy a link is. Scheduled and manual scans By default, Norton Antivirus Plus will run a full scan of your PC once per month. Scheduling can be very precise—if you want to run one every 13 hours, it’s possible. You can also set a schedule for the other default scan types (Quick Scan, Drive Scan, Folder Scan, File Scan), as well as for any custom scans you’ve created. You can edit the settings for scans to change their location and how often they happen.PCWorld For manual scans, you can choose Scan Options from the Device Security dropdown menu in the My Norton view, or click on Scans in the Classic view. Norton includes the option to scan for hard-to-find threats, as well as get diagnostic reports and recommendations on which of your files should be examined. Advanced users may find scan settings too simplified—for example, the full scan only allows you to change if it looks within compressed files, scans network drives, removes infected folders automatically, and wipes low risk and tracking cookie files. The other default scans have even fewer settings. You also can’t choose to check over all files, even if unchanged. Browser extensions Rare is the PC that isn’t continuously connected to the internet. Since web browser use is a daily occurrence for most everyone, Norton includes several browser extensions to boost online safety: Norton Home Page, Norton Safe Search, and Norton Safe Web. Norton Home Page switches your default to Norton’s own start page, while Norton Safe Search changes your default to Norton’s search engine. Meanwhile, Norton Safe Web scans links results for malicious content and also adds a visual badge to Google and Bing results showing if it’s safe to click (green is good, red is dangerous). Of this set, Norton Safe Web is the most useful—most people already have their own preferred home page and search engine. The Norton Safe Web browser extension screens links in Google and Bing search results.PCWorld A fourth browser extension, Norton Password Manager, lets you manage your passwords. While not strictly necessary (you can access the service through the website), it’s the most polished of all available extensions and easy to use. Cloud backup Having backups of your most important files is a wise move—even if you’re not afraid of ransomware locking you out, premature storage drive death or a lost device always loom as dangers. Norton attempts to help on this front by allowing you to save copies of your documents to its servers. By default, cloud backups will upload all but email and video files in your Windows document folders (i.e., Documents, Pictures, Music, etc). You can add or exclude file types, as well as specific files and folders. Norton also allows the creation of different backup rules (called a “Backup Set”), which is handy since you can only save to one location per backup set. Attempting to back up to a local drive did not work when I tested the feature on more than one PC.PCWorld Note that for the Norton Antivirus Plus plan, you don’t get much included storage—just 2GB. That won’t be enough to back up music or a even a moderate photo collection, but should adequately cover your important text-based documents. You can also create backups that save to a local drive—but in my experience, this option is buggy. On more than one computer, Norton would claim it had saved files to an external drive, but the files wouldn’t actually appear. You’re better off setting up your own system for local backups. Password manager Though simple, Norton’s password manager is good—a pleasant contrast to services that feel too stripped down. Setup is straightforward, with Norton prompting you to create a separate vault password, then to download a recovery key. (If you forget your vault password, you’ll need this key to recover the account.) This double login system (once with your standard Norton credentials, then your vault password) would normally be a pain, but using passwordless authentication through the Norton Password Manager mobile app nips that in the bud. It’s seamless, if fractionally slow with authentication approval requests. You can access your vault through the website, a browser extension, or the mobile app. PCWorld Note that for the browser extension, you can’t set the clipboard to automatically clear a copied password after a certain time. That’s a feature usually offered by rival password managers. PC utilities Norton includes a handful of PC tools in its antivirus suite, which replicate existing Windows features, sometimes in a more limited way. Optimize Disk is one such example. It’s Norton’s version of the Windows Optimize Drives utility, but more limited—it only defragments hard disk drives. Windows’ native tool is the better call, since it handles both HDDs and SSDs with the appropriate protocols. (Solid-state drives don’t benefit from traditional defragmentation.) File Cleanup wipes temporary files in Windows, including any unwanted Internet Explorer files. (If the latter is applicable to you, it’s time to upgrade your operating system.) Again, you’re better off using the native Windows utility for this task. Yes, Norton still supports Internet Explorer in its features. (Legacy Windows users…it’s time to upgrade.)PCWorld Startup Manager controls which apps launch automatically when Windows starts up—but you can easily manage this in Windows by typing startup apps in Windows search. Graphs is the only interesting one of the lot, showing a history of system use (installations, downloads, optimization, virus detections, quick scans, and alerts). If you like to know exactly what your system is doing in the background, this overview makes those details easily accessible. For these four tools, you must dig into Norton’s Classic view to find them. An additional tool lives in the My Norton view—Software Updater keeps track of out of date apps and lets you update them