Toshiba Satellite L655-S5158 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

After my overpriced, underperforming, Vista disabled HP laptop died on me, I shopped around for a good deal on a budget priced, reliable laptop. Asus is the only laptop brand that has better reliability than Toshiba (see [...]). When I checked the Toshibas, this is the model they were pushing (and apparently, still are). It's got an even bigger screen than I expected. It has a full size keyboard with a number pad on the right. It's a little large for carting around, but it is incredibly high performing with a great display. When I put a tumb drive in to copy some folders and files, I wondered why it wasn't working. I was used to watching the little folder transfer icons on my HP. Well, I was wrong - it did work. It just worked so quickly I didn't even see it. It transferred a ton of data in the blink of an eye. I've only had it a month, so I can't speak to longevity. But the battery life is reasonably good, and it's a great computer - especially at the price!

Sony Hacked Again: How Not to Do Network Security

Yes. As unbelievable as it may seem, Sony was hacked again. It is not (entirely) Sony's fault that it is the target du jour for hackers everywhere. But, it is Sony's fault that its networks and servers seem to be trivial to hack and easy to pwn.

The trials and tribulations of Sony's epic struggle against hacks and data breaches over the past month or so are well-documented. You can read all about the breach of Sony Ericsson Canada, or Sony BMG Greece, or the Sony Playstation Network, or any of the other network attacks against Sony all over the Web.

LulzSec, the hacker collective responsible for the Wikileaks hacktivism attack and fake Tupac resurrection story on the PBS site last week, made it clear that Sony was the next target on its radar. Now it has made good on that threat with a hack of the Sony Pictures network, and claims to have compromised the account details of a million users.

Antivirus Vendors Pounce on Mac Malware Scare

Coincidence or not, a pair of antivirus software makers are offering new products at a time when Mac malware is making headlines.

mac malware macdefender antivirusThe first is Avast Free Antivirus for Mac. Although the product isn't new, this version, now in beta, is heavily reworked from older versions. It includes on-demand scanning of the entire file system and antivirus shields for applications, Websites and e-mail.

The other program is F-Secure Antivirus for Mac, which costs $40 per year. It offers a real-time virus scanner and a "panic button" that instantly blocks all Internet traffic to the computer.