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Check Point appears to be on a mission to prove you don’t need to pay for full-fledged PC security, a motto that sits well with Maximum PC readers and enthusiasts in general. Starting today, you can download Check Point’s ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2013, purportedly “the most complete free Internet security solution for consumers,” at absolutely no charge. You can’t beat the price, but can you beat the security?

That’s something we look forward to testing. In the meantime, some key features include a robust antivirus and spyware scan engine that scans, detects, and removes both known and unknown … [Read More...]

The Nvidia GTX 690 is real, and it’s amazing — both in specs and in price. But while the tech world swooned at the announcement of the dual-GPU behemoth, another new product outlined at the GTX 690′s unveiling holds even more intriguing potential for the gaming world at large: the cloud-based “GeForce Experience,” which promises to automatically optimize the graphics settings in games based on the components in your individual PC.

It’s all based around an Internet connection and (presumably Nvidia-powered) GeForce Experience supercomputers, which scan your system configuration when you boot up a game. Hardware components, operating system, driver … [Read More...]

It remains to be seen if Windows Phone 7 can bring Nokia back from the dead, though if you ask Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, Microsoft may have somehow managed to bring back Steve Jobs instead. We are assuming he’s joking, but those are still pretty strong praise of a once former rival. Based on the context, it sounds of it he was referring to how well Microsoft nailed the UI experience, which most people credit as the platforms strongest selling point. In a recent interview with The Verge, Woz declared that Windows Phone is like being “with a friend, not … [Read More...]

Whatever Nvidia plans on announcing at the GeForce LAN/NVIDIA Gaming Festival in Shanghai tomorrow, it’s going to be hard-pressed to live up to the hype leading up to its unveiling. The PC gaming community has been a-flutter since the first ominous “IT’S COMING” message hit Nvidia’s Facebook page over a week ago. Nvidia’s just sent a kick-ass custom crowbar and some cryptic confirmations to the Maximum PC offices in anticipation of tomorrow’s big news.

Just what the heck is it supposed to signify? We have no friggin’ idea. The mixture of zombies, crowbars and Nvidia is definitely intriguing, though. Gordon … [Read More...]

As far as quantum computing breakthroughs go, this latest one by a team of researchers from the U.S., Australia and South Africa is truly special. According to the researchers, a tiny crystal comprising only 300 atoms developed by them has paved the way for a “huge leap” in computing. A leap so vast, these researchers claim, that it would take a supercomputer larger than the known universe to do the kind of calculations possible with their “quantum simulator,” a special type of quantum computer. Hit the jump for more.

“Computing technology has taken a huge leap forward using a crystal … [Read More...]

Leisure Suit Larry is returning to the Land of the Lounze Lizards, and it’s all because of the generosity of thousands of nostalgic old school adventure gamers who pledged the necessary half a million dollars to make it happen. With six days to spare, Al Lowe, creator of the original Larry games and not the last two abominations that sullied the franchise, is promising more content if pledges top $750,000.

Fans of the original games will be happy to know that Al Lowe is in full control of the remake, which promises to add improved graphics, a revamped interface, and … [Read More...]

Love gaming on Linux but don’t have a taste for Wine? Look for a nice hot helping of Steam-brewed titles to come to the rescue sometime in the future. After a couple of years of rumors — and denials — that Valve was working on a Linux port of its blockbuster Steam service, it looks like the project is actually happening. Valve recently invited Mike Larabel, the man behind the Phoronix website for Linux lovers, out to the company’s offices to give him a glimpse of the Steam for Linux in action.

Larabel’s reporting of the experience is getting hammered … [Read More...]

The new SkyDrive features added late last week were, apparently, just the tip of the iceberg; today, Microsoft unleashed a new and improved preview version of its cloud-storage service that adds local SkyDrive clients, default Live Mesh-like functionality, the ability to pay for extra storage and more. Heads-up for existing users, though; your SkyDrive allotment could shrink from its current 25GB down to just 7GB if you don’t act fast.

The stand-alone SkyDrive for Windows program is now available for Windows 7, 8 and Vista users; a Mac OS X client is also available for people who like to mix … [Read More...]

The Flashback botnet scare may have thrust Macs’ supposed invulnerability to antiviruses claim under a microscope, but Sophos decided it wanted some numbers to go along with the heaping of hype. So the company studied feedback from 100,000 Apple computers with Sophos antivirus installed and surprisingly discovered that the Macs were fairly teeming with malware. Before you start laughing, consider this: the vast majority of the malware found didn’t affect OS X at all. It targeted Windows PCs.

Only 2.7 percent of the infected Macs contained malware that was harmful to Apple computers, Sophos reports in both a press release … [Read More...]

