Top-10 Antivirus ( 2013 )

Every now and then I hear people talking about their system infected by a virus. People, for long, have been in a dilemma for which Anti-Virus will be the best for their system. We, today, provide you with the answers. We have got the Top-10 Antivirus list ( 2013 ), here, on UltraLap. All, well tested by us. We will provide you with our Ratings ( Out of 10 ) for various sections of the antivirus, Pros and Cons!

Here it goes....

(1) Bitdefender Antivirus Plus

Price - $29.95

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 10
Repair Score - 10
Usability Score - 8

Pros - 

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Gamer Mode
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Usability may be a problem

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 9.6
Performance Rating - 9.4
Features Rating - 10
Help & Support Rating - 10

(2) Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2014

Price - $59.95

Scores :-  
Protection Score -9.2
Repair Score - 7.8
Usability Score - 8.5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Gamer Mode
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Costly 
• Lacks Performance as compared to BitDefender AntiVirus Plus

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 8.7
Performance Rating - 8.3
Features Rating - 10
Help & Support Rating - 10

(3) Norton Antivirus

Price - $39.99

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 9.2
Repair Score - 7.5
Usability Score - 8.5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Gamer Mode
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Slow's down the system 
• Scanning takes long time

Ratings -
Overall Rating -8.6
Performance Rating - 8.3
Features Rating - 10
Help & Support Rating - 10

(4) Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+

Price - $39.95

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 10
Repair Score - 7
Usability Score - 7.5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Lacks usability performance 
• Browser Exploits, Gamer Mode some of the are key features missing

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 8.1
Performance Rating - 8
Features Rating - 5
Help & Support Rating - 10

(5) McAfee Antivirus + 2014

Price - $58.86

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 9
Repair Score - 9.2
Usability Score - 6

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Lacks some of the key features like Instant messaging scanning, Gamer Mode, Registry Startup protection

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 8
Performance Rating - 9
Features Rating - 6.7
Help & Support Rating - 7.4

(6) F-Secure Anti-Virus

Price - $39.99

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 10
Repair Score - 8.4
Usability Score - 7.5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Slows down the system a little 
• Not recommended for Windows 8 users 
• lacks key features like USB auto detect and Gamer Mode

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 7.8
Performance Rating - 8.6
Features Rating - 7
Help & Support Rating - 9

(7) AVG Anti-Virus

Price - $47.99

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 7.5
Repair Score - 7
Usability Score -  8.5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Gamer Mode
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email

Cons -

• Costly as compared to features offered
• Performance not upto the mark

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 7.7
Performance Rating - 7
Features Rating - 10
Help & Support Rating - 9

(8) Avast! Pro AntiVirus

Price - $39.99

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 8.5
Repair Score - 7
Usability Score - 8.5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Gamer Mode
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Phone

Cons -

• Poor Help and Support
• Auto USB detect feature not available 

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 7.5
Performance Rating - 7.8
Features Rating - 7.6
Help & Support Rating - 6

(9) VIPRE AntiVirus

Price - $39.95

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 6
Repair Score - 7.5
Usability Score - 7

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• Bootable Rescue CD
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Instant Messaging Protection
• Registry Startup Protection
• Auto USB Detect
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Live Chat
• Support by Email
• Support by Phone

Cons -
Gamer mode feature not available
Performance not upto mark

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 7.3
Performance Rating - 6.5
Features Rating - 10
Help & Support Rating - 8


(10) Ad-Aware AntiVirus+

Price - Free

Scores :-  
Protection Score - 9
Repair Score - 8
Usability Score - 5

Pros -

• Anti-Malware
• Anti-Trojan
• Anti-Virus
• Browser Exploits
• Anti-Spyware
• Anti-Worm
• Anti-Rootkit
• Anti-Phishing
• Secure Network
• Email Scans
• On-Demand Scanning
• Auto-Clean Infected Files
• Scan Compressed Files
• Infected File Quarantine
• Windows 8 Supported
• Windows 7 Supported
• Windows Vista Supported
• Windows XP Supported
• Support by Email

Cons -

• Help and Support poor
• Key features missing
• Performance not upto the mark

Ratings -
Overall Rating - 7
Performance Rating - 8.1
Features Rating - 7.2
Help & Support Rating - 5

The Clash Of The Titans : HTC One V/S Samsung Galaxy S4

Ok, so this one's not mine. I was reading newspaper today and just found the article. Full credits goes to the Times Of India's writer Javed Anwar. Just wanted to share with you guys out there.
I just want to thank him for writing such an informative article. I thank you sir on behalf on UltraLap.