directly from the interface. (Our recommendation: Use the utility as a notification system, and then manually update yourself, to avoid potential software issues down the road.) Overall, Norton’s inclusion of these features is a nice thought, but not what sells the suite. Secure browser If you’re wary of Chrome, Norton Antivirus Plus includes an alternative called Norton Secure Browser. It’s also based on the same Chromium code as Google’s browser, but with a more curated experience. Norton Secure Browser drops onto your PC preconfigured with the Norton Privacy Guard (which blocks trackers and some ads, but not sponsored search results), Norton Password Manager, and Coupons add-ons already installed. You can only uninstall the Password Manager and Coupon extensions. PCWorld If you want to add more add-ons, Norton offers a pared-down storefront—but you can get more by scrolling all the way to the bottom for a link to the Chrome Web Store (or just hop on Google or Bing search). That’ll allow you to install stronger ad-blocking add-ons like uBlock Origin, if you want more comprehensive screening. Customer support Help with Norton Antivirus Plus is available within the app, both from the My Norton and Classic views. Of the two, the Classic view is easier to navigate, but the My Norton view puts the answers to commonly asked problems right upfront. You can also look up information on Norton’s support pages and community forums, and get technical support through chat, social media, and phone assistance. The in-app help and support pages are a good place to start, while the forums and company support are better options for troubleshooting. Updates and maintenance Norton automatically updates the virus definitions and app version, but the LiveUpdate feature within the app also lets you manually check for pending updates. It looks for any changes to the antivirus protection, Norton app, and process protection. If you need to find the version of your Norton app, you can access it through Help > About in the Classic view. Performance Norton generally performs well in tests performed by leading security research institutes—for online protection, at least. It caught 100 percent of the threats in AV-Test’s zero-day attack and malware tests for March and April 2025 (the most current results released), blocking all 459 zero-day attack samples. For recently widespread and prevalent malware, it detected 100 percent of the 18,722 samples. In AV-Comparatives’ real-world protection test for February through May 2025, Norton spotted 99.5 percent of the 423 test cases, with 9 false positives. (Rival ESET had just three false positives, for comparison.) The samples were a mix of exploits (like drive-by downloads), malicious web addresses, and URLs linking directly to malware. Effectively, Norton will protect against dangerous websites, but its sensitivity can end up blocking legitimate websites or downloads. AV-Comparatives’ real-world test results for February through May 2025. AV-Comparatives When facing AV-Comparatives’ March 2025 malware protection test and its 10,030 samples, Norton scored a 97.7 percent offline detection rate, 99.3 percent online detection rate, and a 99.96 percent online protection rate, with 10 false positives. Of these results, the online protection score matters most, since it represents how well antivirus software stops threats that reside on your PC—and Norton’s is among the top on the chart. In AV-Comparatives’ June 2025 anti-phishing certification test, Norton detected 95 percent of the 228 phishing URLs thrown at it. Norton did not participate in AV-Comparatives’ October 2024 Advanced Threat Protection Test, which evaluates a security suite’s resistance to more sophisticated, targeted attack methods like malicious scripts and fileless attacks. AV-Comparatives’ malware test results for March 2025. AV-Comparatives As for PC performance, Norton Antivirus Plus can have a notable effect on common tasks—if running full scans while you’re active on the computer. The impact is softer during everyday activities, as shown by our PCMark 10 test. This benchmark simulates web browsing, video chatting, gaming, and file editing in open-souce programs like GIMP and LibreOffice. When idle in the background, watching for real-time threats, Norton Antivirus Plus had virtually no impact on PCMark 10’s test scores. But when a full scan ran simultaneously throughout the benchmark, the results decreased by about 6 percent. That performance drop increased during our UL Procyon benchmark, which simulates document editing in Microsoft Office apps like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Benchmark results fell about 6 percent at idle, and almost 10 percent during a full scan. That difference swelled for our Handbrake encoding test, with a 11 percent decrease on idle and a sizable 22 percent tumble during a full scan. However, these numbers don’t reflect how Norton typically handles full scans. After an initial full scan, subsequent ones only examine new or changed, which speeds up the scan time and reduces the hit to system resources. And by default, full scans are scheduled for off-hours. Still, if you’re often copying to or changing files on your PC, Norton’s affect on system performance is something to consider—especially if you use a mid-range or budget computer. Should you buy Norton Antivirus Plus? As an entry-level software suite, Norton Antivirus Plus is an affordable, reliable option for those who don’t mind its dual set of interfaces. Its one-device limitation can be tight in an era where most people own at least a computer and a smartphone, but it’s cheaper than similar rival plans while offering more features. If you don’t need extra devices or features — smartphones are very secure even without third-party antivirus protection these days — this can be an ideal antivirus solution. Read...

