Pokki grabs half a million downloads

Pokki's 500,000 downloads show that many Windows 8 users still want the good old-fashioned Start menu.

 

 

Pokki's Start menu for Windows 8.

(Credit: Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Microsoft kicked out the Start menu for Windows 8, but at least one app is proving that a lot of users still crave it.
   One of many Start menu replacements on the market, Pokki for Windows 8 registered 500,000 downloads in the six weeks since Windows 8 officially debuted, according to a company blog.
Further, Stardock's Start8 program has sold thousands of copies, say the folks at Pokki. And in about 30 days, 30 different Start menu replacements have popped up.
"All of which is early proof of our original hypothesis that people need, want, and use the Start menu more than ever," Pokki said in its blog.
   Julie Larson-Green, the new head of Windows product development, recently said that it can take about six weeks for Windows 8 users to start using "the new things more than the things you're familiar with."
But in the two months since Windows 8 debuted, Start menu replacements have risen in number.
In June, a Microsoft program manager said that the company removed the Start menu based on "telemetry" obtained by its Customer Experience Improvement Program. This data reportedly indicated that users were relying more on the Windows taskbar to launch their favorite programs and less on the Start menu.
So Microsoft felt it was time to give the heave-ho to the old-fashioned menu and replace it with something more powerful.
   And yes, the Windows 8 Start screen is more powerful in many ways. It can display Live Tiles with the latest information. It lets you search for and launch applications and settings just by typing their names.

But like much of Windows 8, the Start screen feels more at home on a touch-screen tablet than on a PC.
And I still feel that when you're already in the Windows desktop, using a traditional Start menu to access desktop applications is the most efficient way to work -- at least it is for me.
Given the popularity of Start menu replacements, it seems many other Windows 8 users feel the same way.

Microsoft: Five events that shaped 2012

The software giant rolled out Windows 8, made a tablet computer that competes directly with longtime partners, and saw one of its top executives exit just weeks after shipping Windows.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the Windows 8 launch in New York in October.

(Credit: Microsoft)

In hindsight, 2012 may well be the year that marks the biggest transition in Microsoft's storied corporate history.
    That statement might get some argument from Microsoft watchers, who would put the debut of Windows 95 and the retiring of co-founder Bill Gates ahead of 2012 for sea change at the company. But 2012 marked the year that Microsoft decided that basing its business on software alone isn't enough to survive in the evolving world of technology.
Now, as Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer says at every opportunity, Microsoft is about devices and services. The company is building devices, such as the new Microsoft Surface tablet computer, that best take advantage of the bevy of new services, such as its SkyDrive Web storage offering, it's creating.
Here's a look back at five key events that helped shape 2012 for Microsoft:

1. Windows 8 bows
 The Windows 8 operating system that Microsoft debuted in October will sell extraordinarily well almost regardless of how well it's made. Within a month of its launch, Microsoft noted that 40 million copies of the operating system had sold. In many ways, Windows is merely about turning on the spigot and letting the revenue flow into Microsoft's coffers.
But Microsoft made a huge bet with this version of its flagship product. The central new feature in Windows 8 is that users can navigate by touching the screens on devices running the operating system. It's an attempt to leverage Microsoft's operating system hegemony into the emerging world of tablet computing, where Microsoft and Windows have lagged.
The gamble is that this operating system looks wildly different from past versions of Windows that computer users know well. They can still flip to the familiar desktop look to which they are accustomed. But Microsoft is pushing users to embrace the tile-based interface it's rolling out across its entire product line.
Windows 8 success won't be judged alone on how many copies Microsoft sells. The true measure of its success will be how well Microsoft is able to carve out a piece of the tablet market and slow the march of Apple and Google in that world. Early indications are that sales got off to a slow start, though that's likely related to sluggish PC sales broadly. Within the next few months, it should become clear how well Microsoft's Windows 8 bet plays out.

