2013

Microsoft officials are finally going public with the planned timeline for Office Next/Office 2013.

First up is release to manufacturing (RTM). Believe it or not, the next version of Office has RTM'd today, October 11 -- a month earlier than my sources and many Microsoft customers, partners, and pundits were predicting.

(A quick aside: The naming of the clients, servers, and services known by codename Office 15 is fairly confusing. Products with "2013" in the name -- like Office 2013 or Exchange Server 2013 -- seem to be the on-premises/locally installed versions. "Office Next&… Read more

The competition for the best free Windows security suite just got a lot more intense, as Avira returns to the field with its second major revamp in as many years of its flagship free antivirus and paid upgrades.

Available exclusively from Download.com today, Avira Free Antivirus 2013, along with the paid upgrades Avira Antivirus Premium 2013 and Avira Internet Security 2013, greatly expand the kinds of protection that Avira offers.

Avira wouldn't reveal a precise number of people who use the suite, but Opswat puts them at around 12.1 percent of the worldwide Windows market. Travis Witteveen, … Read more

Vipre has quietly made a name for itself as an effective security suite that can hold its own against the big boys. The latest update addresses issues with speed while simplifying some basic tasks, but its one killer extra may not be enough.

Available exclusively today from Download.com, Vipre Internet Security 2013 (download) and Vipre Antivirus 2013 (download) offer a solid set of Windows security tools. The most notable is a new feature only available in the premium Internet Security called Easy Update.

Easy Update streamlines the update process for your other programs. You won't have to accept … Read more

A number of Audi purists (and a couple of intenders around the office) groaned when I showed them the new S5 with its V6. And it turns out they are on to something. Not that the car isn't responsive, but there is a point where the power flattens out right when you think it will keep coming. You actually have to be good about selecting gears and reading the situation ahead. Welcome to the new downsized world -- and to actually driving, not just throttle pressing. … Read more

Microsoft let slip back in June that the version of Microsoft Office 2013 that would be available to Windows RT tablets and PC customers would be a "preview" test-build. In blog post yesterday, Microsoft confirmed that information and added a few more particulars about the Office Home & Student 2013 RT bundle that will be available to those with ARM-based Windows devices.

Office 2013 RT won't be available for purchase as a separate product. It will be "included" with ARM-based Windows RT tablets and PCs and will function as a desktop app, meaning it won'… Read more

A firewall that boosts outbound protection, browser protection that almost doesn't care which browser is your favorite, and compatibility with Microsoft's big October gamble are the highlights of F-Secure's 2013 suites, released today.

There's actually quite a few changes to F-Secure Anti-Virus 2013 (download) and F-Secure Internet Security 2013 (download) this year, but nearly all of them are focused on enhancing security already in last year's suites -- as opposed to providing entirely new features.

The most notable changes in F-Secure come to how it interacts with your Web browser, and how its firewall works … Read more

Just as it does with Windows, Microsoft typically offers its Office customers an upgrade guarantee program, allowing them to buy the current version of a product with a free or discounted upgrade to the next one being part of the package.

One of my contacts said the Office 2013 upgrade guarantee will begin in about a month's time -- specifically on October 19. If this is correct, users purchasing Office 2010 between that date and the end of the covered period (which my same contact said is April 30, 2013) will get some kind of guaranteed upgrade to Office … Read more

Trend Micro wants to redefine the expectations of people buying security suites by changing what level of protection they get. The Trend Micro Titanium 2013 updates move feature sets around, lowering the price on features previously available only for more money, as well as debuting new ones.

Available exclusively from Download.com today, Titanium Antivirus Plus (30-day trial download, $39.95), Titanium Internet Security (30-day trial download, $79.95), Titanium Maximum Security (30-day trial download, $89.95), Titanium Premium Security (30-day trial download, $99.95), and Titanium Mac (30-day trial download, $69.95) push a number of formerly premium options … Read more

Honda built a reputation on economy cars that displayed a touch more quality than the competition. To this day, Honda's lineup consists of practical, well-built cars. However, the company has not had a new idea in years. The 2013 Honda Accord heralds the revivification of Honda's collective brain cells, bringing with it new technologies necessary for the company to face off against its already modernized competition.

At a press preview, I drove a few of the many variants of the 2013 Accord about to be unleashed on the American public. Honda's sales model has always been a … Read more