PC Retail

Realtime protection
F-Secure and Realtime distribution team up to bring channel cloud-based security software

F-Secure has unveiled its 2009 line up and is hoping that its cloud-based solution will give it the edge to push past its rivals.

The crux of its 2009 range is the rapid response protection offered by the cloud-based nature of the software – something that F-Secure says gives it the advantage over rivals who are still too reliant on traditional heuristics or signature-based solutions that it describes as 'too slow and inefficient'.

Instead, its 2009 range of software uses a combination of on-computer and in-the-cloud analysis to protect user's computers against threats on a real-time basis.

Speaking about the product, F-Secure's chief technology officer Pirkka Palomäki said: "Our real-time protection network is based on in-the-cloud computing. It has been designed to support a wider range of security services than just anti-virus and F-Secure is now further enhancing many of its services to use the power of cloud computing."

Realtime, which distributes the software, feels that the ability of F-Secure 2009 to update rapidly and protect computers in a record time fits right in with the firm's other products. "Like the rest of Realtime's product portfolio, F-Secure offers real innovation and leading technology," commented sales director Richard Marsden.

He also feels that the availability of the software lends itself both to the system builder and retail market: "Its 2009 version is available in both OEM and as a retail product. It fits perfectly with our customer profile."


Bring back the music
Interactive Ideas comes to the rescue

Hands up if you have LPs and tapes gathering dust in a corner somewhere. You're not alone; with millions of homes storing billions of tapes and vinyl discs out there, the potential for a device that can transfer the music on them to a PC and then on to CD, DVD and MP3 players is huge.

Luckily, Interactive Ideas has the ideal product to take advantage of that demand. Magix's Rescue your Vinyl and Tapes is the ideal gift or purchase for anyone whose player is either on its last legs or will soon be taking a one-way ticket to the loft.

Coming with a phono preamp, all that is required by the user is to connect the device to their tape or vinyl player, and their PC, the software will do the rest. This means that even the world's biggest technophobes should have little trouble converting their songs.

It supports a wide variety of speeds and formats, including 33, 45 and 78 RPM LPs, comes with an automatic cleaning assistant to remove crackles and pops, as well as Magix's Xtreme Print Centre software, allowing users to replicate the original cover for their CD back-up.


Hallmark Card Studio 2009 hits stores
Avanquest end your search for the perfect card

Avanquest has released the 2009 version of Hallmark’s Card Studio Deluxe, with the publisher positing the software as the ideal way to make personal Christmas cards, as well as cards and invitations for every other occasion that your customers can think of.

The software is the official product of the UK’s largest greetings cards publisher and can be used to create a range of projects, including greeting cards, stickers, invitations, calendars, photo frames, stationary, scrapbooks and certificates, all in three easy steps, meaning it can be used by PC experts and lay people alike.

It comes with a digital photo editor, which can be used for correcting photographs, removing red eye and adding special effects, to ensure that they are perfect before use.

There’s an event planner, as well, to keep track of when to send cards, and a Hallmark sentiment library with a raft of pre-written, but customisable messages.

It also gives users the ability to send Hallmark e-cards over the internet, but with the high production values associated with a normal card.