Panda Internet Security 2009 is vastly improved in speed and effectiveness over last year's version

Panda Internet Security 2009 drops the ball on technical-support options for users

Panda Internet Security 2009 is vastly improved in speed and effectiveness over last year, but could use a little more work on specific features and technical support.

Eset Smart Security 3 is fast and effective against malicious software

Eset Smart Security 3 lacks antiphishing and some features found in other Internet Security suite offerings

Eset Smart Security 3 offers best of breed antimalicious software protection without a lot of extras.

Multipage support ; faster ; a few nice new features

Multipage implementation a bit frustrating ; annoying help system

While Adobe Illustrator CS4's most compelling new feature--pseudo-multipage support--can be frustrating to use, overall it makes CS4 a worthwhile upgrade for current users.

CA Internet Security Suite 2009 has a cool Getting Started tutorial and good technical support options

Slow and sluggish ; poor user interface ; antiphishing feature is inadequate

CA Internet Security Suite 2009 has made some modest gains over its previous efforts, but overall it lags behind its security suite competition in speed and effectiveness.

Flash CS4 lets users creates animation in fewer steps ; new 3D Rotation and Bones tools ; Motion Editor ; Motion presets ; faster rendering ; Adobe AIR support ; new XFL format isn't saved by default ; practical interface adjustments

Longtime users may dislike Flash CS4's radical changes ; new tools can be clumsy ; steep price

Flash becomes friendlier and more fun to explore as CS4 introduces a faster approach to animation, making this a worthwhile upgrade for both beginners and seasoned programmers.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 adds support for regional accents ; new Voice Shortcuts for Vista and the Web, including YouTube and Wikipedia ; hands-free browser commands ; no new system requirements ; custom-built Bluetooth headset option

The pricey license of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 serves only one user ; rocky installation on Windows Vista ; no Mac option ; poor audio quality on included headset led to poor results

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 isn't perfect, but it's the best dictation software available. We don't find this upgrade necessary for the most basic dictation, although new features may benefit heavily accented English speakers and those who rely ...

Norton 360 v2 includes more native support for the Firefox browser ; enhanced backup options ; enhanced PC Tune Up ; works great on clean, new machines running Windows Vista

Norton 360 v2 can be hard to install on legacy machines ; places a gadget in Windows Vista without asking ; requires personal information for access to a technical support section that can be confusing ; costly to use

A near-perfect all-in-one solution for brand new PCs, Norton 360 v2 may be hard to install and run on legacy machines. However, don't count on Symantec's time-consuming and expensive technical support for help.

CounterSpy is inexpensive, scored well on CNET tests, has an intuitive interface, and offers more features than other antispyware apps on the market.

CounterSpy requires a reboot with some updates.

Sunbelt CounterSpy 2.0 distinguished itself in a crowded field by providing a clean, institutive interface and great test results.