The Right Anti-Virus Solution

October 16, 2011 1 Comment

There is a great deal of confusion amongst individuals, businesses, and other organizations as to which Anti-Virus solution is right for them. On the outset, I would just like to say that no one Anti-Virus is perfect against every kind of a attack. Some AVs are better than others at fighting against Trojan viruses, while others are good at detecting root-kit viruses. Let’s go through various AV solutions for the home and the business/organization markets.

Home Anti-Virus

The home AV market is easier than most people think. A lot of people think they need to pay for an anti-virus solution in order to be protected better. My experience leads me to a different conclusion. I’ve tried a number of paid and free AV solutions, and I can safely suggest that for most people a free anti-virus will be sufficient. One of the most often questions I get asked is “If a free anti-virus works just as good as a paid one, then why do they offer it for free?”. That’s a valid question, and I tell them that most of the free AV programs out there either advertise to you, or they want to you upgrade to their paid version later on – which you don’t have to.

Here’s a list of the top three free anti-virus solutions that I think are very good for home use:

  1. AVG Free Anti-Virus – My preferred choice for myself and my clients.
    Download here: http://free.avg.com
  2. Avast Free Anti-Virus – A very solid and good choice for home users.
    Download here: http://www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download
  3. Avira AntiVir Personal – Works great with the boot up CD when your system is inaccessible.
    Download here: http://www.avira.com/en/avira-free-antivirus

Business/Organizational

Organizations have a different requirement for implementing AV solutions. As opposed to the home anti-virus solutions being free, I would recommend organizations purchase an AV solution as it would be coming with more support which their business requires. Typically organizations need robust AV solutions that come with multiple licenses and that have a customer support centre for customers to call when in need of help. Robust means that the AV solution should be fully integrated with the software components of the operating system, such that e-mail, downloads, firewall access, and software execution should all be under the control of the anti-virus. This approach may use a lot of system resources, but for businesses and other organizations it is critical to have computer systems as secure as possible. Multiple licenses are something that should be considered when purchasing a AV solution for your business/organization. Multiple licenses provide you the legal right to install the ant-virus software on as many computers as the license allows for. A call centre for the AV vendor should be present in case you need to call them up for any help regarding their software.

I would recommend the following Anti-Virus solutions for businesses and organizations:

  1. Kaspersky Anti-Virus – Very robust and comes with multiple licenses.
  2. Norton AntiVirus – Very good support system and good detection abilities.
  3. ESET Nod32 Antivirus – A very resource friendly AV that has good detection abilities.

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Security for Your Medical Centre – Part 2

September 30, 2011 Leave a comment

Statistics of IT Security Threats

This article is a continuation of Security for Your Medical Centre – Part 1. We will discuss various statistics related IT threats and security concerns. This article points out clearly the importance and significance of securing your IT infrastructure. Do not hesitate in any way from ensuring proper security measures, as not doing so can lead to damage and theft of your medical data.

Phishing Scams

Phishing scams come under social engineering attacks. They provide a fake e-mail or website that looks like an authentic one and tricks you into putting your username and password. Once they capture your username and password, they now have access to your bank account or whatever website they are pretending to be.

A disputed study by Trusteer showed that spear phishing a hundred LinkedIn users resulted in a failure rate of 68%. That would mean that around 30% of those targeted with phishing attempts disclosed their personal data. That is significant enough for medical centres to lose a substantial amount of money once their bank account information has been captured.

Cnet interviewed Michael Barrett, chief information security officer at PayPal (online payment processor) in April, 2011. This is what he had to say regarding the question of PayPal’s weakness to phishing attempts:

“I joined PayPal almost exactly five years ago and it’s fair to say the company had not realized at that point the true significance of phishing. But since that time we’ve put in place a number of defenses against it. It probably will never go away completely as a problem, but it can be substantially minimized. We’re at No. 8 on a list of most phishing sites, which is better than being No. 1. I’m not satisfied with being No. 8 and I’d really like to obliterate the crime completely, but I realize that will take another five years to get to that state. A few years ago we started digitally signing all our outbound e-mail and we worked with Yahoo and Google so if they saw e-mail that purported to come from us but wasn’t signed they would block it. That has been stunningly successful. Now we’re trying to get the whole industry to take up that type of approach. But it will take several more years of pushing to get the rest of the industry to do that.” (1)

Malware

Malware is software that is damaging to your computer in various ways. Spyware is a type of malware that infects a computer and relays information of your computer use to different parties.