Have you ever wondered what everyday life is like for the average worker at Valve? As a privately held company they tend to be a bit overly secretive, and as such we know surprisingly little about what they do all day. Aside from tormenting us with silence over Half-Life 3, it turns out new employees actually get issued a handbook on what to do “when no one’s there telling you what to do”.

The handbook includes a great run down on the values and principles that we’ve all come to know and love, but also details an impressively honest admission … [Read More...]

If AMD were an Internet troll, it would be that annoying guy who always chimes in with a “FIRST!” post in the comment section of articles. After the company’s Radeon 7000 series beat Nvidia to market by quite a few months, it’s now beaten Intel to the CPU punch, too. With Ivy Bridge’s expected launch staring us square in the face, AMD has announced that its Trinity and Brazos 2.0 APUs have begun shipping out.

…kinda. In a blog post on the AMD website, senior PR manager Phil Hughes announced that the chips started shipping to OEMs last quarter, but … [Read More...]

It’s coming. Or at least Nvidia tells us it’s coming. What the heck is “it?” We’re not really sure. Nvidia posted those two ominous words on its Facebook page yesterday, underneath a close-up of the black Nvidia logo on what looked to be a graphics card cooler shroud. How mysterious! One source says it knows what the vague announcement portends, however.

Swedish overclocking site SweClockers.com (as translated and explained by VideoCardz.com) says that “independent sources” claim that “it” is the GeForce GTX 690, the long-rumored video card that theoretically sports two, count ‘em, two of the GK104 Kepler GPUs found … [Read More...]

When you’re talking the Z77 chipset, one thing springs to mind first and foremost: Ivy Bridge. Intel’s upcoming CPU isn’t the only newcomer to the game, though, as Z77 is the first Intel desktop chipset to support the company’s high-speed Thunderbolt interface — assuming a Thunderbolt controller is on the mobo, of course. Most of Asus’ Z77/H77 ‘boards have lacked an integrated controller, but it looks like Thunderbolt compatibility is coming thanks to an upcoming expansion card.

Asus told VR-Zone that the majority of the company’s H77/Z77 retail mobos will be able to accommodate the Thunderbolt expansion card, which is … [Read More...]

When I devote time to media – whether it’s a game, TV show, book, or slice of delicious chocolate cake drowned in molten frosting lava – I tend to lose myself in it. I think about it constantly. My speech becomes laden with referential jargon, and probably by pure coincidence, my friends start punching me in the throat more frequently. That’s the power of a great world, though. You have to drag me away from it kicking and screaming, and even when you do, I bring a few chunks of officially licensed astro turf along for the ride. 

But … [Read More...]

Hewlett-Packard today announced the availability of its Z1 user-serviceable all-in-one PC. Unveiled  in February at the HP Global Partnership Conference, the Z1 is said to be the world’s first all-in-one workstation with a 27-inch diagonal display. Hit the jump for more.

Its 27-inch LED-backlit IPS display has a resolution of 2560×1440 and supports over a billion colors. With user-serviceability being the Z1’s main selling point, it is ridiculously easy to snap open the screen and gain access to its neatly packed innards.

HP’s site lists four models priced between $1,899.00 and $2,899.00. However, the basic model is unlikely to cut … [Read More...]

At this point in the game, Netflix Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings puts little effort into hiding his disdain for Comcast, the largest cable operator and Internet service provider in the U.S. He’s complained about Comcast before and the favoritism the ISP gives its own Xfinity Streampix service over Netflix, and he decided to dole out a mini rant over the weekend using Facebook as his soapbox.

Hastings’ issue with Comcast is that, in his opinion, the ISP is “no longer following net neutrality principles.” He explains it like this.

Comcast no longer following net neutrality principles.

Comcast should apply … [Read More...]

Browser plugins like Flash and Java have always had their fair share of critics, but the clamor against them seems to be getting increasingly louder. Many of these critics no longer seem content with merely criticizing them, and instead want such plugins to be dispensed with at the earliest. Well, they now have a reason to pop the celebratory bubbly as Mozilla is working on incorporating a click-to-play mechanism for plugins in future versions of its flagship browser.

The “click-to-play plugin” feature, already available in Chrome and Opera, has now found its way into the latest Firefox nightly build, and … [Read More...]

Verizon Wireless is having a fire sale on Samsung’s first generation Galaxy Tab devices, presumably to make room for recently announced Galaxy Tab 2 tablets, which will be available to purchase on April 22, 2012. For those looking to save a little scratch, the first generation 7-inch Galaxy Tab is now selling for just $50 at VZW, which includes a discount for locking yourself into a 2-year service agreement with a qualifying data plan.

The full retail price for a first gen Galaxy Tab is $500, which is normally marked down to $230 with a 2-year service plan. Under the … [Read More...]