qc110.com

Using this year’s interface and detection numbers for the previous version, I think it’s safe to say that Kaspersky is a strong security suite, but that the extra features available in Internet Security make it worthwhile to pay for, whereas the standard Kaspersky Anti-Virus doesn’t offer enough on its own to compare favorably against high-performing, free antivirus programs.

Even if a program has deep penetration and it starts behaving badly, Kaspersky will block it. If it’s an unknown, Kaspersky will treat it skeptically, monitoring and restricting the program until it has been proven safe. The Vulnerability Scan option, available under the Scan tab, utilizes tech from Secunia to determine which programs are potential security risks because they lack recent updates or patches. For programs that may not warn you that they have a pending security update, such as Adobe Flash, having this tool baked-in could be exceptionally useful.

If you’re interested only in Kaspersky Anti-Virus, it contains the most of the same engines and features as Kaspersky Internet Security. It lacks the personal two-way firewall, parental and privacy control, whitelisting and application control, safe run virtual sandbox, antispam protection, and banner ad blocking.

Safe Run is Kaspersky's new sandboxing feature for further securing programs that access the Internet.

If you’re testing the trial version, a yellow bar announcing that your computer security is at risk can be toggled under the Report link at the top right of the main window, then go to the Status tab.

The Update Center tab offers a smooth update scheduler integrated into the main interface. Click on Run Mode to change the schedule. This isn’t remarkable except to point out that only the definition file update offers an update like this. To schedule any other regular scan, you must click on the Settings option at the top right of the main Kaspersky window, choose the feature you want to schedule from the list on the left if it wasn’t open in the main window when you hit settings, select Settings from within the window that opens, and then finally click the Run Mode tab on yet one final pop-up window. It’s a tedious process and could be streamlined to great effect, but makes one of the basic features of this security program unnecessarily hard to get to.

The My Security Zone tab is where most of the application control features live. From here, a clean chart organizes your installed programs according to trustworthiness, the Digital Identity Protection feature allows you to uncover which files your personal information resides in according to program, and the Safe Run sandbox can be controlled. Safe Run nearly doubles the amount of RAM the program uses, but provides a secure environment for launching a program. Safe Run also comes with a sandboxed folder into which you can save files without worry. The feature currently will not run on Windows 7 computers, but Kaspersky has told me that it expects to have the feature fixed before the October release of the new operating system.

According to virus and malware detection results at AV-Test.org and AV-Comparatives.org, last year’s Kaspersky 2009 has scored average or better in all areas of detection. AV-Test.org noted that it detected more than 98.4 percent of malware on demand and 98.3 percent of spyware on demand, with an average rate of false positives. AV-Comparitives.org awarded Kaspersky 2009 Advanced+ in both February 2009’s on-demand comparative and in May 2009’s retrospective/pro-active test, noting few false positives and a 50 percent detection rate, behind Microsoft, Eset, Avira, and G Data. The short version of these independent test results is that last year’s Kaspersky scored above average in general, and was excellent at malware detection.

Scans and definition file updates performed empirically as expected, with the Quick Scan taking less than three minutes. The Vulnerability Scan took less than four minutes, as well. The Full Scan, which was expected to be slow, took less than an hour, but as it approached 80 percent completion it oscillated between telling me that it would finish in one minute and two minutes. In fact, it would take another 11 minutes to finish.

UPDATED: Benchmarks provided by CNET Labs were added on Monday, August 24.

A new season of security suites is upon us, and Kaspersky has made improvements to its Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky Anti-Virus programs that include changes indicative of where security software as an industry is leaning. Three new features along with expected upgrades to its antivirus engine keep Kaspersky competitive.

The program also comes with an auto-run disable feature and a virtual keyboard so that you can enter in passwords without worrying about a keylogger. I think most users will find this superfluous. The new gamer mode, however, isn’t. This basically keeps Kaspersky functioning while you play games but kills interrupting pop-ups and strips memory usage down to its minimum.