In 2007, Kaspersky Labs was seeing new malware samples every two minutes, but in 2010, just three years later, that had increased to one new sample every two seconds.

This is what InformationWeek has to say about small organizations and virus threats:

“Small organization respondents’ other top concerns were Trojan applications (60%), malware designed by criminals expressly to steal data (59%), data leaks (56%), spyware (55%), and fake AV (52%). Spam and phishing threats ranked lowest. Most of today’s antivirus software suites protect against many viruses and worms. But when it comes to data-stealing malware, 21% of small U.S. organization respondents said that their IT department could do a better job of protecting end users. Notably, only 47% of small organizations install security software to help stop such malware, 30% offer related security policies, and 28% provide relevant education or guidance.” (2)

Some are touting Cloud resources as the answer to fighting back malware spread. That remains to be seen.

Security Breaches – Hacks

It’s interesting to note that organizations attribute 59% of all security breaches to human error. This can occur if the network administrator has failed to set up the proper security barriers, or it can occur by inadvertently giving our information that a hacker can use to compromise the system.

About half of all organizations consider IT security a top priority. This stat indicates two scenarios. One, namely that there are pockets of IT infrastructures that don’t need high security. Perhaps these are small organizations and medical centres that have a wireless network setup, and they don’t see themselves as a potential target from hackers. The network is small and their data isn’t all that critical. The second is that IT security is seen as a big issue for larger organizations. They have important data that cannot be leaked and as such they are prime targets for hackers. Hackers use stolen company data to sell to competitors and it is quickly becoming a lucrative business. Larger organizations need security for their systems and that entails purchasing the right equipment and having it administered properly.

The cost of an individual data breach – including lost business and the burden of responding to the incident – in 2010 increased 13% year-over-year for U.K. companies. That roughly equals $3 million for each breach, which is quite substantial. Needless to say, every organization, small or big, should pay close attention to its IT security needs.

Viruses

Medical centres still fear the virus according to a new survey of 1,600 end users in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and United States. Conducted by antivirus vendor Trend Micro, viruses are the leading concern for 63% of small organizations.

A CompTIA stat shows that 33% of law firms admit to experiencing a security issue such as a virus. That’s only law firms, if you total firms from other fields the number is much higher.

Conclusion

The presentation of stats and facts in this article is only intended to create an awareness of various cyber threats. Cyber security is a huge issue and should not be taken lightly.

References

(1) http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20052310-245.html#ixzz1MvDmlGv5
(2) http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/228200171

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WDTV Live

July 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Media Player

Gone are the days where you would need to burn a video or audio file to a DVD or CD in order to play it on a TV or theatre system. With the WDTV Live media player, one only needs to connect the device via a network connection or USB to play almost any media file. This media player plays full 1080p HD video and also has a YouTube app built into it so that you can stream YouTube videos straight to your TV. I wouldn’t see it as hard to argue that media players, in general, have taken a bite out of the Blu-ray market. These devices have probably increased the amount of downloading of movies and TV shows as it becomes so easy to play whatever you have on your PC to your TV.

Functionality

The WDTV Live comes with a small remote that enables one to interact with the user interface. The user interface itself is quite easy to navigate as it presents icons of videos, music, and pictures that you can simply play by pressing the enter button on the remote. A USB keyboard can also be attached to aid in typing of search strings for YouTube videos.

There are two USB ports, an Ethernet adapter, a HDMI connection, and composite connectors as well. The device can be made to connect to a wireless network with the purchase of a separate wireless adapter that is compatible with the device. The list of compatible wireless adapters can be found from the WD website.

Issues

There are a number of issues that can arise in terms of operability. One of the most annoying problems is the network connection issue. Workgroup computers are sometimes not detected, or funny connection errors come on the screen when trying to connect to a PC. Even though there have been a number of firmware updates, WD still hasn’t been able to resolve many of the network problems that plague the WDTV Live.

There are also issues with playback of certain media file types. Encodings of HD video sometimes result in jittery playback, where the media player is unable to smoothly play the HD video. This is not always the case, although it happens more frequently to 1080p videos than 720p videos.