Microsoft is reportedly testing a new feature in the taskbar called “Companions.” According to Windows Latest, it seems to be about support for AI agents, but exactly how it all works, well, it’s too early to say. The references to Companions were first spotted in Build 26454 of Windows Server, but since then traces of the feature have also appeared in beta versions of Windows 11. Possibly, the new feature could be one of the highlights of version 25H2 of Windows 11, an upgrade that will be rolled out to the public in the autumn. Microsoft hasn’t said exactly what Companions is for, but the name makes it sound like it could be a more personalized AI assistant. Maybe even a follow-up to earlier features like Copilot. If that’s the case, it falls in line with what Microsoft’s been doing all along. It’s an ongoing effort to pack more AI into the Windows experience. Read...

I love Razer’s Naga series of mice, particularly the Naga Pro, which allows you to swap out the side button panels for two, six, or twelve thumb buttons. But dang, these things are pricey. The Razer Naga Pro V2 was $180 when it launched, and it hasn’t gone down in the two years since. That’s a lot of scratch for a mouse, even for gamers. I’ve been looking around for a more economical alternative for a while, and on Prime Day I found one. “Solakaka” isn’t exactly a household name, except in the sense that the cheap, disposable brands that litter Amazon and similar online storefronts are probably in a lot of people’s houses at this point. But the SM809 gaming mouse offers about 90 percent of the functionality of the Naga Pro, at less than a quarter of the price. The big deal is the swappable side panels. Like the Naga Pro design it’s shamelessly cribbing off of, you can swap out the plastic body panels by pulling them off, the magnets holding them in place releasing with a bit of pressure. You get just two choices for buttons on the mouse’s left side, with one panel offering nine buttons and one offering three, both in a non-standard layout. This is a step down from the Naga Pro in both the number of total options and in the maximum button options. Michael Crider/Foundry But in some ways the two side panels are an improvement. I found the three-button panel particularly good for the way I play Fortnite, offering quick access to my pickaxe switch, building tool, and map. The most forward, vertically-aligned button is easily distinguished from the other two, letting me find it instantly to switch back to weapons. But the larger nine-button layout is also good, using the otherwise empty space for six more buttons. The ramp shapes on these buttons, again, make them easy to distinguish by feel without looking. You also get two choices of magnetic panel on the other side, which the Naga does not offer, but reminds me of the older Razer Ouroboros design. This seems less useful to me, as I don’t really need the extra support on the right, but more options for more people is always good. On both sides the panels snap into place and don’t move, making the mouse feel stable and sturdy despite having three movable pieces. The rest of the design is, in a word, cheap. Which isn’t an insult — this is a cheap mouse, after all. But I found the RGB lighting tacky, and I’ve never been a fan of the holes in the outer shell that allegedly remove weight. They make me think of speed holes. The mouse lacks the heft and smooth finish of the Razer Naga, and doesn’t support horizontal scrolling nor does it allow adjusting scroll speed and texture. But these are flagship features on a flagship design. Expecting them on a budget mouse would be unreasonable. Under the hood, you get specs that would have made PC gamers drool a decade ago, but have since become commonplace. 24,000 DPI on the sensor is more than any fleshy human I know can actually use, ditto for 1000Hz polling rate. There’s a choice between Bluetooth and USB wireless with the included dongle, though there’s no easy way to switch between them without flipping the mouse over. A bunch of extra buttons on the top let you move between DPI options by default. Like the Naga, I’ve adjusted these to manage media instead: Play/Pause and mute for the buttons just behind the wheel, volume up and down for the ones nestled into the corner above the primary button. None of these were particularly worrisome to me, as I gambled $40 ($30 on sale) on a cheap mouse. What I was really curious about was the software. These fly-by-night brands tend to fall down at this hurdle if anywhere — hell, it’s often a pain point for full-priced name brands. But the Solakaka software surprised me. It’s not amazing by any means and it makes some weird choices; the RGB