2. Microsoft Surface debuts
The big hedge against the Windows 8 tablet bet is Microsoft's new Surface tablet computer. Ever since Microsoft rolled out MS-DOS in 1981, the company has relied on hardware makers to bring its PC operating system to life. In recent years, though, those computer makers have lost mindshare, and market share, to Apple and its innovative industrial design.
So for the first time ever, Microsoft jumped into the PC-making business. The Surface, which debuted at the same time as Windows 8, is a touch-screen tablet with sleek industrial-design looks, and the spare new Windows interface. What's more, unlike iPads, it comes with a keyboard that lets users create content on the device easily.
Of course, Microsoft has made hardware before. The Xbox game console has been on the market more than a decade. It's been selling mice and keyboards for even longer. And it even tried its hand at making mobile phones with the short-lived Kin ONE and Kin TWO.
But the Surface reflects a dramatic change in thinking in Redmond. Microsoft's brass has decided to compete directly with its hardware-making partners because it recognized that they were falling behind Apple, leaving Microsoft to lose ground in a key emerging market.

3. Steven Sinofsky leaves
Within three weeks of the Windows 8 and Microsoft Surface launches, the executive behind them left Microsoft. Steven Sinofsky, who spent his entire career at Microsoft, serving as Bill Gates' technical assistant and the head of the Office business and then the Windows division, exited as concerns about his management style came to a head.
Inside Microsoft, Sinofsky has long been known as a polarizing figure. He has plenty of fans, particularly many of those who work in his groups, for setting a clear agenda, sticking with it, and shipping quality products on time. His downfall, though, were his battles outside the Windows division. He developed a reputation for marginalizing internal rivals, undermining their efforts to make certain his products weren't burdened by dependencies from other divisions outside his control.
For Ballmer, that became a deal-breaker. Increasingly, Microsoft is counting on cross-division collaboration as it weaves threads to bring its various software, services, and devices together. To compete in the consumer marketplace against Apple and Google, the company needs all of its division leaders working together smoothly. So when Windows 8 hit store shelves, Sinofsky left the building.

4. Windows Phone 8
Rarely has so much noise been made about a product that's been on the market for so long and had so little share. Even while Windows Phone sputters in the marketplace, Microsoft is able to generate buzz for its Windows Phone 8 operating system. And Microsoft needs Windows Phone 8 to breakout if the company is going to achieve the goal of creating an ecosystem of devices and services to counter rivals.
Just days after Microsoft debuted Windows 8, it rolled out Windows Phone 8 in a splashy San Francisco show that featured Jessica Alba sharing the stage with Ballmer. Microsoft is counting on devices from Nokia, Samsung, HTC, and others to help it elbow its way into a market that's dominated now by Apple and phones using Google's Android mobile operating system. And it needs developers, who have created must-have apps for rival platforms, to build them for Windows Phone now as well.
It's a tough slog. Windows Phone currently runs less than 3 percent of all smartphones worldwide, according to IDC. And while IDC is bullish on Windows Phone, it doesn't expect the operating system to become much of a threat to either Apple or Google anytime soon.

5. Office, embracing online
Microsoft was a laggard when it came to composing documents and creating spreadsheets on the Web. And for good reason: Its Office franchise was humming along with massive profits. For years, there was little reason to offer low-cost Web apps that would compete with the packaged software that kept filling Microsoft coffers.
That changed this year. Microsoft debuted Office 365 in June. It's a service that lets customers pay a monthly fee to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as server software such as its Exchange e-mail program, its SharePoint collaboration software, and its Lync communications technology. The new services compete with rival offerings, most notably from Google, whose Google Apps for Business has been making inroads with corporate customers interested in online productivity programs.
Microsoft is targeting small businesses with Office 365, tailoring the product and the pricing in a way so as not to cannibalize corporate Office sales. So far, it seems to be working. At Microsoft's annual shareholders meeting last month, Ballmer noted that Office 365 was on track to be one of Microsoft's fastest growing businesses ever.

Social media: The biggest stories of 2012

Here are the top five ways we embraced social media this year.

 

 

(Credit: CNET)

Social media hit new heights this year; Facebook reached 1 billion users, many people in developing nations are logging in to social networks as soon as they get Internet access, and the companies behind these digital communities are starting to make money off the sites.
The big players of social, namely Facebook and Twitter, are ubiquitous in everyday life. Mainstream news outlets cite the social networks as sources of information and commentary on live events. The Olympics, the presidential election, disasters such as Hurricane Sandy -- social media has become an integral part of how such events are recorded and how communities respond. Along with those big events, social networks continued to shape how people work and play, with this year's biggest news showing the latest ways social media has entwined itself in our lives.