Conclusion

If you can see past the glitches that come with this device, it will provide you with one of the most unique entertainment experiences found today. The ease of playing audio, pictures, and videos from any network PC or USB is what makes this device applicable to tech enthusiasts and people interested in multimedia entertainment.

Rating: 4/5

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The Windows Saga

June 8, 2011 Leave a comment

In a Time Long, Long Ago…

Microsoft Windows debuted in November of 1985. It didn’t garner much support or fanfare as it lacked features and was mostly an extension of the MS-DOS operating system. Since then, Windows has grown in popularity and has eventually become the dominant operating system in the world. With all its success, it has fallen to some conditional errors seen in the continuation of the Windows series. By that I mean, Windows XP was a solid hit and continuation of Windows is becoming a stretched phenomenon as less and less computers use any operating system beyond XP. 75% of computers operating in businesses still use Windows XP. Everyone knows the pitfalls of Vista, but how is this saga likely to continue? Let’s take a look.

Windows 7 – The Saviour

With the complete blunder of Vista, Microsoft needed to redeem itself. They did this through creating Windows 7. Windows 7 doesn’t have the sluggishness of Vista, it runs faster, and has polished features. Without Windows 7, Microsoft could not have rebounded from the failure of Vista. The success rate for Windows 7 is around 10% for all the computers in the world. As you can see, Windows XP still has a larger market share than Windows 7. This is the problem that Microsoft needs to tackle. Businesses are still running XP because there’s no real need to bump up the hardware and therefore no need to install a new operating system. Take TD bank, their office computers are still running XP because it suffices for them. All they need to do is access the company database through their internal network, as well as do simple web browsing. They don’t need to upgrade to anything fancier.

Windows 8

When I think of Windows 8, I immediately think: do we need it? Windows 7 has done such a great job, why change that? The market share for Windows 7 isn’t as great as Windows XP, so why bring in a new contender to early. 2014 would be the year I imagine that Windows 8 to come out. 2012 is too early. Another thing not going for Windows 8 is the fact that it too could be a flop like Vista. Does Microsoft really want to take that chance? All of this, not to mention the problem of OS fragmentation, really does beg the question: do we need Windows 8 so fast?

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Security for Your Business – Part 2

May 25, 2011 Leave a comment

Statistics of IT Security Threats

This article is a continuation of Security for Your Business – Part 1. We will discuss various statistics related IT threats and security concerns. This article points out clearly the importance and significance of securing your IT infrastructure. Do not hesitate in anyway from ensuring proper security measures, as not doing so can lead to damage and theft of your business data.

Phishing Scams

Phishing scams come under social engineering attacks. They provide a fake e-mail or website that looks like an authentic one and tricks you into putting your username and password. Once they capture your username and password, they now have access to your bank account or whatever website they are pretending to be.

A disputed study by Trusteer showed that spear phishing a hundred LinkedIn users resulted in a failure rate of 68%. That would mean that around 30% of those targeted with phishing attempts disclosed their personal data. That is significant enough for businesses to lose a substantial amount of money once their bank account information has been captured.

Cnet interviewed Michael Barrett, chief information security officer at PayPal (online payment processor) in April, 2011. This is what he had to say regarding the question of PayPal’s weakness to phishing attempts:

“I joined PayPal almost exactly five years ago and it’s fair to say the company had not realized at that point the true significance of phishing. But since that time we’ve put in place a number of defenses against it. It probably will never go away completely as a problem, but it can be substantially minimized. We’re at No. 8 on a list of most phished sites, which is better than being No. 1. I’m not satisfied with being No. 8 and I’d really like to obliterate the crime completely, but I realize that will take another five years to get to that state. A few years ago we started digitally signing all our outbound e-mail and we worked with Yahoo and Google so if they saw e-mail that purported to come from us but wasn’t signed they would block it. That has been stunningly successful. Now we’re trying to get the whole industry to take up that type of approach. But it will take several more years of pushing to get the rest of the industry to do that.” (1)

Malware

Malware is software that is damaging to your computer in various ways. Spyware is a type of malware that infects a computer and relays information of your computer use to different parties.

In 2007, Kaspersky Labs was seeing new malware samples every two minutes, but in 2010, just three years later, that had increased to one new sample every two seconds.

