Socal Stuff: Reviews by Donna Schwartz Mills

SVMOMSBITMOMS Quick Look: BitDefender Internet Security

UPDATED APRIL 3, 2010 - See Below
My 13-year-old daughter is gearing up to start high school in the Fall, and her 8th grade school load has been tremendous. Over the last several months she has become increasingly dependent upon Internet access to complete her homework assignments... and so in January, we allowed her to purchase her first laptop computer of her own.

Of course, she uses it for a lot more than research. My daughter and her friends are Facebook junkies, and I watch in amazement as she becomes more computer literate than I (which is a feat, considering the fact that I've been communicating online since 1981).

A couple of weeks ago, she called me over in a panic. A window had popped up on her screen warning her that if she did not click on its link, her system would crash.

That window did not look Kosher to me, and it wasn't. I closed the screen for her and fired up the anti-virus program that came with her system. That's when I discovered that she only had a 30-day trial and it had expired.

Fortunately, I had a brand new copy of BitDefender's new Internet Security software, which was given to me at the Los Angeles Moms blog event last month. I had been wondering how best to evaluate the program...

...mainly because I already have a paid-up subscription to another product on my own system. I would have to remove it to run a new one. and I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that. So Megan's need came at a very opportune time.

Anti-malware software is a tough subject for evaluation, because when it works, you're probably not thinking about it too much... except when it's scanning your disk or installing an update. And even then, you're probably not paying a lot of attention, unless it's slowing down your system while you try to work.

You really only think about it when something has gone wrong and you get a weird pop-up like the one my daughter had on Saturday morning. BitDefender is a relatively new product - what makes it different from old and trusted entities like Norton AntiVirus and Trend Micro? Is it a little like comparing Scott's Tissue with Kleenex, i.e., products that do the same thing well -- so your purchasing decision comes down to price?

According to the company's website, the cost for protecting up to three PC's for one year is $49.95. This is $20 less than the comparable product from Norton.

Of course, facial tissues and security software are entirely different entities. If your tissue dissolves after one good blow, you use a handful next time and maybe avoid the bargain brand at the store. But if your anti-virus software fails, you're likely to have a very costly headache. It's important.

And the stakes are raised when it comes to your kids. BitDefender's Internet Security packages combines anti-malware functions with content filtering, so if you are looking for that kind of product for the computer your child uses, you don't need to get a separate product. 

My 13-year-old daughter is assigned Internet research homework on a weekly basis. I don't want to censor her searches, but I don't want to expose her to dangerous or uncomfortable situations, either. I was pleased to note that BitDefender's filters allow you to customize the restrictions.

As we're running the program on my daughter's own laptop, I configured my parental controls to email me  any notifications. I also indicated that she is a teenager, so her account is "medium restricted." This "prevents access/blocks the displaying of web pages with sexually explicit, violent or game-related content."

The categories restricted by default include the obivous ones: porn, hate/violence, drugs and other illegal activities, online payment, online dating and web proxy blockers. You can also keep your child off of gambling sites, tabloids, online shopping and social networks (among other categories).

You can indicate certain sites that the program will disallow - or if you want to keep your younger children on just certain sites, you may configure a list of the ones you DO allow and they won't be able to wander off. 

If you share your computer with your child, you can block their access to certain applications or restrict the time they can spend on them (I suppose this would be useful if my daughter was playing too many games instead of doing her homework).

You can also limit your child to specific times he or she can be on the web.

Worried about the content of instant messages and Facebook chats? If keywords you select are contained in such messages, BitDefender will block them.

As I said before - a good Internet security package is one that you hardly notice. So I was surprised yesterday when - out of the blue - my daughter told me she really LIKED the BitDefender software I'd installed on her laptop.

I was curious. "Do you even notice it working?"

She told me that it hasn't affected her performance and she did get a notification that it prevented a virus from infecting her system. Most important: she says it makes her feel safer because she no longer has the experience of clicking on a link and discovering an endless stream of popups with inappropriate content (which she found kind of traumatic several weeks ago when that happened to her).

And as a mom, knowing that makes me feel safer, too.

DISCLOSURE: This is another in the series of quick looks at products featured at last month's Silicon Valley Moms Group event for member of the Los Angeles Moms Blog and new Orange County Moms blog. BitDefender was one of the party sponsors. I did not receive any compensation to write this review, nor were any promises made to write about the product. I did receive a copy of the software, which included the license to run it on one machine for one year. This was necessary to evaluate for review.

