Last year, I didn't give Roxio Creator 2009 an Editors' Choice, as I had previous versions of the media suite: it crashed too often, and the interface, although improved, was still a confusing jumble of options. But Creator 2010 ($99.99 list) gives ...

Loads of photo, video, and audio editing tools. More stable than previous versions. Easily captures online video or audio while it's playing. Archives AVCHD content from your camcorder. Desktop widget visually represents discs in your drives. New HD ...

No video rotation. Some app interfaces outdated. Burns slower than competing products. Easy movie creator removes original video sound

Roxio's Creator is the most powerful and feature-chocked media editing and burning suite out there, and it's made good strides in reliability, but some of its sub-applications are a bit behind the times.

On the surface, the latest security suite from Kaspersky Lab looks more polished than last year's edition, but the actual security features in Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 ($79.95 direct for 3 licenses) haven't changed much. That's not a bad thing ...

Improved interface. "Safe Run" virtual environment protects against unwanted changes. Intelligent Application Control. Hardened against malware attacks. Improved spam filtering. Blocks exploits and leak tests

Malware cleanup left behind many traces. Slowed system performance somewhat. Antiphishing module less effective. Rudimentary parental controls

Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 has everything you expect from a security suite and more. Its firewall is smart, the antivirus labs like it, and its "Safe Run" sandbox protects your system. It did not, however, ace our antispam and anti-malware tests ...

Syncplicity is a file-synchronization service that's a work in progress. It has a lot of loyal users, and it can do some things no other synchronization software even attempts. But I found it awkward to use on a daily basis, with too many gotchas. The ...

Transparent automatic synchronization of any folder. Works on Windows or Mac machines. Web interface allows access to deleted files and previous versions. Good OS integration. Some integration with other online services

Flash-based Web interface complicates online file searching. Clumsy beta Mac client. Ugly icon overlays for synchronized files. Google Docs integration buggy and unpredictable

Syncplicity is the only cloud-based file-synchronization system that integrates with other online services, but it has more rough edges than its competition.

Last year Symantec released a new version of its Norton Internet Security suite aimed at minimizing the impact on system performance. Norton 360 version 3.0 ($79.99 direct for 3 licenses, $99.99 with 25GB of online storage) has gotten the same ...

Speedy installation. Minimal performance impact. Praised by AV test labs. Powerful firewall, anti-malware. Password management, identity protection. Blocks bad sites. Local, online backup. PC tuneup. Detailed history, diagnostic reports

Serious problems with chat-based support arose during testing. Antispam still inaccurate. Parental control still rudimentary. Backup doesn't store previous file versions

Norton 360 offers the same security protection as Norton 2009 and adds tuneup, a comprehensive local and online backup utility, and many new and enhanced features. It's a great choice if you need a security suite that includes backup. Some of my ...

By shunning the temptation to be all things to all users, some programs manage to retain their purity, focusing on what they do best. Corel Painter 11 is one of these applications, and as such it is an invaluable artist's tool. It isn't for ...

More brush tools. Support for color profiles, PNG files. Resizable color wheel. Helpful online tutorials

No 64-bit version yet. For beginners, learning will take time

One of the most advanced artist's toolboxes available in this medium adds a few more tools, including customizable crayons and pastels. Not revolutionary, but a well-honed update.

Though it has some useful features, Yahoo!'s oneConnect app is another misstep in the company's attempt to master social networking.

The leading voice-recognition software gets faster and more accurate.

Surprisingly accurate voice dictation. E-mail, Web, and Office shortcut commands make controlling those apps a breeze.

Occasionally makes computer unresponsive. Can hinder keyboard entry.

Dragon retains its lead in the speech recognition field, with surprising accuracy in dictation, even with little or no training. The e-mail and Web commands make controlling those apps simpler than with Vista's built-in speech recognition.

This flexible, exceptionally well-designed, reliable, backup utility should be part of everyone's toolkit.

Extremely deep feature set. Useful preset (but easily customizable) backup strategies. Emergency boot CD can restore a corrupted Windows system. Can create backup sets as executable programs that can run without installing the backup software.

Proprietary backup format.

This is a powerful, flexible, exceptionally well-designed and reliable backup powerhouse.

Second Copy 7 is a long-established, deservedly popular backup system that emphasizes simplicity.

Simple, highly reliable backups with plenty of options for local, network, or FTP-based backup operations.

Somewhat complicated setup for destinations when creating multiple backup profiles. Interface takes some getting used to.

Long-established, deservedly popular backup system that emphasizes simplicity.

The latest edition of this video-editing software introduces a new interface and features that make it stronger than ever, but two missing capabilities may keep it out of your toolkit.

Blu-ray production capabilities, new creative filters, image stabilization, audio mixer, YouTube output

No AVCHD support ; no support for HD formats burned to DVD±R discs ; no time-code-based scene detection for HDV capture

A solid choice unless you shoot in AVCHD or want to deliver an HD experience on DVD±R discs.