This is what InformationWeek has to say about small businesses and virus threats:

“Small business respondents’ other top concerns were Trojan applications (60%), malware designed by criminals expressly to steal data (59%), data leaks (56%), spyware (55%), and fake AV (52%). Spam and phishing threats ranked lowest. Most of today’s antivirus software suites protect against many viruses and worms. But when it comes to data-stealing malware, 21% of small U.S. business respondents said that their IT department could do a better job of protecting end users. Notably, only 47% of small businesses install security software to help stop such malware, 30% offer related security policies, and 28% provide relevant education or guidance.” (2)

Some are touting Cloud resources as the answer to fighting back malware spread. That remains to be seen.

Security Breaches – Hacks

It’s interesting to note that organizations attribute 59% of all security breaches to human error. This can occur if the network administrator has failed to set up the proper security barriers, or it can occur by inadvertently giving our information that a hacker can use to compromise the system.

About half of all organizations consider IT security a top priority. This stat indicates two scenarios. One, namely that there are pockets of IT infrastructures that don’t need high security. Perhaps these are small businesses that have a wireless network setup, and they don’t see themselves as a potential target from hackers. The network is small and their data isn’t all that critical. The second is that IT security is seen as a big issue for larger organizations. They have important data that cannot be leaked and as such they are prime targets for hackers. Hackers use stolen company data to sell to competitors and it is quickly becoming a lucrative business. Larger organizations need security for their systems and that entails purchasing the right equipment and having it administered properly.

The cost of an individual data breach – including lost business and the burden of responding to the incident – in 2010 increased 13% year-over-year for U.K. companies. That roughly equals $3 million for each breach, which is quite substantial. Needless to say, every organization, small or big, should pay close attention to its IT security needs.

Viruses

Small businesses still fear the virus according to a new survey of 1,600 end users in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and United States. Conducted by antivirus vendor Trend Micro, viruses are the leading concern for 63% of small businesses.

A CompTIA stat shows that 33% of law firms admit to experiencing a security issue such as a virus. That’s only law firms, if you total firms from other fields the number is much higher.

Conclusion

The presentation of stats and facts in this article is only intended to create an awareness of various cyber threats. Cyber security is a huge issue and should not be taken lightly.

References

(1) http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20052310-245.html#ixzz1MvDmlGv5
(2) http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/228200171

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Google Chromebook: The Future?

May 18, 2011 Leave a comment

Cloud Computing to the Next Level

There’s another player in the IT operating system (OS) market now, and it’s by Google. The Google Chromebook offers a web (or Cloud) OS that derives its applications from the Internet and thereby reduces the need for expensive hardware. Although the Cloud has been in existence for sometime now, Google offers a PC that is solely geared for a web interface. At the heart of the Chromebook is the Chrome web browser that acts as the portal to the whole web experience. No complications with installations, patches, or viruses as all of this is administered through the Internet with the full support of Google.

Business Mechanics

How does this benefit businesses? Google claims that businesses can save up to 70% off their IT costs by contracting Chromebooks (more or less a mini laptop) for $28/month. The supposition here is that with the tech support of Google in areas of software and hardware maintenance, businesses can dramatically reduce their costs. Is this probable? Probably not. Google’s upper bound number of 70% is obviously stretched, but there does seem to be some possibility of reducing a certain amount of IT operating costs. Businesses that rely on applications that are Windows based probably won’t jump to this side of the coin. But, businesses requiring basic office applications and portability may love this. Along side this, nobody likes to rent a laptop for an indefinite period of time. It would be cheaper for businesses to actually go out and purchase a brand new laptop than pay $28/month for ever. This generalization doesn’t apply to all business though.

New Take on I.T.

Google’s new idea is kind of interesting, but I feel it lacks the technical depth needed to win over IT professionals. It is likely to gain momentum as the whole Cloud infrastructure takes off, but there’s nothing to administer. I don’t see how IT professionals will like that. Also, what are the applications that Google is touting? Can it provide hardcore Photoshop like programs that many businesses need? Can it provide printer management in the local or remote sites? Certainly there are big holes to fill before Google can gain dominance in this area. Applications over the web or software-as-a-service isn’t for many businesses. It’s is hard to port hundreds of megabytes of data that a program requires in a fraction of a second that today’s local storage systems provide. Yes, office type apps can run, but not heavy duty programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, etc.