UPDATE: Since this first look review was written, we've had a lot more experience using the computer with the BitDefender software in use, and our opinion now is mixed. It appears to be doing a great job of protecting my daughter's computer from viruses - but the filtering function is getting in the way. It even blocked her own father's blog (and we're not sure why). You can fine-tune the filter, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to configure it so that she is protected from content she doesn't want to see (porno and/or silly scam popup ads) while still allowing her to go to pages she needs. (While she was researching a paper, it blocked pages on Amazon.com selling books related to her topic.)

I've tried removing the filter function entirely, but to no avail - it still sends me notices telling me that it has blocked content she wanted to see. Obviously, I'm doing something wrong... which leads me to believe that the interface is not as user friendly as it should be.

I have not yet contacted BitDefender for support in doing this. Will report on it when I do.

SVMOMSBITMOMS Quick Look: Stuff for Babies and Little Kids

Naturally, the Los Angeles Moms Blog event on Sunday attracted a number of companies with products aimed at mothers of babies and young children -- and now that my sweet little girl is a "terrible teen," we are way beyond that. But there were quite a few items on display that had me wishing I could turn the clock back a decade just so I could give them a try.

This was one of them: The Taga is a three-wheeled bicycle/baby carrier that converts to a stroller -- so you can ride to the store with baby and do your shopping, too.

It originated in Europe, where people actually do get around cities on bikes, and will be released here in the United States in April.

When I saw this, all I could think was that if I'd had one of these, it might not have taken me 12 years to lose my pregnancy pounds.

Then again - knowing myself as well as I do - I might have only used it in stroller mode. But who knows? If I'd had this, I wouldn't have my usual excuses ("But where would I park the bike?" "The baby is too heavy to carry without a stroller!" "It's too hot and smoggy in the Valley." OK, the Taga wouldn't solve that issue. But two out of three ain't bad.)

According to the company's specs, you can transport a child up to the age of 6 in the Taga, which exceeds European and US safety standards. The company also markets a full range of accessories. With an MSRP of $1500, this is not an inexpensive vehicle... but I understand that some of the trendy Bugaboos new moms are buying today cost nearly that much (and remember - it's not just a stroller, but a bike too).

(Thanks to Carla Duharte Razura of babyjidesign.com for allowing use of her Taga photo.)

Stride Rite was also there. Megan will probably keel me for revealing this, but until recently, her feet were so small, that she was still wearing this company's excellent children's shoes. (My slender daughter has extremely narrow feet and bargain shoes didn't cut it. This was the only brand that fit her properly.)

If they came in her newly acquired adult size, I might be able to convince her to wear them again - just look at this year's styles!

If you visit the Stride Rite website now, be sure to enter their "Wear n' Wash Sweepstakes."  The grand prize is a $250 in-store gift card, a year's supply of Tide®, and a Whirlpoolof ® DUET® Steam Laundry Care System. There will also be a weekly giveaway the company's Washables sneakers.

Also present at the event was a representative from Pretend City Children's Museum. Again, I don't see myself paying these folks a visit any time soon - at least, not until I have grandkids to entertain (and that had better NOT be any time soon!)  But I have fond memories of taking Megan to similar places in and around the San Fernando Valley when she was little. To be honest, I relied on these places to provide her a safe and air conditioned place to play during the long, hot Valley summers. 

The folks at Pretend City asked us to let our readers know about an event they are holding on March 13. I think it's worth sharing with you all:

Good To Go From Head To Toe Family Fun & Wellness Fair
When: Sat., March 13, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Pretend City Children’s Museum (29 Hubble in Irvine, CA)
Cost: Free to attend fair!!!
More than 30 partners will be on-site providing free language, dental, vision and hearing screenings; fun games and activities for kids; raffles for prizes throughout the day; music provided by 92.7 Jill FM.

SVMOMSBITMOMS Quick Look: iGO Green Charge Anywhere

As a mom blogger, most of the pitches I get are for baby products. So I really didn't expect to see a lot of items at the LA Moms party that I would actually use.

I had forgotten that one of the founders of the Silicon Valley Moms is Beth "TechMama" Blecherman, whose beat is cool electronic gadgetry - the kind of stuff that makes life easier for ALL of us.