The tools offered under the My Protection tab are nothing short of robust. There’s antivirus protection for files, e-mail, HTTP traffic, and instant messaging. Application control, the aforementioned UDS, includes options for customization, should you need to force access for a specific program that Kaspersky is identifying as a threat. There are protections against spam, phishing, and banner ads, firewall control, and a network monitor to track network activities for users who like to drill down deep into their system’s behavior. There’s also a Parental Control filter, with options to outright block children from particular sites or merely log events. By default, the Parental Control filter is off, and when activated it assigns all other users on the computer Child status until directed otherwise. There’s a Teenager status, as well, for more granular control of restrictions.

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Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

The full-feature suite Kaspersky Internet Security offers a complete and competitive range of security options. The new features in the 2010 edition include a behavioral-based detection system called the Urgent Detection System. The UDS utilizes the anonymous data of 10 million Kaspersky customers who choose to participate in submitting their system scans to Kaspersky’s central servers for analysis. In fact, the UDS must be opted-out of–there’s a check box and data collection statement to read when you install the program.

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Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

The main window of Kaspersky Internet Security 2010.

Setting a scheduled scan in Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 is no simple task.

Programs can be launched into Safe Run in one of two ways. You can add the program manually through the Kaspersky Security Zone panel, or you can launch it on the fly using the context menu. Hopefully, there will be casual launcher added to jump lists in Windows 7, but that feature doesn’t exist now.

Although this might sound insidious, it’s actually a smart way to leverage a huge consumer base for security purposes as long as the data remains anonymous. Symantec’s Norton 2010 will contain a behavioral check, too, and what both do is look at programs installed on your computer and judge their safety based on how many people have them installed and how they behave. Among UDS’s better sub-features are the ability to customize how long it takes to pass judgment on a new program and per-user configuration of the rules governing program behavior.

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Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Full benchmarks from the CNET Labs were not available when this blog originally ran, but we have them now. CNET Labs’ benchmarks reveal a slightly different side to KIS. KIS slowed down our test computer’s cold boot time by 2.21 seconds, and shutdown time by nearly 5 seconds. Scan times were actually faster on Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 than Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 by 9 seconds. They have identical engines, but KAV has fewer ancillary features. During our MS Office and iTunes decoding tests, both KIS and KAV performed identically, although during the media multitasking test KIS was slower by 64 seconds. In our Cinebench test, KIS fared the worst compared to a standard machine and KAV. KIS hit 3,908, while KAV notched 4,190 and baseline computer marked 4,217.

Electronic Arts announced Monday that it’s developing the first expansion pack for its popular Sims 3 game. The new pack, Sims 3 World Adventures, will take players on a journey to real-world locales, says EA, from ancient tombs in Egypt to romantic getaways in France. While trekking across the globe, players can take on new challenges, develop different skills, and interact with other Sims.

Designed for the PC and Mac, the Sims 3 Expansion Pack will hit store shelves the week of November 16, says EA. A portable version for Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch will be out early next year.

“We’re thrilled with the global success of The Sims 3 over these last few months and are looking forward to expanding on the gameplay experience with one of the most robust expansion packs to The Sims yet,” said Scott Evans, General Manager of The Sims at EA.

Since its release in early June, Sims 3 has been a hot product. The game sold 1.9 million copies in its first week alone, making it EA’s best PC game launch ever.

(Credit: Electronic Arts)

Sims players will soon be able to journey to countries such as China and Egypt, search for hidden treasures, and meet fellow Sims along the way.

The Sims 3

If that lesson on the American Revolution won't get them into the classroom, maybe this will.

With figures like that at stake, districts are mobilizing with attractions, including parades, country hoe-downs, basketball games, free skating tickets, movies and, in Detroit’s case, what appears to be ultimate reward: gadgets.

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Panasonic)

Some lucky kid in Detroit will get a 42-inch plasma television–just for showing up to school Wednesday. The free TV is part of a plan to lure as many kids as possible to the classroom on Count Day, the designated day for students to be tallied to determine state aid allotments.

Not as glamorous as a television, to be sure, but hopefully just as effective.

Some might argue that such a reward system sets a dangerous quid pro quo precedent, while others will view it as a savvy–if gimmicky–move that could impact kids’ future.