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iPad 2

May 10, 2011 1 Comment

Concept

The iPad 2 is definitely a major step up from the first generation iPad. Being 15% lighter and 33% slimmer than the first iPad, makes the iPad 2 stand out as the front-runner of all tablet PCs. Tablet PCs had almost become extinct until Apple decided to reinvent this category with a phenomenally simple user interface and an excellent multi-touch screen. iPads now enjoy almost universal acceptance as “the” tablet PC to go to. Air Canada Express pilots have been issued iPads so that they don’t have carry heavy manuals anymore, and restaurants are using them as digital menus where the customer can order directly from their table without the need for a waiter, thereby reducing order errors. The ecosystem around the iPad is just as dense as the iPod’s or the iPhone’s.

Although many are quick to say that the iPad is of no real relevance to anything major in our lives, I would strongly disagree with that. The iPad is shifting the paradigm of computing as a whole. Already first quarter sales for desktop PCs were down, and analysts stated that this was direct result of the selling of iPads. Of those who have an iPad, 25% of them are using it as their primary computer. Primary in terms of checking e-mail, surfing the Internet, and watching YouTube videos.

Jesse Jackson Jr. was heard saying that the iPad will “end” American jobs. He said that librarians, printers, and other occupations related to physical books and paper publishing would become extinct. Now that does seem somewhat irrational, but it does stir up a poignant argument that indeed the iPad is poised to become the next major digital communications device.

Functionality

Even hardcore Android fans end up admitting that the UI (user interface) for the iPad 2 is fantastic. It is smooth, responsive, and offers a computing experience unlike anything else. The screen can rotate precisely 360 degrees and the multi-touch interface is superb. It leaves you feeling as if you directly control the machine with the manipulations of your hands. It is empowering. It’s no longer you staring at a screen, it’s the screen staring back at you and asking for the next input through it. The home button is smooth and responsive and the taps of the screen are perfect. I’ve purchased an inexpensive stylus from eBay and now I’m able to jot down handwritten notes on my iPad and save them. I can also upload them to the Cloud. In short, the functionality of the iPad 2 is beautiful.

Design

This is where the iPad destroys the rest of the competition. The sleek design is to crave for. Thinner than the iPhone 4, it is easy to lift and use as a tablet while on the go. The smart covers are really something. They’re so cool that it’ll make you buy one even when you don’t need it. The magnet latch-on system is ingenious and leaves me wondering how Apple managed to use a system of magnets around its electronically sensitive device. Compared to the competitors, the iPad 2 comes in the perfect size. It is selectively sized as the same size of a paper notebook, giving the user a feel of an electronic or digital book.

Bottom-line: Absolutely amazing. The device of the decade. Must have for book and computer enthusiasts.

Rating: 5/5

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Easy Networking for Your Business

May 4, 2011 Leave a comment

A Networked Business

A network is basically computers and devices, like printers and servers, hooked up to each other. This allows for easy file transfer and printing of documents. If there was no network in place, files and resources would not be available to all of the computer users in the company. Networking allows resources to be distributed to all or some of the computers. It allows for user management and consolidation of files. A larger version of a network is the Internet. The Internet consists of computers, users, and resources available to all or a select number of people, i.e. e-mail, Facebook, etc.

Two Methods to Network a Business

The challenge for many small and medium businesses is how to link the computers in the network to each other. There are two ways to do this:

  1. Wired
  2. Wireless

The method you choose will determine how fast your network runs and the level of physical security it has. Wired is preferable in my opinion because it allows for higher speeds and adds a level of security, as I will discuss later, that is not available in wireless networks. Wireless networks, for their part, spare businesses of having to wire their offices with cables and jacks in the walls and therefore spare them also of having high costs associated with cabling their buildings.

To Go with Wire or Wireless?

As I’ve mentioned, wired networking adds a layer of physical protection. What it does is it makes it mandatory for someone to be physically present in the premises and linked to the network through a physical wire. Wireless networking on the other hand can be hacked, if proper security measures are not taken, as it broadcasts the wireless signals in and outside of the business compound. Hackers can come in their car and pick up your wireless signals and can intrude. Wireless signals aren’t broadcast everywhere, and have a range of typically 50 to 100 meters. This is the basic disadvantage of wireless networking.

Wireless networks do offer a less expensive option for businesses when it comes to networking. Foregoing cables and jacks in the wall, they give businesses flexibility in terms of physical location of computers and printers. For small businesses a wireless router should do the job as it can handle up to 25 devices sufficiently. Anything more would require a dedicated router with a dedicated wireless access point (WAP).