1. Social shopping comes of age

    In 2012, shopping sites relied heavily on social media to build communities around retail, while social-media sites started making money off users shopping. Though sites like fashion-centric Polyvore -- which hit a new financial milestone this year -- have long understood that user-generated content is the best type of advertising when selling products, companies like Fab and Fancy took social retail to another level this year.
Fab, a flash-sales site, closely wove social media into its shopping experience -- the company said it was gaining 1 million users a month, with 50 percent of its member sign-ups coming from Facebook referrals. The Fancy, a Pinterest-like site that lets users bookmark things they like and then links those items to online stores for purchase, built its commerce services on top of a social experience. Then there's the big daddy of social media, Facebook. The company launched its Facebook Gifts gifting service this year, letting users send real-life gifts to their Facebook friends without needing their addresses, and opening up a new way to make money.

2. Waking up to mobile

    Every year, those in Silicon Valley declare that it is finally the year of mobile. This year, mobile usage reaching its tipping point, the lure of mobile dollars had social-media companies taking action. The veterans of social -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Zynga, made major acquisitions and overhauled their mobile apps to up their mobile game.
Facebook retrained all its engineers in mobile, completely revamped its slow, unpopular apps, and purchased Instagram, the photo-sharing network that started as a mobile-only app. Twitter made a huge push on its mobile presence as well, redesigning its apps to promote a better mobile experience and, in turn, bring in more money. LinkedIn also redid its mobile app, touting a 13 percent increase in user activity from the previous year. Zynga continued to acquire mobile companies, like OMGPOP, the creators of the wildly popular Draw Something game, and launched a mobile-only game initiative by partnering with third-party developers.

 3. Pinterest seeks world domination

     Pinterest saw explosive growth in the beginning of 2012, jumping from 11.7 million site visits in January to 17.8 million in March. Though the rate of growth has slowed a bit since -- the number jumped 42 percent, to 25.3 million, from March to September -- Pinterest's adoption by mainstream society increased tremendously overall. The visual-bookmarking site created social-media stars -- pinners who collected millions of followers based on the content they curated. In addition to gaining a reputation for attracting a large number of women to its site with popular pinning in categories like recipes, arts and crafts, and beauty, Pinterest also became a law enforcement tool. Police departments used the site to display their most wanted lists, offer safety tips, and show off their successes.
Although there was some speculation over whether Pinterest actually had a plan for how to make money, the company took advantage of its growth by opening up its ranks to get more users, introducing a "Pin It" button to sit alongside Facebook's and Twitter's icons on Web sites, and finally giving brands businesses tools.

4. It's all about the visuals

    Facebook has always known that its users love sharing photos (photo-tagging was what set the social network apart in its early years), but social-media companies paid special attention to visuals this year. The social-video space got crowded, and social-media users flocked to networks like Pinterest and Tumblr in order to create visual collections of the things they like. And then there was Instagram. Instagram became the most popular photo-sharing network, amassing 100 million users and finding prominence during events like Hurricane Sandy and the presidential election.
Instagram's popularity spurred other social media to follow suit. Twitter tweaked its app to add the ability to take photos and add filters, fueling a filtered-photo war. Facebook decided to just buy Instagram, but also added filters to its camera function and introduced a new feature that automatically uploads photos from your iPhone to a private album on your Facebook profile.

5. Google+ screaming its way into the conversation

    Oh, and then there was Google. The tech giant made sure to put its social network front and center this year by linking Google+ to its search results. But despite those efforts, Google+ didn't cause many waves for most of this year -- having people call you a ghost town will do that -- until recent weeks, when it clawed its way into headlines.
Google+ chief Bradley Horowitz publicly took aim at Facebook -- a social network that has about 10 times more users than Google+ -- and described it as the social network of the past. Google then made a point to release that Google+ now has 135 million active users, and it added group functions to encourage more activity.

Facebook tries new Timeline design

The company's new design brings back a tabbed design and streamlined display of Timeline updates.