Not all districts are going the gifts-as-incentive route, however. David Mustonen, the Dearborn district’s communications coordinator, says his district decided to go with a “firm” reminder instead, according to WWJ Newsradio.

Regardless, Michigan school officials consider Count Day crucial, as about 75 percent of the state’s school districts are losing enrollment, according to the Michigan School Business Officials organization. The reasons range from parents searching for better options for their kids to the smaller number of students entering schools as the last of the baby boomers’ children graduate.

Judging from that big-screen TV being raffled off in a Count Day contest by radio broadcast company Radio One, we’re not just talking prizes like T-shirts here. Detroit students who make it to school Wednesday will also be eligible for a laptop, an iPod Nano, and an American Express gift card through the raffle.

Detroit, as well as other districts in Michigan, are offering a range of incentives to students in hopes of jacking up attendance rates in an age of budget cuts and dwindling enrollment. In Detroit, every student enrolled above the budgeted number brings $7,550 in state resources for students and classrooms, according to the Detroit Public Schools.

In response to the latest round of legal squabbles, the French court has asked the European Court of Justice to now settle the issue.

“The mere display of relevant sites in response to keywords is not enough to establish a risk of confusion on the part of consumers as to the origin of goods or services,” said Maduro in the statement. “Internet users are aware that not only the site of the trademark owner will appear as a result of a search in Google’s search engine… These users will only make an assessment as to the origin of the goods or services advertised on the basis of the content of the ad and by visiting the advertised sites.”

In response to the concern that makers of imitation products can grab certain keywords, the Advocate General put the responsibility firmly in the hands of consumers.

Led by LVMH’s Louis Vuitton, the companies are upset that makers of imitation items can buy those keywords through Google’s AdWords, allowing their products to pop up in searches alongside the genuine article.

Maduro’s opinion doesn’t leave Google totally in the clear. Maduro said the company might be liable if found to feature content in AdWords that infringes on a trademark. But even in this case, the trademark owner would have to cite specific instances of damage to their trademarks in order to hold Google accountable.

But in a statement released by the European Court of Justice on Tuesday, adviser and Advocate General Poiares Maduro said that “Google has not committed a trademark infringement by allowing advertisers to select, in AdWords, keywords corresponding to trademarks.”

Trademark issues over AdWords have plagued Google for years, both in the U.S. and especially in Europe where Louis Vuitton and others have taken the company in and out of court. French justice has generally found in favor of the trademark owners, usually ordering Google to pay a fine. But the issue has never been definitively settled.

An adviser to the European Union has sided with Google in the company’s battle with Louis Vuitton and others over alleged trademark infringement.

The search giant is fighting a lawsuit in the European courts against several companies that claim Google is infringing on their trademarks by allowing advertisers to buy keywords that match those trademarks.

Maduro’s opinion is that the use of trademarks is limited to the selection of keywords internal to AdWords and as such only concerns Google and its advertisers. When selecting keywords, no product or service is being sold to the public, therefore, neither Google nor its advertisers are infringing on any trademarks, said Maduro.

The Advocate General’s statement is not binding on the court, but the opinion is strongly considered. The court is now reviewing the case and will render its judgment at a later date.

“This initiative expresses our intention to meet with the general public and show the new Windows experiences on PC, mobile and on the Internet,” a Microsoft representative said in a statement to CNET News. “People will be able to discover Windows 7, the Windows phones and the Windows Live services.”

Others chimed in on Wednesday with some interesting tidbits. TechCrunch observes that, ahead of the opening, the cafe is already offering free Wi-Fi to those on the sidewalk, while Silicon Alley Insider notes that the location was previously home to an eatery called Wet Willie’s.

In the United States, Microsoft has announced plans to open a network of retail stores–with the first two opening this fall. More are slated to open next year.

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it plans to open a “Windows Cafe” in Paris where people will be able to try out the latest from Redmond while drinking a cup of coffee.

The cafe will open on Oct. 22–the day that Windows 7 launches, Microsoft said.

