Panda Internet Security 2010 v18.0.0 /size 83.2 mb
Panda Security recently introduced their 2010 line of security software, kicking off the 2010 product push that other vendors will be sure to follow throughout the summer and into the fall. Since The Tech Herald has previously reviewed Panda Internet Security 2009, we took a copy of 2010 and gave it a spin in the lab.
One of the first things we noticed is that Panda Internet Security 2010 (PIS 2010) looks and feels the same as the 2009 version. The menu placement, the color scheme, the layout of the options, and the detailed information are all exactly where they were one year ago. While that might seem like a bad thing, in reality it is a positive spin. Anyone who upgrades will forgo the need to learn new menus or features. They can just install it and go.
Overall, Panda Internet Security was faster when it came to usage and resources, and stronger detection-wise, in 2010 than it was in 2009. Most of the improvements come from Collective Intelligence, Panda??™s cloud services that bolster detection performance, and tweaking in memory usage. When performing URL and Malware tests, as well as the scan tests, the engine reminded us of Panda??™s Cloud Antivirus. At the same time, that does not mean that some minor annoyances didn??™t catch our attention.
Installing Panda Internet Security 2010:
Installation, which was wizard based, ran quickly, and as was the case for the 2009 version, finished in just under six minutes. When you start the process, you have the option to select how the software is installed. For our testing, we went with the Typical Install, simply because for the most part this is what all of Panda??™s consumers would select. After that, PIS 2010 will launch a quick scan of system, memory, and some of the C: drive. The scan was over almost as soon as it started, which is a good thing.
Last year, in PIS 2009, this pre-installation scan dominated the install process. This year, it was the opposite; it was the component installation that used most of the time. In either case, the installation still finished fast with little user interaction. Aside from the selection of the install method, the only real choice a user has to make is whether to allow Panda to collect anonymous information on detections and malicious file samples.
It??™s interesting to note that the activation is wizard based. In addition, activation and registration will take place only after the system reboots once installation is complete. However, the process is easy. Once all of that is finished, you are ready to launch the program for the fist time.
Using Panda Internet Security 2010:
The first time you launch PSI 2010, you will need to update it. The update process takes a little time, but it isn??™t too slow.
As you can see from the image above, we were serious when we said PIS 2010 looks and feels like 2009. In reality, this made the review even easier, as we didn??™t need to dig around to see what options did what, only confirm they were where we expected them to be.
The five main tabs, Status, Scan, Report, Quarantine, and Services, are all there. As before, the focus of the control panel is the Status tab, which explains all of the coverage, as well as a brief overview of what PIS 2010 has done so far. The colors, Green for protected, Yellow for medium risk, and Red for immediate danger, are the same. Likewise, the Status tab allows for one-click access to each of the various modules and their options and settings.
One thing that stood out in PIS 2010, when compared to PIS 2009 is that the help section has had some improvements. When using the system help manual, the FAQ, the different categories, and the indexing were all easier to follow and explained in detail what each option and component is. Online, unlike when we reviewed PIS 2009, we were easily able to locate Web help for PIS 2010.