is turned off as part of the power switch, for example. But it lets you program the buttons and macros, and adjust the other settings without too much fuss. More importantly, it saves the settings to the mouse’s local memory. That means you don’t need an annoying little app running in the background, and you can keep those settings consistent if you move the mouse to another device. Michael Crider/Foundry You won’t get the option to apply new settings when you launch a new app or game, which is arguably one of the signature features of a gaming mouse versus a regular mouse. (Well, that’s what I argue anyway.) But I wasn’t expecting that, to be perfectly honest. And the Solakaka design can beat the Razer Naga in one important area: battery life. While my Naga Pro V2 needed a pretty lengthy recharge via USB-C in less than a week of work and play, this cheap alternative has been going for three weeks and it’s only at 50 percent battery. Note that I turn off the gaming LEDs in both cases. I’m not saying that this mouse is better than the Razer Naga Pro V2. It isn’t, certainly not if you’re the kind of user who can actually justify nearly two hundred bucks for a fancy mouse. But in terms of value, the SM809 is the clear winner, even if you can’t catch it on a frequent sale. It does very nearly everything I need or want the Naga to do, without making me worry about how much it’ll cost to replace if I should wear it out. And considering how non-repairable Razer mice are, and that I’m now on my third Naga Pro, that’s a relief. Solakaka SM809 gaming mouseView Deal Read...

For years, I never used the extra buttons on the side of my mouse, and mostly just viewed them as a nuisance. Too often I’d click them by accident and trigger some unwanted action, like navigating back to the last page in my web browser. Lately, though, I’ve taken control of those extra mouse buttons and made them a big part of my workflow. All it took was an attitude adjustment and some free software for Windows and macOS. This column first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get tech advice like this every Tuesday. How I’m using my extra mouse buttons I use a Logitech MX Master 3S mouse, which has a clickable scroll wheel on top and two extra buttons under my thumb on the left side. Here’s how I’ve set them up now: Left side buttons: Move to the next or previous virtual desktop with Windows Task View or macOS Spaces. Learn more about my relevatory experience with Windows Task View. Click the left and right mouse buttons simultaneously: Reveals the Task View menu in Windows or Mission Control menu in macOS. Click the right and middle mouse buttons simultaneously: Shows the desktop in Windows or macOS. Middle mouse button: Activates the voice-to-text dictation keyboard shortcut in Wispr Flow for Windows or Superwhisper for macOS. Of course, you don’t need to use these exact functions. You can map your mouse buttons to more common functions (like copy and paste or media controls) or set them to launch specific apps. Or, if you’re just annoyed by your mouse’s extra buttons, you can set them to do nothing at all. Some mice come with their own apps for programming their extra buttons, such as Logi Options+ for Logitech products. But if your mouse doesn’t have its own software, or if you find the software too limiting, you can turn to free third-party apps instead. Mapping mouse buttons in Windows Jared Newman / Foundry On the Windows side, X-Mouse Button Control is a free app (with optional donations) for remapping the buttons on any mouse. Open the app and you’ll see a list of mouse buttons, each with a drop-down menu for choosing what that button should do when you click it. The menu has lots of predefined commands, like “Alt-Tab” and “Reveal Desktop,” but you can also use the “Simulated Keys” setting to trigger any keyboard shortcut from your mouse. X-Mouse Button Control also offers a neat “Button Chording” feature, which lets you press two mouse buttons at once to trigger additional actions. (It’s now how I prefer to open Task View on my desktop PC.) Adding an extra layer of mouse controls while holding Shift+Ctrl.Jared Newman / Foundry Dig further into the app and you’ll find even more ways to program your mouse. The “Button Held” option lets you program actions by long-pressing a mouse button, and the “Layers” feature can map an entire set of extra functions to each button, for instance while holding down the modifier keys on your keyboard. (You can set up this layer control under Settings > Modifier Keys.) Mapping macOS mouse buttons LinearMouse for macOSJared Newman / Foundry macOS has a bunch of neat apps for programming your mouse buttons, but if you just