Parlez-vous Windows?

Microsoft’s statement comes after photos of the cafe appeared on a French technology Web site.

For now, the Paris location is the only cafe planned, Microsoft said.

“None of the platforms have the kind of monitoring required to have a reasonable conversation about performance,” she said, in the report from Australia’s ITnews. “They provide some level of monitoring, but what little there is caters for developers, not business users. And while Amazon provides a dashboard of how much it is costing you so far, for example, there is nothing in terms of forecasts about what it will cost you in the future.

According to a new report by researchers in Australia, stress tests have revealed that the “infrastructure-on-demand services offered by Amazon, Google and Microsoft suffer from regular performance and availability issues.”

Response times on the service also varied by a factor of 20 depending on the time of day the services were accessed. Anna Liu, associate professor in services engineering at the University of New South Wales School of Computer Science responsible for the study, also noted the immature monitoring tools and the inability to accurately estimate cost:

It’s way too early to suggest that cloud services can’t meet the customer needs, but it’s important to know what you are getting into if you want to use these services now. As with any nascent technology, early adopters will benefit in some ways and suffer in others. Cloud services still offer one of the most intriguing ways to consume IT and software applications.

The seven-month study of Amazon’s EC2, Google’s App Engine, and Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing services simulated 2,000 concurrent users connecting to services from each of the three providers, with researchers measuring response times and other performance indicators.

Follow me on Twitter @daveofdoom.

The results were at best mixed, and at worst, severely dysfunctional. For example, I’d never heard that when using Google App Engine, none of your data-processing tasks can last longer than 30 seconds, lest the service throw an exception back at you.

Researchers found that the three platforms “delivered wildly variable performance results as Amazon, Google and Microsoft trialled, added and dropped new features.”

Fantasy Football Sharks has some outstanding analysis tools.

CBS Fantasy Football If you’re looking for a full-featured fantasy product, check out CBS Fantasy Football.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Fox Sports Fantasy Football Fox Sports has a fine fantasy football service with all the basics. But unfortunately, it can’t quite stack up to the competition.

After you sign up for the free Fantasy Football on ESPN, you can opt to join a public or private game. From there, you can rank you players, research those that will provide the best chances of helping your team, and more. Thanks to ESPN’s wealth of information, you can research any stat you want. Playing in the ESPN league is simple and fun. But I had one issue with ESPN’s service: the company’s “Insider” offering, which provides the best information on players, will cost you $3.33 per month for access to it. That’s a bummer.

Fantasy Football Xtreme sports some great analysis tools.

NFL Fantasy Football’s greatest benefit is its expert advice. You’ll find important information on every player on your team, the likelihood of them playing in the coming weeks, and more. NFL Fantasy Football’s design is quite nice too. All in all, it’s a fine service for the fantasy football player.

FantasyFootball If you’re looking for a wealth of stats and information about all your players, FantasyFootball is for you.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Tools to improve your team

Fantasy Football Xtreme If you’re looking for some draft help, Fantasy Football Xtreme is definitely worth checking out. It features everything from rookie listings to its own draft picks, based on expert opinions.

After several months of waiting, fantasy football is finally back. Football fans all over the U.S. are gearing up to take on friends as they compete to find out who has what it takes to capture this year’s crown.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Unlike so many other services, FantasyFootball doesn’t just cater to those looking for the big names. Sure, it has those big names, but if you’re playing in a large league with some no-names on your team, FantasyFootball will tell you everything you need to know about those players. The site’s articles are also worth checking out.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Yahoo's Fantasy Service gives you several league-creation options.

Fox Sports Fantasy Football service features private leagues, online drafts, and player research. But where it lacks is in the relatively little amount of information you can gather about players. It has expert advice and some stat information, but those stats aren’t nearly as detailed as they should be. It was a glaring omission that would make me think twice about Fox’s service.

To achieve that goal, you’ll need the right tools. That’s where we come in. Check out these tools for the fantasy football player.

FantasyFootball has some great depth charts.

ESPN Fantasy Football ESPN Fantasy Football features everything you’d want from a fantasy service.