 

 

Facebook has been quietly testing a new Timeline design, the company has confirmed.
The world's largest social network yesterday confirmed to ABC News that it's testing a new Timeline design "with a small percentage of people." The move, the spokesperson told ABC News, is to "make navigating Timeline even easier."
According to ABC News, which tested out the new Timeline, the design includes a tabbed look, allowing users to switch between friends, photos, and a person's About page. In addition, Facebook's current method of displaying Timeline updates by placing them in two columns has been modified to show updates on the left and friend and photo information on the right side.

In addition, when scrolling through a profile page, it automatically scrolls through a person's "about" information and then goes to friends, followed by photos, all within the same pane.
That's not all Facebook is doing. According to Facebook blog InsideFacebook, the social network lets users drag and drop photos into their publisher box -- the space in which users post photos and updates. In addition, users can drag and drop multiple photos into the box at once.
According to InsideFacebook, the drag-and-drop feature is being rolled out and will eventually come to all users. Whether the Timeline update will make its way across the social network is unknown at this point.

Poke for mobile: Facebook's new app

The new mobile Poke app.

(Credit: Facebook)

The app sends messages, photos, and videos that expire seconds after they're sent. Perfect for the type of communication you don't want falling into the wrong hands.

Cue the inappropriate poke jokes. Facebook just released a Poke for mobile app that lets people send messages, photos, and videos that expire seconds after they're sent.
The news confirms a report by AllThingsD earlier this month.
This standalone app, similar to the app Snapchat, is perfect for sending messages and images you don't want unintended recipients to stumble across. Facebook calls this sending things in a "lightweight way." The rest of the world calls it sexting.
"With the Poke app, you can poke or send a message, photo, or video to Facebook friends to share what you're up to in a lightweight way. You can poke an individual friend or several at once," reads a Facebook blog post.
Facebook isn't that naive. It's built in reporting tools to make sure things don't get too out of control for recipients. After all, sharing photos "of a sexual nature," is a violation of Facebook's policies.
"If you ever see something you're uncomfortable with, you can click the gear menu and report it," the post reads.
You set each message to expire at either 1, 3, 5, or 10 seconds. When time runs out, the message disappears from the app. But remember, that's not going to stop a friend from taking a screenshot of a message, as CNET's Casey Newton pointed out.

Facebook introduced the poke feature in 2004, but the desktop version does only one thing: instantly notifies friends that they've been "poked."
The poke is a leftover from Facebook's dorm room days. The new mobile Poke takes the sexual innuendo to another level and may get Facebook more mobile traffic, if sexting app Snapchat's performance is any indication. Snapchat said its users send 20 million "Snaps" per day.

Browsers: Top 5 events from 2012

Web developers and browser makers were on course toward building the universal software platform -- until smartphones got in the way.

For a while there, the browser was winning the war.
New startups launched online services rather than packaged software. Browser makers raced to transform the Web from a place to publish documents into a general-purpose programming platform. People spent more and more time using the Web instead of software that ran natively on devices.

Then the era of modern smartphones and tablets began. And in 2012, it became clear that Web app advocates will have to work a lot harder to build a universal software foundation. Here's a look at what happened this year in the world of the Web, starting with an an extremely public vote of no confidence.

The W3C's new HTML5 logo stands for more than just the HTML5 standard.

(Credit: W3C)

Facebook slaps down HTML5
The basic technology for describing Web pages is Hypertext Markup Language, and the new HTML5 version now symbolizes modern Web development, even though it also relies on other standards such as JavaScript for running actual programs and CSS for formatting and effects.
The HTML5 idea is that Web apps can span many devices -- Windows machines, Macs, smartphones, tablets, and more -- because everything has a browser these days. One of the biggest advocates of the approach was Facebook, which used Web coding to reach a tremendous range of devices.
But Facebook this year abruptly changed course, choosing instead to release native iOS and Android apps. The company had loved the Web approach, which let its programmers constantly release new versions that would load the same way a browser loads a fresh version of a Web site. But the performance wasn't acceptable.
"I think the biggest mistake that we made as a company is betting too much on HTML5 as opposed to native," Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said. "Probably we will look back saying that is one of the biggest mistakes if not the biggest strategic mistake that we made."
Zuckerberg's long-term enthusiasm for Web apps was a pretty unappealing consolation prize.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg called his company's reliance on Web apps for mobile access to the site a major strategic error.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Microsoft stiffs browser rivals
With Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to make a fresh start with the operating system interfaces that software can use. Windows 8 marries the older Win32 interfaces with the new WinRT. But Windows RT, the cousin that runs on mobile devices such as Microsoft's Surface that use ARM processors, lets third-party software use only the WinRT interfaces.