want a simple option without any fancy chording or layering features, Linear Mouse gets the job done for free. Programming your mouse buttons in Linear Mouse is easy: just head to the Buttons tab, click the “+” button, then press the mouse button you want to set up. You’ll see a drop-down menu with a list of potential actions to assign to that mouse button. Basic button mapping in SteerMouseJared Newman / Foundry For more advanced mouse controls, I recommend SteerMouse, which costs $20 but offers a 30-day trial with no payment info necessary. SteerMouse has the same basic button remapping features as LinearMouse, but it also offers a “Chords” feature that lets you perform extra actions by clicking two mouse buttons at the same time. To set this up, just head to the Chords tab, hit the “+” button, and choose a pair of mouse buttons. You can then use the “Function” menu to choose what happens when you click them. With SteerMouse, you can also combine mouse buttons with keyboard modifiers such as Cmd and Shift to perform extra actions. To set this up, click your desired modifier keys at the bottom of the app so they’re highlighted in gray, then click the mouse button you want to assign. Now you can assign a function that only triggers when the modifier key is pressed. (You can combine these modifier keys with Chords as well, effectively allowing for dozens of mouse-based shortcuts.) SteerMouse offers extra commands by clicking two mouse buttons togetherJared Newman / Foundry Note: These apps require Accessibility permissions on macOS, allowing them to perform computer functions on your behalf. Once installed, head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility, then enable the toggles for either LinearMouse or SteerMouse. A final word of caution With apps like SteerMouse and X-Mouse Button Control, it’s easy to go so overboard with shortcuts that you have trouble remembering them. My advice is to start small, with just a handful of common actions that you can’t perform as easily with your keyboard or on-screen menus. Once you find the right mouse functions, though, you’ll be wondering how you ever used your computer without them. This column first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to get tech advice like this every Tuesday. Read...

Google knows what we search for, where we go, who we email—and diligently stores it all as well. For many users, this has long been too much of a “good thing”. If you want to live a more digitally self-determined life, you can gradually turn your back on the data giant from Silicon Valley. But to do that means you’ll also need to find alternatives for services such as Google Search, Gmail, Maps etc. Sounds like a lot of effort? It doesn’t have to be. We show you how you can gain more privacy with just a few clicks. Without sacrificing convenience: Replace Google search: No more data snooping Data protection instead of a data octopus: DuckDuckGo shows search results without tracking or personalized advertising.Sam Singleton Google search delivers brilliant results—but it lets them look deep into your personal life. If you don’t want to be tracked while surfing, you can rely on search engines that take privacy seriously. DuckDuckGo DuckDuckGo is perhaps the best-known Google alternative. It completely dispenses with tracking, does not store IP addresses and still delivers solid results, especially for general search queries. No user profiles are created and no search histories are recorded. The results come from a mix of its own crawlers and partly from Bing, but occasionally with slightly less accuracy compared to Google. Pro: Pure data protection, quick and simple changeover from other search engines (also mobile). Cons: Fewer personalized hits, weaker results for niche topics. Startpage Startpage shows anonymized Google search results—without any tracking, cookies or personalized advertising. This means we get the usual quality of Google searches without our personal data being stored. The service originates from the Netherlands and is subject to European data protection standards. Pro: Best results with privacy. Cons: Slightly longer loading times, adverts in the mix (but they’re discreet). Gmail? No thanks: Emails without readers Tutanota is a German email provider with a zero-tracking philosophy.Sam Singleton Google scans emails (usually automatically) to personalize advertising and services. If you prefer a more discreet approach, switch to a mail provider with a focus on security. Thankfully, we have plenty of choices, as Gmail is one of the Google services that is easiest to replace. Proton Mail Proton Mail is a secure e-mail service from Switzerland that consistently focusses