After you sign up for CBS Fantasy Football, you can either join a public league or create your own private league for free. The app makes it easy to find players, you have the option of online and offline drafting, and customizing your league takes just seconds. When you finally create your league, you’ll find everything from expert advice to draft kits. The service has some really nice features. (Disclosure: CNET News is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.)

ESPN Fantasy Football provides information on every player.

NFL Fantasy Football The National Football League’s Fantasy Football game isn’t the best service in this roundup, but if you want the authentic game, NFL.com is the place to be.

NFL Fantasy Football tells you which players to gun for.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Fantasy Football Champs has some great statistical content.

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Fantasy Football Sharks While many of its competitors are offering outstanding services for a fee, Fantasy Football Sharks doesn’t do anything of the sort. In fact, you can pick up some great information from the service for free.

Fox Sports' stats information isn't as nice as it could be.

2. Fantasy Football Sharks: It has all the content you’ll find elsewhere, but it’s free. Nice.

League creation

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Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Yahoo Fantasy Football Yahoo’s Fantasy Football game is one of the most highly respected services in the space for good reason.

When you first get to Fantasy Football Xtreme, you might be a little overwhelmed by the amount of information it packs onto the screen. Once you get used to it, you’ll find that it’s filled with information you’ll definitely want with you when you draft players. The site includes rankings, rookie evaluations, and some of the most informative stat-tracking tools I’ve ever used. The site’s Mock Draft feature is another handy tool for helping you determine who to pick up for your team. But like many of the services in this roundup, you’ll be forced to pay for some of the better information. Fantasy Football Xtreme will set you back $19.95 annually for access to everything on the site.

Fantasy Football Champs features two main attractions: Cheatsheet and Team Analyzer. Cheatsheet tells you which players to start each week, based on a series of matchups the site calculates to help you out. Team Analyzer runs similar calculations, but directs those at the different teams in the league. Trying to find the best team defense this week? Want to know which team will likely win? Want to know which players on those teams will perform well? Team Analyzer will let you know. In my experience, those predictions are quite accurate. But before you start heading to Fantasy Football Champs, be aware that access to all that content will cost you $16.95 annually.

Get your fantasy on

CBS Fantasy Football is a great fantasy game option.

When you create your own fantasy league, you’ll see the real value of Yahoo’s Fantasy Football. You can choose to play in a “head-to-head” league or play a points game where the only thing that matters is how well your team performs collectively. The games are free, but the better you do, the greater your chances of earning prizes in the public leagues. Researching players is quick and easy. Adjusting your team is a cinch. I could go on, but suffice it to say that Yahoo Fantasy Football is one of the services to beat this year.

Fantasy Football Sharks features articles from fantasy football experts. They’re informative, but the best part of the site is its player-projections page, which features a searchable “cheatsheet” to give you help drafting players, as well as player projections and analysis. I found the most use in the site’s player projections. There, you can search through the different players you’re interested in to see how Fantasy Football Sharks believes they will perform. Those calculations are based on past performance, the player’s schedule difficulty this year, and other factors. It’s an extremely handy tool. I like Fantasy Football Sharks. And since it’s free, it might be one of the better options in this roundup.

My top 3

1. FantasyFootball: With so many great features and in-depth content, FantasyFootball is a fine site for any fantasy football player.

Fantasy Football Champs Fantasy Football Champs is one of my favorite resources when I get ready for the season. It features a slew of statistical tools that will help you find the right players before the draft.

3. Fantasy Football Champs: Fantasy Football Champs distinguishes itself with such great content.

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Digital music site Last.fm is like Pandora on steroids. The site allows devoted music fans from around the world to compare tastes, stream music from their favorite artists, stay up to date on local shows, download free MP3s, and create their own custom radio stations.

How to do more with Last.fm–screenshots

If you’re interested in breaking out of your Last.fm rut, I’ve put together a quick video guide and slideshow, illustrating some ways to take your experience further.