Champ V/S Champ : Samsung Galaxy S4 V/S HTC One

The Galaxy S4 boasts some nifty software features. For example, Multi-window allows users to work on two apps in a single screen. Not all apps support this feature, but it's available for a few important ones such as Gmail, Chrome, Twitter, Messages and Youtube. Then there's Dual Shot, which allows a user to superimpose his stamp-sized image taken from the front camera on a scene shot with the rear camera. S Health is another feature that stands out. It allows a user to monitor his physical activity like walking or jogging throughout the day, and also shows the actual temperature and humidity in his surroundings. However, some features don't work as consistently as we would have liked, such as Air View, which allows a user to preview images without even touching the screen, and Air Gesture, which allows a user to take a call with a swiping gesture above the device. Still, the features that work are enough to make the S4 a more useful and handy device than other smartphones. Besides, the S4 allows for interchangeable batteries and expandable memory via a microSD card.


HTC has a history of excelling in product design. With the HTC One, the Taiwanese company is at its sparkling best. The phone is exquisitely designed using premium materials. Its unibody shell, fabricated out of aluminium alloy, feels tough, is wonderful to hold, and is resistant to fingerprints. Its curved back fits well in the hollow of your palms, and the device's chamfered edges give it a finish that feels superior to all other smartphones.

Another highlight of the HTC One is Blinkfeed - a dynamic homescreen widget that connects to various news services and your social network accounts to give you constant updates at all times.

SCREEN: If the screen size is the only criterion, the Galaxy S4 wins with its 5-inch screen when compared to the HTC One's 4.7 inches. But numbers alone don't define experience. In terms of quality, the displays on both the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are excellent. Text looks sharp on both handsets due to their FullHD (1920x1080 pixels) resolution.

But there are a few subtle differences: The screen on the Galaxy S4 has very deep blacks, and is capable of richer colours. The screen on the HTC One, however, shows truer colours. It also offers better readability under direct sunlight and outdoor use.

Winner: Tie

BATTERY: The battery in both handsets lasts long enough to allow for a single day's use, which includes phone calls, 3G videos, web browsing, emails, social networking, some gaming and a little bit of photography.

Still, in absolute terms, on heavy use, the HTC One wins here with an average battery life of 13 to 14 hours, when compared to around 12 hours for the Galaxy S4. In actual usage, this means that you'll have to charge both devices every night.

Winner: HTC One

PERFORMANCE: The Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are superb performers, running demanding games like Dead Trigger with ease. Web browsing is smooth; GPS is fast and accurate; and 3G speeds are good. In our use, we consistently got over 7Mbps download speeds on both handsets.

The availability of 2GB RAM on both also means multi-tasking is effortless. Overall, however, the HTC One seemed better.

The S4 suffered from the occasional lag, especially while switching between tasks. This is not a deal-breaker and probably won't even be noticed by most users, but we definitely found the HTC One to be smoother.

Winner: HTC One

CALL QUALITY: The Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are premium phones and as such have no issues handling phone calls. Both feature noise cancellation for background sounds, and we found that we got excellent voice clarity during calls; the people we called could also hear us clearly.

Winner: Tie

MUSIC: Both phones handle digital music formats such as MP3, FLAC, M4A with ease. In terms of audio quality, we found the HTC One's Beats Audio to be better than Samsung's Adapt Sound tech.

Importantly, the HTC One has placed its speakers, called Boomsound, at the front; they are loud, and produce distortion-free sound even at high volume. Also, the HTC One has an FM receiver; the S4 doesn't. Winner: HTC One

VIDEO: The Galaxy S4 gets our nod here. While the HTC One had trouble with certain video formats like AVI at FullHD resolution, the Galaxy S4 handled the same clips like a champ. When used with a third-party app like MX Player, the S4 even handles FullHD MOV files with ease. Its larger screen, which produces rich colours, also makes watching videos on the Galaxy S4 more enjoyable.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4

CAMERA: The Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are very capable shooters. But in our use, we found the S4's 13MP camera to be a more consistent performer. The images shot with it are detailed, comprise good colours, and subjects appear in sharp focus. The S4 especially excels at close shots and is capable of shooting images that match the output of a good point and-shoot camera in good light.

In breaking away from the trend that 'more megapixels are better', the HTC One's main camera is only 4MP. Still, it is just as capable of good colour reproduction and sharp focus. It, however, loses out to the Galaxy S4 when it comes to the level of details.

In low-light, the HTC One performs marginally better, but if you use Galaxy S4's night mode, the difference between the two is negligible.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4

USER INTERFACE: The HTC One uses a proprietary UI called Sense, while Samsung calls its custom interface TouchWiz.