on data protection. Emails between Proton Mail users are automatically end-to-end encrypted, and password protection can be set up for external recipients. The servers are located in Switzerland and are therefore subject to strict data protection laws. The web interface is modern and easy to understand, there are apps for Android and iOS as well as a bridge for classic mail programs. Pro: Strong encryption, servers outside the USA. Cons: Interface takes some getting used to, limited storage in the free plan. Do without Android: De-Googling your smartphone /e/OS is a completely “de-Googled” open source operating systemSam Singleton Android may be open source, but the Google services it contains are not. If you want a smartphone that is as “Google-free” as possible, you have to dig deeper into your bag of tricks—or try something completely new. /e/OS /e/OS is a privacy-friendly Android operating system that works completely without Google services. Instead, it offers its own apps, an alternative app store (Aurora Store) and synchronization via its own /e/ cloud. Many well-known smartphones (such as Samsung and Fairphone) can be reloaded with /e/OS or purchased pre-installed as a “de-Googled Phone”. It’s ideal for everyone who wants to use Android without being tracked by Google. Pro: Compatible with Android apps, many devices supported. Cons: Somewhat technical to set up, not all apps run perfectly. GrapheneOS (for advanced users) GrapheneOS is a particularly secure Android derivative that was specially developed for Pixel smartphones. It is aimed at experienced users and focusses on maximum security, system hardening, and data protection. Google services are not included as standard, but can be installed manually if required (sandboxed)—GrapheneOS is not designed for the “normal” use of Google services. Pro: Extremely secure, hardly any data leakage. Cons: For technology fans, not “plug & play”, requires some know-how and effort Goodbye Google Maps: How to navigate with privacy Map service without tracking: The open source app Organic Maps does not use advertising, does not collect any user data, and works completely offline.Sam Singleton Google Maps knows our routes—oftentimes better than we do. Fortunately, there are alternatives for privacy fans that come with less prying eyes. Organic Maps Organic Maps is an open source navigation app that is based on OSM (OpenStreetMap) maps and works completely without an internet connection. The app does not use tracking or advertising, which makes it particularly privacy-friendly. Ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and anyone who wants to navigate reliably offline, Organic Maps also offers practical functions such as route planning and voice prompts. Pro: Works without the internet, ideal for travelling. Cons: No traffic data, weaker POI search. Magic Earth The Magic Earth map service combines OpenStreetMap data with its own maps and provides a privacy-friendly alternative to Google Maps. In addition to navigation, the app also offers real-time traffic information, offline maps and an overview of cycle paths and footpaths. With a focus on privacy, Magic Earth does away with user tracking and advertising, but remains functional and user-friendly. Pro: Good maps, many features, no data transfer. Cons: Less well-known places are sometimes harder to find. Byebye Google Chrome: Fast, but nosy Far less widespread than Chrome – but a real high-flyer in terms of data protection and customisation: the Firefox browser.Sam Singleton Chrome is the top dog among browsers, but it’s also a real data hoover. If you want to surf without being watched, you can switch to these alternatives: Firefox Firefox is the classic among free browsers—fast, secure, expandable. Developed by the Mozilla Foundation, Firefox places great emphasis on transparency and data protection. The browser is flexible and can be highly customized with numerous add-ons: from ad blockers to cookie control. Pro: Many data protection add-ons, active community. Cons: Sometimes a little slower than Chrome. Brave Brave is a Chromium browser with in-built tracking protection and ad blocker. It blocks adverts, trackers, and fingerprinting by default, even without extensions. Pro: Very fast, good privacy by default. Cons: Partial crypto integration, which not everyone wants. No more Google Docs: texts and spreadsheets with better data protections ONLYOFFICE is a really strong alternative to Google Docs.Sam Singleton Practical, collaborative, usable everywhere: these are the strengths of Google Docs. But if you don’t want to store your documents on US servers, there are also good alternatives. ONLYOFFICE ONLYOFFICE is a powerful office