That happens to hobble browsers -- well, third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox. Microsoft's own IE10 gets access to the low-level Win32 interfaces, letting it run JavaScript faster. Mozilla objected strenuously, and Google piled on, too. Microsoft carved an exception for browsers running on Windows 8, no doubt encouraged by its earlier antitrust woes involving Internet Explorer, but the company doesn't look likely to budge on Windows RT.
Even though European officials are checking into the situation, legal experts think any opponents would have a hard antitrust case.
The result, though could be that browser choice becomes a thing of the past. Safari dominates on iOS, Android's browser on Android, and IE on Windows Phone. Even if people might want a choice, company limits often preclude it.
Do Not Track derailed
Microsoft also threw a wrench in the works of a proposed new standard called Do Not Track (DNT) that's designed to let people tell Web sites not to keep tabs on their online behavior. The effort grew out of a Federal Trade Commission request for the industry to come up with a voluntary solution to the issue, since privacy advocates are not happy with the idea of behavioral targeting of advertisements.

Mozilla proposed a solution that got traction in Chrome, Opera, and Safari, in which browsers would tell Web sites not to track if people had expressly set the browser to send the message. But Microsoft, saying it wanted more privacy, turns DNT on if people accept the Windows 8 default installation settings. That might sound great for privacy, but online advertisers say they'll ignore the setting if it hasn't been expressly set by users.
DNT author Roy Fielding, an Adobe scientist and programmer in the Apache Web server software project, one-upped Microsoft by patching Apache so it overrides IE's DNT setting. But Microsoft isn't budging.
What could break the DNT gridlock? Perhaps the appointment of Peter Swire as co-chair of the group trying to standardize it.

Microsoft's IE has stopped its market-share losses, with Chrome and Firefox jockeying for second place.

(Credit: Data from Net Applications; chart by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

IE gets real
There's a big community of people who don't like Microsoft's browser actions -- squashing Netscape in the 1990s then letting IE6 lie fallow for years.
But that's old thinking. Microsoft dragged itself back aboard the Web standards bandwagon with IE9. But this year's release of IE10 -- packaged with Windows 8 and set to arrive in finished form later for Windows 7 -- that's the stronger statement.
IE10 supports a long list of new Web standards: IndexedDB and AppCache for writing Web apps that work even when a computer doesn't have a Net connection; support for a range of pointers including multitouch interfaces; asychronous script execution for getting Web pages to load faster and run more smoothly; the file interface for better uploads and ways for apps to access data; sandbox security restrictions; and a lot of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) effects.
And it's pretty fast to load Web pages. All this means IE10 can compete -- and not just because it's built into Windows. There are still some missing features -- the WebGL interface for 3D graphics, for instance, which Microsoft thinks is a security risk -- but even without it and some other omissions, Web programmers still can look forward to IE's transition to a modern browser.
Naturally, Microsoft is tooting its IE horn as a result. And it has a strong incentive to keep pushing ahead: Windows 8 apps can be written using the JavaScript, CSS, and HTML Web technologies. Microsoft might have a vanishingly small share of Web usage in the mobile market, but it has mostly stopped IE's share losses in PC browser usage.

The $249 Samsung Chromebook

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Price cut makes Chromebooks worthwhile
Chrome OS, Google's browser-based operating system, was a wacky idea when it debuted in 2009 and still not very compelling when it arrived in products called Chromebooks in 2011. But in 2012, Google and its Chrome OS allies came up with a much more compelling recipe by lowering the price.
First came the $249 Samsung Chromebook, which uses an ARM processor rather than a more conventional Intel chip. Next was the even cheaper Acer C7 Chromebook, which uses an Intel chip but drops the SSD in favor of a conventional hard drive.
Neither can come anywhere close to replacing a video-game rig or Photoshop workstation. But for the price, they can be a capable second or third machine to have around the house for e-mail, surfing, Facebook, and homework assignments. They may not have the entertainment appeal of a tablet packed with games, but they're cheaper than a new iPad, and a lot of people prefer a keyboard when it's time to type.
Samsung also released some higher-end Chromebooks and the first Chromebox, a small machine that requires an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. They're more expensive, but in combination with the significantly revamped Chrome OS and integrated with Google Drive, they're useful for a certain population.
Web apps may be struggling on smartphones and tablets, but for a laptop, they're a more realistic option. Browser makers and Web developers have work to do on mobile, but they're hardly an endangered species.