In terms of aesthetics, Sense looks better with its subdued and minimalistic design. TouchWiz, on the other hand, uses lots of widgets and is defined by its use of colours.

In terms of usability, we liked TouchWiz. The HTC One has just two physical buttons for navigation - Back and Home. The menu can be accessed through the settings option provided in various apps, while multi-tasking requires double-tapping Home.

Touchwiz uses three buttons - Back, Home and Menu - which is easier to use. It is also easier to customise your home screen and manage widgets here. Winner: Samsung Galaxy S4

So which one you should buy?

It's actually a tough call to make. Both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are fine devices in their own right. The S4 scores on software features and boasts a fantastic camera. The HTC One, on the other hand, is an elegant handset that you want to show off.

If aesthetics, music quality and battery life are important to you, pick the HTC One. If camera performance, videos and software features take precedence, get the Galaxy S4. Either way, you have a winner.

That said, we don't think either phone warrants a purchase if you already own a high-end handset.

If you are using a smartphone older than one year and feel you need better performance and features, both Galaxy S4 and HTC One are good options.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/gadgets-special/Champ-vs-champ/articleshow/20130481.cms

Full Credits goes to the Times Of India's writer Javed Anwar.

Mac or Windows? Find Out!

The debate was always on and still will be. There have been developers, programmers, experts, and even the CEO's who have given a numerous reasons to prove why Windows is better than Mac or vice-versa.
So, today we put our view on the same. We have been getting quite a few queries about the question - Which one to buy - Mac or Windows?
So firstly lets see the pros and cons of both and then we will proceed to a 5-point conclusion.

Firstly the MAC...
Pros : 

• Reliable platform
• More stable
• Design, Look excels 
• LED back lit screen
• Energy efficient and long battery life
• Best to use in digital (a/v editing) career 

Cons :

• Complex to use
• Only 2 USB ports 
• Not a gamer-friendly platform
• Expensive ( even at base model )
• Body gets scratched easily
• Limited upgrades and updates
• Limited softwares 
• Choices are less b/w the Mac's 
• Limited Support available
• Outrageous license agreements

Now, lets come to Windows...
Pros : 

• Used by almost more than a billion people worldwide, making almost 90% of the global market
• Easy to use
• Gamer-friendly
• Everything is available
• Support easily available
• Large shareware and freeware softwares available 
• Numerous updates and upgrades

Cons : 

• Prone to viruses and spywares
• Little instability is seen
• Outrageous license agreements
• Poor support for older hardware
• Poor remote access

Conclusion :
Firstly after going through the Pro's and Con's of both, you guys are free to post your views in the comment section below. Now coming to what we feel, definitely we will go with a billion users of Windows. To prove the same we are going to lay down some points :

Compatibility
Windows has and will always give you more hardware choices, and this perhaps is it's greatest strength. PC's give you a lot more choices and capability at less price. You can have the color you want, the size you want and the features you want. You even have an option for a fully customised PC.
On the other hand, Mac's, are only run on a limited set of hardware, mostly which are designed by Apple

Customizability
Windows have always proven this that there are almost a million developers around the globe which use windows for designing and publishing. It has much more open environment for developers.
Windows has a capability to be heavily modified, from XP to Windows 7/8 or form dual-core processor to i7 processor.
As far as games are concerned, windows has been the best for the gamer platform  It is a platform for world wide game tournaments. And this is reason why Windows gets much more and much better games as compared to Mac's.

Support
Microsoft has always provided better and secure technical assistance to it's users. In any city around the world you will find much more Windows stores that will provide technical assistance for your PC than you will find for you Mac. And obviously at a much lesser price.

Simplicity
Windows is much much easier to learn as well as to use. Actually if we go by the official data, the Windows has not changed much from the past 20 years or so, though, each new version has its own new features and capabilities, its quick to learn and to use.
The latest change in Windows 8, with its Live Tiles, has taken some off guard. It’s bringing the same look across all of Microsoft’s platforms: PC, tablet, phone, and Xbox. This is just another change that in time will be quickly accepted, and only make the interface more familiar not just with PCs, but all other Microsoft devices.

Price
The price has always been the center of the debate for anything that exists in this world. Same goes for the products that are manufactured by Apple and those by Microsoft. If we go by the logic, Microsoft (with the exception of the Surface tablet) doesn’t make computers. They leave that to their manufacturing partners; the Dells, HPs, Toshibas, and Acers of the world. And every one of these companies provides world class support as well as security for their products using Windows, but the point is that they do it cheaply. The price for which they sell products which have Windows is very low as compared to that of Mac's.