October 2005 Newsletter
Gator and WhenU Users Still Unaware
Nearly 40% of PC’s can burn DVDs
Skype on the Rise
Recall: HP Notebook Batteries
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2005
Portable PC Battery Statistics
It’s no secret that portable PC’s are becoming more popular with users. With the recent portable battery recalls, we analyzed how people’s portables were powered up while running our on line tests. Our research shows that a little over 10% of the portables tested were running off their battery and approximately one half of one percent were powered with AC and the battery removed.
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Gator and WhenU Survey Results
PC Pitstop has the unique ability to survey users to add qualitative information to our quantitative analyses. Since April 2004, we have been surveying Gator and When U users about their experiences with their software. The following survey question was asked to Gator users after their PC’s were tested but before their test results were displayed
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Spyware Podcast
Here’s a special shoutout to all the Pitstoppers in the Louisiana delta area. Our prayers and heart felt concerns are with you as you go through this incredible disaster. It is times like these when we truly realize how powerless we are to bend this world to our own human desires. I am sure that I am not alone, as I watched hour after hour of television, of the slow developing tragedy developing down in the bayou. The entire world felt the pain down south, but there was little that any of us could do but watch the events unfold.
September 2005 Newsletter
Rob on Pod
Broadband Marches Ahead
Security Tip: Use a Blank Password
Help Wanted
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PC Pitstop Threatened by Spyware Companies
As the companies that use deceptive software installations rack up bigger and bigger profits, their tactics are evolving to further increase their profits and ensure their long term existence. Although we had already been sued by Gator, we were a little surprised when, when we received two emails like the one below last month.
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August 2005 Newsletter
PC Pitstop Optimize – Free Scan
“Take Us Off Your List!”
Google: Is Good Going Bad?
Performance Tip: Stay Cool for Speed
Summer Blockbusters in Spyware
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Google – Is Good Going Bad?
Google’s corporate reputation is incredibly good for a company of its size. Yet increasingly, Google is at the scene of Internet frauds and crimes. Our CEO Rob Cheng has described our fight with unscrupulous Google advertisers, and these problems have continued. In April, a site named FasterXP.com begun to advertise with Google AdWords, hawking a product that installed several adware and spyware applications. Since we use Google AdSense, those ads appeared on the PC Pitstop site; several users were taken in before we could block the ad.
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Gator’s Advertisers
Gator/Claria makes its money through advertising. In fact, in their SEC S1 filing (Note: 4 megabyte document!) they had revenues of over $100 million dollars! Many of those advertisers are not aware how users have been unwittingly drafted into Claria’s ad network via confusing tactics. The challenge for us is to get the message to these companies, and there is one group that can effectively deliver that message: customers and potential customers.
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They’re doing it again!
More BitTorrent fireworks went off over the July 4th holiday. After the last episode it was inevitable that the pests would come crawling back, but so soon? I plucked two files and installed them to get the details, but I saw at least a dozen more files that are likely to have the same installer. Here’s what I found out so far.
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