Personal Experience

I have done both wired and wireless network setups. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. For small businesses requiring one unit, I would recommend to go with wireless as it saves businesses the hassles mentioned above. If there is room for cabling through the walls, then wired would be my first choice.

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Usage Based Billing for the Internet: Canada’s Economic Folly

April 29, 2011 Leave a comment

What is Usage-Based Billing?

Usage-based billing (UBB) is something that was introduced to the CRTC in 2008 by Bell. What it does is, it puts a cap on the amount of Internet you consume and applies a fee for every gigabyte you use thereafter. What’s the problem with that? Well, it stifles Canada’s economy’s by downsizing the amount of consumer business done on the Internet, it limits the number of YouTube videos you can watch, and it makes sure that you get a minimum amount of Internet for a maximum amount of price. This great idea was put forth by Bell, in attempts to make sure that the 2% of its customers that use more Internet than others, makes the rest of the 98%, who don’t use much Internet, pay for it when they go over. It was also done in response to limit Bell’s competitors in the Internet service providers business.

How it Affects Canadians

Consumer use of the Internet is only increasing. With the advent of smartphones, tablets, and laptops, leisurely use of the Internet from home is consuming more and more gigabytes. It is projected that by 2015, video and Internet use will surpass 2.1 billion gigabytes in Canada. Who benefits from this? Service providers like Bell do. This proposed ruling was actually accepted by the CRTC to take place in March of 2011, but outrage over this from many Canadians caused the CRTC to review its case. The Conservative government has expressed concern over this ruling and has vowed to make sure Canadians are put in priority and not “taxed” over communicating over the Internet.

The Case for More Internet

We need more Internet for less. Simple. It costs less than a penny to route 1 gigabyte of data through the Internet. Bell is ready to charge you upwards of $5 a gigabyte. Gouging? I most certainly think so.

The Internet has become a universe in itself. In fact, companies are taking the Internet to outer space in the International Space Station and to planets in the future. We can’t be taxed over using the Internet because it has become so ubiquitous as a means of communication that we all rely on it. From businesses to schools, and from recreation to revolutions, the Internet is not only expanding our knowledge of things, but is accelerating it at an unbelievable pace. Putting a cap on how we interact in the digital domain will severely affect our economy and our social lives. Facebook, Twitter, and all of the social media sites will be taxed.

If we reverse the CRTC’s decision, we can expand our economy and better compete with countries like Japan who make our Internet service look a like snail in terms of how fast they have it there. The more we regulate Internet use, the less flexibility we’ll see our industries. On the contrary, having a less regulated Internet can spur new innovations and help place Canada at the top in the IT world.

What Can You Do About It?

Luckily we have an advocacy group that is doing a real good job on protesting this ridiculous UBB ruling. The group is called Open Media and you can visit their website at: www.openmedia.ca. Be sure to sign in on the petition to make you voice heard to the government and to the CRTC. Last I heard, we had close to half a million signatures. Let’s trump this decision once and for all for the sake our digital freedom!

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BlackBerry PlayBook: First Impressions

April 27, 2011 1 Comment

Professional Tablet PC

I had a chance to play around with the new BlackBerry PlayBook tablet from RIM. My first impressions were that, although it didn’t seem impressive with its form factor size being smaller compared to the iPad and others, it did have the potential of tapping into the professional market. A host of tablets being released are centred around the leisurely activities of consumers -their entertainment needs. The BlackBerry PlayBook appeals to the the professional business field where office tasks take priority.

Smaller Size

RIM has kept the PlayBook at a price range slightly lower than the iPad, $499 CDN. Given its petite size, I was given to the thought that RIM had to compromise between size and cost. They, in my opinion, chose to reduce the cost over having a larger form factor size. As for the user interface, it didn’t seem all that impressive to me. It lacks set-top buttons, which is a good thing, but the inefficient scroll of the finger from down to up across the screen is meant to be similar to the home button of the iPad where one exits the present application. This didn’t appeal to me at all. I prefer a simple one touch restore of the previous application.

Bottom-line: If you’re a BlackBerry fan, this is the tablet for you. It offers a robust business experience meant for the professional at a reasonable cost. If you prefer a larger form factor size and a more engaging user interface, this probably isn’t the right tablet PC for you.

Rating: 3.5/5

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