suite that works with Word, Excel and PowerPoint-compatible documents and works both online and offline. The platform is particularly suitable for team collaboration and offers extensive functions for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Compared to Google Docs, ONLYOFFICE offers more control over your own data, as the software can also be installed on your own servers. Pro: Compatible with Word, Excel & Co. Cons: Somewhat technical to get started (but easy to use in the cloud). CryptPad CryptPad is a web-based office suite that places particular emphasis on data protection and security by storing all data end-to-end encrypted. Users can work together on documents, spreadsheets or presentations without the operator having access to the content. Ideal for anyone who values anonymous use and maximum data sovereignty. CryptPad also offers functions such as surveys, whiteboards, and markdown editors. Pro: Can be used completely anonymously, no registration required. Cons: Fewer functions, not ideal for large teams. Alternatives for Google Drive: Cloud storage without data snooping Tresorit is a cloud provider from Switzerland with a focus on security for teams and individuals.Sam Singleton Google Drive is convenient, but scans content for its own purposes. If you prefer encrypted storage, you should take a look at these services: Tresorit The cloud storage service Tresorit is based in Switzerland and focuses on security and end-to-end encryption. Files are encrypted before being uploaded so that even Tresorit has no access to the content. The servers are located in Europe, which is a clear advantage for users from the EU in terms of data protection. Ideal for companies and private individuals who want to store and share sensitive data securely online. Pro: End-to-end encryption, GDPR-compliant. Cons: More expensive than Google Drive. Snyc.com The Canadian cloud service Sync.com relies on zero-knowledge encryption. This means that only you have access to your data, not the provider. The service is easy to use, offers apps for all platforms and is ideal for team collaboration. There are no trackers or adverts here either, and even with the free entry-level plan you can get a lot done. It’s a strong Google Drive replacement with significantly more privacy. Pro: Good usability, can also be used free of charge. Cons: Sometimes slower uploads, English-language version. Google Photos is not irreplaceable: Archive your memories without the prying eyes Immich is a self-hosting photo management system with AI functions – without Google.Sam Singleton Google recognizes faces, places, and objects in pictures. And while this is impressive, it’s too much for many people. If you want to store your photos securely, you need alternatives. Immich Immich is an open-source solution for managing and backing up photos on your own server or NAS. The user interface is reminiscent of Google Photos—including face recognition, albums, timelines and AI-supported search. All data remains local and under your own control. Ideal for anyone who wants maximum privacy and is prepared to bring some technical know-how to the table. Pro: Face recognition locally, no cloud compulsion. Cons: Technical expertise required. Internxt Photos Simple cloud service with a focus on encryption: Internxt Photos stores images in the cloud—completely end-to-end encrypted so that no one but you can access them. The app is simple, functional and available for desktop and mobile devices. It has server locations in numerous place including in the EU, and no advertising or tracking. Particularly suitable for anyone who wants to store their photos securely online without relying on big tech providers. Pro: GDPR-compliant, intuitive operation. Cons: Fewer features than Google Photos. Bonus tip: Independence from YouTube—is that even possible? YouTube is hard to replace – also because you can find The Full Nerd videos there.Sam Singleton To be honest: not really. YouTube is not just a video portal, but has long been a gigantic archive for tutorials, documentaries, music, live streams and nerd knowledge. If you don’t use it at all, you’re missing out on a lot. Nevertheless, there are ways to become at least a little more independent—or to use YouTube more sparingly. NewPipe NewPipe is an alternative YouTube app for Android (for using YouTube) that works without a Google account, does not show adverts and also has a background mode on board. Pro: No registration required, no tracking, videos can be downloaded directly. Cons: Only for Android, no commenting or liking possible. Peertube Peertube is a free, decentralized video network that sees itself as a counterpart to YouTube. Content