Unfortunately, the deep features that makes Last.fm so appealing to hardcore music nerds, can also make the site a little intimidating to first-timers and casual listeners. Like a freshman dance, folks will often just find one comfortable corner of Last.fm and lose sight of everything else going on around them.

Disclosure: Last.fm is a property of CNET parent company CBS.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Last.fm’s open API has given rise to hundreds of user-created applications, plug-ins, web tools, mash-ups and widgets. No other music site offers more tools or more features to help users connect with each other and the music they love.

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Acer)

The original Eee PC, launched in 2007.

“We had to grow and diversify. But we didn’t want to do things that are too far apart. We have to do technology that is related: communications, video, audio,” Shih said. “The whole world is changing because of the Internet. Everything digital is converged. We have to take our vision for the whole Eee family there.”

One of the largest manufacturers of motherboards for two decades, albeit it a largely unsung one, the Taiwanese company finds itself smack in the middle of a transition from components maker to serious contender in PCs and accessories. Asus (pronounced “ah-soos”) is attempting to establish itself as a brand name worldwide while making new forays into software and design.

More focus on aesthetics
But what Asus really has going for it are the leeway to be creative and the ability to come up with genuinely interesting ideas. Apple, they are not, but the company culture is now focused on making better-looking products.

Could Asus could be another Acer in the making?

“We’re moving from our original culture of fundamentals and results, and we’re now focused on innovation and aesthetics,” said Shih.

Acer's best-selling Netbook, the Acer Aspire One.

It showed that with the Eee PC and graphics cards that are designed to resemble a Formula One race car. And now it’s thinking beyond the personal computer with plans for a line of e-readers, televisions, and a streaming video device. Sound familiar? Acer also ventured outside of laptops when it bought smartphone maker E-Ten last year, in an admittedly less ambitious plan to diversify.

The Eee Keyboard also shows something which Taiwanese component companies aren’t normally known for–ingenuity. The Eee Keyboard looks like a standard desktop keyboard but it has a computer inside, as well as a small 5-inch touch screen where the number pad should be. Using a wireless high-definition signal, it allows anything on the computer, like a Web page, or a video site like Hulu or YouTube to be viewed on a larger TV or monitor via a small adapter. You can also multitask while watching video and check Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail in the smaller touch screen in the keyboard.

Instead, it continues to churn out new versions of its Eee PC Netbook, with larger screens, better design touches, and slightly different form factors, like the convertible touch-screen version that debuted at CES this year.

It made a splash with the Eee PC. Now Asus, once known chiefly as a components maker, is looking to make the leap to consumer gadget maker.

Acer was able to ride the huge growth in notebook PCs in the middle part of this decade. Eventually, it was able to buy its way into brand recognition in the U.S. with Gateway and in Europe with Packard Bell. Acer also timed the Netbook craze perfectly with its Aspire One, and was one of the first Netbook makers to strike deals with mobile carriers to offer 3G service on subsidized Netbooks.

In terms of market share, Asus is about where Acer was in 2004. Back then, Acer had a tiny, 3.6 percent share of the worldwide PC market, according to data from IDC. Today, Asus is in a remarkably similar place, with just 3.63 percent share. Meanwhile, the surging Acer has tripled its hold on PC buyers from where it was five years ago to more than 10 percent, right behind perennial leader Hewlett-Packard, and Dell.

The upcoming Eee Keyboard.

In addition to creating a new line of consumer products like TVs, VoIP phones, e-readers, and streaming Web video gadgets, the company’s leadership has its sights squarely set on being the third-largest notebook manufacturer in the world by 2012, while remaining the world’s largest supplier of motherboards. While it sounds somewhat ambitious for a company known more for nuts and bolts, there’s precedent: Fellow Taiwanese company Acer was in a very similar position a few years back and was able to transition from microchip maker to one of the largest laptop producers in the world.

But while Asus has some things going for it at that same point in their history that Acer did not–a recognizable product in the Eee PC–it’s also facing very different challenges.

Acer, of course, is one of the PC industry’s most recent success stories, quietly blossoming from computer parts maker to established player in the PC world. It put the rest of the industry on notice when it scooped up Gateway in a $710 million deal, which included the E-Machines brand, and later acquired Packard Bell. It’s a collection of lower-tier brands, but one that’s been able to sell a lot of machines.