Facebook - best place to work

(Credit: Glassdoor)

Maybe it's the ability to influence a billion people or maybe it's the deluxe campus and free food, but Facebook employees have come out in full force and voted their company the best place to work this year.

Company review site Glassdoor annually compiles the 50 best places to work based on comments from employees in dozens of companies. This year, nearly half a million reviews were submitted that rated employers on career opportunities, salary and benefits, work and life balance, senior management, and culture and values. And, Facebook won out.

"The company's leadership truly believes in Facebook's mission to make the world more open and connected," a Facebook product manager told Glassdoor. "Teams are small and have a lot of autonomy, and it's amazing to see how much of a difference a single person can make at this place."

Besides Facebook, 19 other tech companies made the top 50 list. For the top 10, Riverbed Technology came in at No. 3, Google got No. 6, and National Instruments was No. 8. For the most well-known tech companies, LinkedIn came in at 14, Intel was No. 31, and Apple got No. 34.

While Google and Apple aren't in the top five, they've both made the list for the last five consecutive years -- although both have dropped places from last year, from 5 to 6 and from 10 to 34, respectively. Facebook has only made the list the last three years, but the year it debuted on the list, in 2010, it ranked No. 1. Last year, the social network fell to the third spot but has notably rebounded this year.

"The Employees' Choice Awards are one of the highest honors a company can receive, as it is an authentic and tangible reflection of employee satisfaction," Glassdoor's CEO and co-founder Robert Hohman said in a statement. "Due to greater workplace transparency, information about what it's like to work at particular companies is becoming increasingly influential as job seekers and employees consider their next career move."

Below is a video produced by Glassdoor and Facebook about what it is like to work at the world's largest social network.

Security Essentials fails AV-Test

    Microsoft's free antivirus suite did not pass the most recent efficacy test by AV-Test.org -- the only one out of 24 suites tested to not earn certification.

    In a month of uneven Windows 8 news and reviews, Microsoft is taking another hit. This time, its freeware Security Essentials finds itself in the crosshairs.
Independent German security suite evaluators AV-Test.org publish bimonthly tests that rate the effectiveness of the biggest Windows security suites out there, and the recently published results showed that MSE failed to earn certification on the most recent test. MSE was the only suite to fail out of the 24 suites tested on Windows 7 during September and October.
    "Microsoft is offering a baseline protection with MSE. However, the majority of free and paid security offerings from 3rd parties includes a better protection against current threats," wrote Andreas Marx, CEO of Av-Test.org, in an e-mail to CNET. The low scores in the "Protection" category, he wrote, are "especially related" to the low blocking rates against zero-day malware. MSE stopped only two-thirds of them, whereas many competitors did significantly better. Marx explained that blocking zero-days is "the most important feature in today's protection mechanisms," since more than 90 percent of malware comes from Web sites distributed by downloads or e-mail attachments.
Marx did write that Microsoft was 90 percent effective at blocking malware from sources like USB keys.
Requests for comment sent to Microsoft were not immediately returned. CNET will update the story when we hear back from them.
    The news is potentially more damaging for consumers because Microsoft Security Essentials is, according to Opswat's September 2012 market share report, used by almost 14 percent of the security market worldwide. In the U.S. alone, it commanded nearly 27 percent of the market as of September. As PC Magazine noted, 16 out of the 23 vendors scored worse this time than during the previous Windows 7-based test in May and June. AVG has AV-Test benchmark its free and paid suites, which accounts for one more suite tested than there are vendors.
    Following CNET's report in September on security suite vendors' struggles in AV-Test's Windows XP-based test, there's a clear downward trend in AV-Test's results during 2012.

