Trend Micro Internet Security v2 offers good to very good protection in all areas, along with truly useful bonus features.

Helpful live-chat support. Effective malware removal. Scans for vulnerabilities. Few pop-ups. Rates sites by reputation. Parental control better than most. Accurate spam filtering. In-browser keystroke encryption. Remote management. System tune-up.

User-interface problems on malware-infested systems. Difficult installation on malware-infested systems. Remote management lacks security status indicator.

Pandora's popular personalized streaming audio service comes to the iPhone with most of its excellent features intact.

Personalized stream of music on your iPhone. Free. Attractive, uncluttered interface. Retains Web version's thumbs-up, thumbs-down ratings on songs.

No sharing features. Can't browse stations by genre. Some performance issues.

The free Sportacular iPhone app gives you instant access to updated scores and stats for all sorts of sports.

Updates scores on most major sports games every 30 seconds. Shows play-by-play, pitch counts for baseball. Convenient create-a-team feature for fantasy owners.

No NFL play-by-play. Limited college football reporting. NASCAR coverage not included.

eXpresso lets you edit and share spreadsheets online using genuine (but reduced) Excel software.

Online Excel-worksheet sharing and collaboration service that uses genuine Microsoft software; tight control over editing and viewing by coworkers.

No charting ; can't round-trip complex worksheets ; can't import Excel 2007 format

Simplify Media may have a few kinks, but as a free tool that lets you stream music from your PC to your iPhone, it's essential for music fanatics.

Streams music from your computer to your iPhone. Lets you share streams with up to 30 friends. Displays artist bios, song lyrics.

Buffering delays. Need to restart app when iPhone switches back and forth between EDGE and 3G networks.

PayCycle beats close competitor SurePayroll by a nose, offering superior aesthetics and navigation, integration, setup, and support.

All-inclusive price. PayToday Setup. Does workers' comp. Streamlined tax setup. Good navigational, setup tools. Helpful online support.

Electronic state tax payments and filings are not available in all states. Interface is not as fluid as Intuit Online Payroll's.

Our previous Editors' Choice in online payroll loses points for additional fees and a help system that's fallen behind the competition.

Handles all federal and state payroll filings without user intervention. Same-day payroll setup and processing. Custom reminders. Business-form library. Clear, understandable payroll process.

Additional fees can make service expensive. Interface is not as fluid as that of Intuit Online Payroll. Help system is not as good as PayCycle's.

Flock 2.0, the "social Web browser," makes keeping track of your social networks part of the interface.

Makes using social networks, media sharing, and other Web services part of the browser. Good RSS reader.

Doesn't support some major Web services.

This social-networking browser can streamline your online activities by aggregating your social networks, e-mail, media, feeds, and blogging.

Wuala's Java client makes online storage look like a local app, and the opt-in peer-to-peer storage system is cool but requires storing strangers' data on your disk.

Drag-and-drop uploading. No installation required. Public file area offers open space to the world. Can block adult content.

Java client uses considerable memory. No Friend approval.

Wuala combines secure online storage, file sharing, and community in a responsive Java app. You get 1GB free, which trails SkyDrive's 5GB, but Wuala adds easier sharing, an option to increase your storage by donating hard drive space, and a more ...

Don't want to buy consumer video-editing software? If you have Vista and aren't shooting in HD, there's a pretty good app already packaged with your OS.

Configurable interface. DV capture capabilities. AutoMovie function. Many useful corrective and artistic effects. Good support for AVI/WMV input.

Clunky audio editing. Can't input QuickTime movies or output any formats other than AVI or WMV. Lack of deinterlacing during output.

Microsoft's Movie Maker will appeal only to those who want to work with AVIs and WMVs. But if you fall into that camp, it's worth taking a look at the app. After all, if you've got Vista, you've already got it.