Asus, in building its Eee family of computers and gadgets and Asus-branded laptops, is relying on its team of Chairman Jonney Shih and CEO Jerry Shen to transform the perception of the company into a recognizable brand. Shih, who came over from Acer (along with Asus’ original founders in 1989) is the ideas guy, and Shen puts them into action. It was Shih’s idea for the Eee PC and the upcoming Eee Keyboard, and Shen is responsible for making sure the company’s vast design and engineering teams make it happen.

It’s a computer masquerading as a home appliance, an area we’ll see Asus operate in even more. Since the initial success of the Eee PC, Asus has introduced a number of Eee-branded products, including the Eee Monitor, the Eee Box, Eee VoIP phone, and soon the Eee Keyboard and even the Eee Reader.

Netbooks now make up one fifth of the PC market and are still chugging along–unit sales are expected to double from 16 million last year to 33 million by the end of 2009–but there’s less room for dominating the market now because there are so many brands in the space, including much more recognizable names. Asus, for its part, is not intimidated. “We’re used to it,” Shih said recently in an interview. “Starting from the motherboard industry, competition is very normal.”

Repeating Acer’s success is, no doubt, difficult. But the two companies have a lot in common: Both started as components makers in Taiwan, and made the leap into making PCs and smartphones (Acer acquiring E-Ten, Asus partnering with Garmin). Asus’ very existence was also made possible by its rival–it was founded by former Acer engineers.

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Asus)

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Those who use Facebook on the iPhone frequently will notice that quite a few of these actions are brand new, like viewing events and submitting an RSVP from your phone. You’ll also be able to view friends’ birthdays and upload photos to any album. Anyone sporting an iPhone 3GS gets the added bonus of uploading video.

Tip: If iTunes is still showing version 2.5 on your desktop, click the “Facebook” breadcrumb on the page’s top navigation. Refreshing the Web page won’t necessarily do the trick. On the iPhone, delete the Facebook application and download it anew from the App Store on your phone. Even if the app page does not say it’s version 3.0, the new version should install.

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Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Facebook has also poured energy into how it deals with friends. You’re now able to call or text friends from the interface, which brings Facebook’s social connectivity into the real world. You can see friends of friends and mutual friends from the app, too, as well as the Pages you subscribe to. If you’re trying to locate a friend from within a page, Facebook has thought of that too, by equipping the page with search. To top it off, you can subscribe to Pages from the phone, not merely view them passively.

So far, this app impresses, but we’ll keep you up to date on any quibbles we develop as we spend more time with this it and really get to know both its strong points and its flaws. iPhone and iPod Touch users, what do you think?

The third major edition of Facebook for iPhone has just crept into the iTunes App Store. It’s a huge update, with numerous advanced features that make Facebook more interactive than before and which bring the app as close to the desktop experience as it’s ever been.

How to see version 3.0 in iTunes.

The new built-in Web browser is one feature addition that some may miss at first, but which is ultimately one of the most practical and useful for keeping the Facebook experience on iPhone firmly within the Facebook app. Before this integration, clicking a link would kick you out of the app and open a Safari browser. You would have to restart Facebook to resume your place.

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Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Photos received a lot of attention in this update. You’ll now be able to zoom into photos, create albums and delete them, as well as upload and delete photos and photo tags, all from the Facebook interface. In addition, you can upload a new profile picture.

There are more additions besides, but we thought we would start you off with a little taste and some first impressions. To see the full list, visit the Facebook page on iTunes.

Facebook for iPhone opens on your news feed as usual, but the upper left corner now sports a tiny grid icon that serves as the main organizing feature for this new build. Click it to see a screen equipped with a search bar on top, a notification alert area on the bottom, and a grid of nine activities you can perform in the middle. These include the news feed, your profile details, your message in-box, Facebook chat, friend requests, events, photo albums, and notes.

Facebook 3.0 introduces new navigation, notifications, events, and more.