Microsoft Security Essentials has never been a particularly strong antivirus suite when it came to effectiveness, but it wasn't terrible. Its marks on the previous Windows 7 tests this year in April and May and May and June were good enough to pass the 80 percent prevention mark of zero-day samples on three out of four tests, and reached 76 percent on the fourth test.
    However, on the most recent test it couldn't even crack the 70 percent barrier on zero-day prevention. That, plus a remarkably weak ability to remove infection components, kept MSE from being certified.
It's rarely a good idea to trust one test's results on which to base an entire judgment, but there's no doubt that these scores are a major cause for concern, not only for people who use Microsoft Security Essentials, but also because a lot of MSE has gone into Windows 8 security. However, AV-Test's Marx said that Windows 8 security is probably safer than Windows 7 with MSE. "The situation on Windows 8 (with Windows Defender) is most likely better than on Windows 7, thanks to further and additional protection mechanisms which are in place on this platform," he said.
    Nobody wants to deal with a computer virus or malware infection, though, so I'd recommend that people running MSE change to another, better regarded free security suite as soon as possible. Avast or AVG have solid security reputations. The current AV-Test top-rated suite for security efficacy is Bitdefender, but the cheapest version starts at $39.95.

iPhone 5 top Yahoo's list of 2012's popular searches

 As for top-searched gadgets, three of the top five on the list are made by Apple -- iPhone 5, iPad 3, and iPad Mini.

   The iPhone 5 was one of the most searched terms this year.

(Credit: CNET)

    The iPhone 5 couldn't quite edge out the election to be No. 1 on Yahoo's list of most-searched terms for 2012. But it came pretty close.    Yahoo today released its data for the most-searched terms in 2012. The lists include information on "obsessions" (viral sensations), memes, gadgets, Olympians, sports teams, songs/music lyrics, TV comedies, "what is" searches, how-to searches, recipes, and several others.
At the top of the list of terms most searched overall, unsurprisingly, was "election," followed by iPhone 5. Rounding out the top five were Kim Kardashian, Kate Upton, and Kate Middleton.

   As Yahoo noted, politics saturated news headlines and ads, but people still searched online to see what was happening in the presidential election, as well as their own state and local races. As for the iPhone, anticipation for the device kept it toward the top of the list.

"iPhone was No. 1 last year, and the fact the iPhone made it back on the list is incredible," Vera Chan, a Yahoo Web trend analyst
    It did end up the top-searched gadget of the year, followed by iPad 3, iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy S3, and Kindle Fire. Interestingly, iPhone 4 nabbed the No. 6 spot.
Kim Kardashian, meanwhile, reached the height of her popularity as the most searched person on Yahoo. She has been a staple in the Top 10 since 2009, the site noted.
Some of the top obsessions, or searches that became viral, in order, are iPhone 5, political polls, Mega Millions, The Hunger Games, and Honey Boo Boo. And the top-searched memes were Kony 2012, binders full of women, Hurricane Sandy fake storm photos, ridiculously photogenic guy, and Big Bird.
Search rankings from other sites have also been released in the past couple weeks. Microsoft's Bing search engine deemed the iPhone 5 to be the most searched for news story of the year. The debut of the device beat out the 2012 presidential election, the Olympics, and Superstorm Sandy, which followed respectively for the next top searches. The Honey Boo Boo reality TV show came in at No. 5 on Bing.
Over at Ask.com, most people wanted to know if Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were getting back together.
     The site also noted that the iPhone 5 may "have made big waves in the press, but it barely registered a ripple among U.S. adults." It said 49 percent of people surveyed said they don't see a big difference between the iPhone 5 and the previous version of the smartphone.
Here's the top 10 searches overall from Yahoo:

1. Election
2. iPhone 5
3. Kim Kardashian
4. Kate Upton
5. Kate Middleton
6. Whitney Houston
7. Olympics
8. Political polls
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Jennifer Lopez

And here are the top-searched gadgets:

1. iPhone 5
2. iPad 3
3. iPad Mini
4. Samsung Galaxy S3
5. Kindle Fire
6. iPhone 4
7. Nook
8. iPod Touch
9. Samsung Galaxy Tab
10. Samsung Galaxy Note