The iGo Charge Anywhere is an item I've seen on store shelves and considered purchasing for myself.

You only have to look at the contents of my purse to see why: I rarely leave the house without my cellphone, Bluetooth, camera, digital camcorder and iPod. I have a portable GPS unit that has to be charged on my laptop (because I managed to break the car charger - long story), and a handheld game system I play on to relax.  And my husband and daughter run around with a similar collection of electronic doodahs.

Can you imagine how many chargers we take along with us on vacation?

So I immediately grasped the benefits of one small, simple universal charger.

The iGo has two USB ports, so you can charge a couple of devices simultaneously (like the aformentioned iPod and GPS unit). And it's manufacturers claim that it's compatible with 95% of electronic devices on the market, thanks to the USB cable that's packaged with the charger and interchangeable tips you can purchase on their website here. The representative at the SVMOMS event happened to have a tip for my Blackberry, so last night I charged my phone and my iPod using the same charger. I've just purchased a new tip for my daughter's Samsung phone... and I'm thinking of getting one to use with my Nintendo DS.

Additionally, Charge Anywhere has an internal battery, which means that if you find your cellphone running out of juice while you're out shopping, you can power it up WITHOUT plugging the charger into an outlet. You can even use it as a backup battery and keep on talking.

iGo has a full complement of power solutions, including chargers for your laptop and devices that charge your electronics with solar energy. You can see the full range on their website here.

SVMOMSVBITMOMS Quick Look: The Tassimo Home Brewing System

UPDATED March 4, 2010 with NEW information about Recycling Tassimo T-Discs - SEE BELOW

After finishing a long kitchen renovation, I was faced with a new dilemma: What kind of coffeemaker did I want to place on the counter?

In the end, I ended up with the traditional kind that brews your drink by the pot, and overall, I'm happy with my purchase. But I can't help being a little bit seduced by the single-cup machines currently on the market.

And now that I've had a taste of Bosch's Tassimo brewing system, I'm feeling a teeny bit of buyer's remorse.

That baby brews up a fine caffe latte.

This sleek beauty of a machine has the smarts of a professional barista. The Tassimo will make your latte, your husband's decaf drip coffee, your daughter's chai and a hot cocoa for your son; quickly and expertly - with no measuring and no mess to clean up.

All you need to do is pop a pre-measured "T-Disc" cartridge (containing your favorite drink) into the machine and press the button. A barcode on the cartridge tells the Tassimo exactly how much water to use for the drink. If your drink includes steamed milk, the Tassimo knows how to do that, too.

This is not a machine for those on a budget. On the surface, buying your coffee by the T-Disc is a lot more expensive than getting it by the pound at the supermarket. That is, if you make a pot at a time and consume it all, too. There's little to no beverage wasted with these single-serve machines. You can also keep a vast array of choices on hand to please every taste in your family. So I could see where someone might want a machine that brews a pot for a dinner party... while simultaneously keeping a Tassimo in the kitchen for personal use.

That someone would have more disposable income than I.

However, I do have concerns about the environmental impact of single-serve packaging, and judging from these comments on Tassimo's own community site, I'm not alone. At this time, it looks like recycling the packaging is kind of hit and miss, depending upon where you live. I am hopeful that as the single-serve machines gain in popularity, there will be recycling programs like the ones the big office supply chains offer for ink cartridges. This is the kind of thing that might point me in the direction of single-serve the next time I'm in the market for a new coffee maker.

In the meantime, I can sit back and admire.

UPDATE: I heard back today from Heather Gordon, who represents Tassimo's parent company, Bosch:

I noticed your concern about recycling the packaging. In fact, we did some research and found out that if you remove the tinfoil cover and the left over coffee grounds (makes great compost material), tea leaves or milk, you can recycle the plastic container with your recyclable plastics. This question actually came up a few times while at the event, so I’m glad that we were able to find the answer.

That's good to know and I'll keep it in mind the next time I'm shopping for a coffeemaker.

DISCLOSURE: I was not paid to write this post, nor were any promises made to write this. This post is based upon my observations of a product that was displayed at a mom blogger marketing event and reflects my own opinions, based upon a brief demonstration. I was not given any product samples but did receive a sample beverage and promotional travel mug.