comes from many small instances, without a nosy large corporation behind it. Unlike the NewPipe app presented above, it’s a genuine alternative to YouTube with its very own content. Pro: Open source, ad-free, community-based. Cons: Smaller offering, difficult to browse. Conclusion: Escaping the Google universe step by step In the modern, digitalized world, living without Google is almost as difficult as living without electricity. But it is possible, at least in part. If you consciously look for alternatives, you can reduce tracking, strengthen data protection, and gain more control over your own data. Opting out doesn’t have to be a radical break: even small steps (such as an alternative browser or a new search engine) can have a big impact. Read...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are clearly the future, but what’s available today all feels very samey, and nothing is truly versatile. If you are struggling to get excited about EVs, the FX Super One from Faraday Future could be about to change your mind. More than just an EV, the FX Super One is innovation on wheels. Combining cutting-edge technology, versatility, and affordability, this is a luxury vehicle that completely redefines what an EV can be. If you’re balancing family life and business travel, the FX Super One is built for you. With all the features you need, designed to catch the eye and keep you comfortable, and offering multiple ways to stay connected on the road, this is the EV all busy, eco-conscious drivers have been waiting for. The FX Super One introduces Embodied AI Agent (EAI), a technology that transforms the way drivers interact with vehicles. It’s an integrated smart system that learns your preferences, predicts your needs, and offers real-time recommendations to ensure every drive is smooth, safe, and efficient. Be first to experience the Faraday Future EV revolutionView FX Super One Faraday Future What to expect from the Faraday Future FX Super One The FX Super One features dual-motor all-wheel drive, letting you pick between pure electric or AI Hybrid Extended Range. While the first is fantastic for daily drives and city trips, the latter is perfect for long journeys without the anxiety of how long the battery will last. A triple high-strength cage body structure and side curtain airbags provide 360-degree safety, no matter how far you travel. From voice commands to adaptive route planning, the FX Super One’s smart system ensures the vehicle constantly evolves to meet your expectations.   Faraday Future If the built-in AI didn’t already make the experience feel more personable, the literal face on the front of this EV will. To be more specific, the Super EAI Front AI Communication Ecosystem (F.A.C.E.) includes an LED screen that sits on the front fascia, making this EV one of a kind. You can create your own avatar to display here, which then lets the AI agent express emotions and foster a sense of personality and higher intelligence that is fully in sync with its driver. Inside, the cabin is gorgeous, spacious, and comfortable. It serves as a mobile lounge, with fully adjustable zero-gravity seats available for all FX Super One models. Every journey in this EV offers a space and time for your passengers to recharge, to relax, or even to work. There’s plenty of space here to set up your laptop on a fold-out table, be entertained with media playing on an immersive widescreen with Dolby Atmos surround sound, or even enjoy a refreshing beverage – hot or cold, thanks to a smart all-temperature onboard fridge. Faraday Future How to buy the Faraday Future FX Super One Final pricing has not been confirmed, but Faraday Future promises groundbreaking technology at an accessible price point. You can get early access to the first models off the assembly line when you pay a fully refundable pre-order deposit of $100. The FX Super One will come in six variants, with two powertrain options available with a choice of four-, six- or seven seats. There’s a perfect model for everyone, whether you’re a solo driver or planning family or business travel. The FX Super One isn’t just a vehicle, it’s an experience. Only here will you find a lifestyle upgrade, practicality, and cutting-edge technology, all in one package. Get early access to this smart, spacious MPV built for the future with a fully refundable $100 depositPre-order FX Super One Read...

Litera upgrades its AI platform Litera One with new features and deeper CRM links, enhancing legal workflow and boosting productivity for over 2,500 law firms. Read...

AppOmni launches new AI security features for its SaaS platform to help firms identify and manage risks from shadow AI and embedded SaaS tools. Read...