Google Wallet Launched

Technosian - Google Inc. launched a mobile payment service called Google Wallet, Thursday (26/05/2011). These services will be available on phones from Sprint Nextel Corp. This service allows phone owners to pay and the dilute coupons via mobile phone with Android operating system.

The technology was available in the Nexus S Android phone from Sprint, the third largest wireless operator in the United States. Google uses a technology called short-range communication or near field communication (NFC). 

This technology allows users to pay via mobile phone at the cash register equipped with NFC.

Google will launch this service in five cities, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington DC.

Borrell Associates Inc. estimates that spending in the U.S. through mobile coupons willrise to be 6.53 billion U.S. dollars in 2014 compared to last year's 370 million U.S.dollars.

Google uses hardware and software from several companies, such as Systems Inc.VeriFone and ViVOtech Inc., to run the service. (Kompas.com/Kontan/Gloria Natalia)

Kaspersky Internet Security 2011

Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 brings the same level of computer protection and peace of mind that I've come to expect from Kasperksy. 

Installing was easy -- seamless and relatively quick. I wasn't sure if it would automatically uninstall the old version so I manually uninstalled it to be safe. This is running on a Windows Vista machine -- AMD Athlon 64 dual-core processor (32-bit) with 2 GB of RAM. It's an older, slower system compared to the ones on the market today, but my system specs well-exceeded the system requirements. (See below for list of system requirements.) 

The interface for both the old and new version hasn't changed too much. It's always been intuitive and user-friendly. The new version, however, has more bells and whistles and offers additional layers of protection. One new feature that I like the most is the "safe run" mode, which allows you to run potentially dangerous applications on an isolated, safe desktop. 

I also like how almost everything is customizable, including update runs and system scans. 

A major complaint with most antivirus software is that it hogs up computer resources, but Kaspersky doesn't slow my system down when it runs. 

Here are the system requirements per the box: 

GENERAL: 

-375 MB of free space on hard drive 

-CD-ROM Drive (for installation via CD) 

-Internet connection for product activation 

-Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or higher 

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 

-For Windows 7: 1 GHz CPU, 1GB RAM (x32) or 2GB RAM (x64) 

-For Windows Vista: 800 MHz CPU, 512MB RAM 

-For Windows XP: 300 MHz CPU, 256MB RAM