Software That's Out to Get You: Nag Messages From Hell

View this newsletter online | Newsletter Services | More Newsletters » Follow @geektech on Twitter April 16, 2011 PCWorld.com Talk Nerdy to Me

At its best, good software is so elegant and seamless that you hardly even notice its presence at all. At its most annoying, software is so persistently attention-seeking that it blocks you from getting anything done, pumping out an incessant stream of pop-up alerts. We've all encountered an application or two that just won't stop with the electronic nag notes, update alerts, and panhandling for upgrades. Take a trip down maddening lane with our roundup of the most irritating nag messages in software history. --Senior Editor Tim Moynihan Top Story Nag Screen Hall of Shame Take our tour of some of the worst software nag screens, reminders, and pop-ups from the past and the present. Spotlight on Geek Tech Google Wants Computers to Feel 'Regret' Google is funding a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University who are trying to teach machines to learn from their mistakes. Video of the Week Remote-Controlled Equipment Cleans Up Japan's Nuclear Disaster Tokyo Electric Power is putting remote-controlled machinery to use at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Browse this week's Geek Tech. Download of the Week True Crimes Brazen attitude meets pulp fiction style in this free retro display font. Fun & Games World of Warcraft From Level 0 to 85 Without Killing a Thing How do you level from naught to 85 in the world's most popular online roleplaying game without killing a single thing? Places for Fun Stuff on PCWorld.com Fun and Games Downloads Shop for Video Games and Hardware PC World videos Home Surveillance in the Palm of your Hand Do-it-yourself home security, networking, and entertainment systems. Learn more in the D-Link Resource Center. Quiz: How should you network your office? Wired, wireless, or both? When given the opportunity to network a new office space, the choices are tantalizing. Take the quiz! Advertisement Trade in your old printer and save on a new OJ Pro 8500 printer Most Popular Searches Android Freeware iPad 2 Antivirus Firefox Product Reviews Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2011 90 Pros Good interface; Strong malware detection Cons Scan speeds lag behind top performers Read Complete Review » Top 10 Paid Antivirus Programs for 2011 » Top 5 Paid Antivirus for 2011 » Nikon Coolpix P7000 87 Pros Superior image quality with very sharp photos; Optical viewfinder; Excellent macro mode; In-camera editing and enhancement tools; 7.1X optical zoom (28mm to 200mm); Buttons provide fast access to manual settings Cons Control complexity may intimidate casual users; Disappointing video quality; Maximum aperture of F2.8; A bit bulky Read Complete Review » Top Point-and-Shoot Cameras With Manual Controls » Best Point-and-Shoot Cameras for Shooting Video » Top-Rated Advanced Point-and-Shoots » Top High-End Cameras » Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 81 Pros Innovative 3D-shooting modes; Great modes for panoramic and low-light images; Extremely easy to use and suitable for beginners; Handles SD, SDHC, and Memory Stick; Very compact Cons No manual controls for aperture and shutter; Controls might be a bit small for some users; Background Defocus mode can blur too much of image Read Complete Review » Best Compact Point-and-Shoot Cameras » Top Simple Cameras » Get Big Savings When you Shop at PCWorld.com Shop online at PCWorld.com, where you can compare product information, read trusted reviews, and find the best prices on consumer electronics. Pavilion p6710f Mid-Tower Desktop PC Price: $499.99 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review iMac All-In-One Desktop (3.06GHz Intel Core i3, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW DL, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, 21.5" LCD) Price: $1138.94 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Browse more Best Prices on Desktops, Monitors, Printers, Laptops Top News on PCWorld.com 10 Things Killed by the Smartphone It's a lean, mean killing machine, and--in variations like Thunderbolt and iPhone--it can't be stopped. The dead include MP3 players and personal video players. What else is likely to expire? Share: Nintendos Next Console Rumor Roundup and Wishlist Want to know all there is to know about Nintendo's rumored next game system so far? Share: Top Reviews on PCWorld.com Inside the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet: A Visual Tour Get a peek at the fresh-looking interface of RIM's highly anticipated first tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook. Share: Enjoy YouTube Browser-Free, Thanks to DeskTube Lite Easily view, share, and subscribe to YouTube videos in the free, feature-rich app DeskTube Lite. Share: RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: A Promising Tablet, but With Many Rough Edges This svelte tablet hits the right notes in many areas, but it stumbles on some basics, and some core features arent ready yet. Share: HTC Sensation 4G Hands-On: Beautiful, Dual-Core Beast The Sensation 4G has the brand-new HTC Sense user interface, a dual-core processor, and an 8-megapixel camera. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection 10 Must-Have Utilities for Small NetworksIf you have a small network at your business or home, you need help, and lots of it. We've got that help for you. These ten downloads--some free, anone expensive--will make it much easier to manage your small network. Spiceworks IT Desktop   4757 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under LAN Utilities Inventory and manage your small business peer-to-peer network for free. NetBrute Scanner   84007 Downloads  |  Free  |  Filed Under LAN Utilities Test the security of your network with this hole-finding tool. Network Magic Essentials   34319 Downloads  |  Trial  |  Filed Under LAN Utilities Manage and troubleshoot your home network. See (8) more 10 Must-Have Utilities for Small Networks » Browse DownloadsAntivirus & Security • Design & Multimedia • Utilities • Games • Chat, Email, & the Web • Sponsored Downloads DawnArk WebCam RecorderIf you have an underused webcam this program can help you fully utilize it. It can record in various formats, including AVI, WMV, ASF, FLV, MP4 and 3GP, allowing you to upload to a video site or share with friends and family in popular and easy-to-decode formats. Use discount code HAND-ENM9 to get this great webcam tool for 50% off! (Compatibility: Windows 95/98/ME,Windows NT/2000,Windows XP,Windows Vista,Windows 7) Disk Doctors File ShredderHelps you to shred files and folders from your Windows drive; shreds the deleted data leaving no traces of sensitive critical data. Selling or disposing of a PC creates a serious threat. Unfortunately, almost all sensitive data can be recovered using specialized recovery labs or software. Shredding the sensitive data--files and folders and other deleted items--can remove all traces of sensitive data while the shredded drive remains in working order. File Shredder is an advanced file shredding application which allows various easy to options to shred files, folders, etc. It offers a hierarchical explorer view to select files and folders to shred. To shred files simply add the files to the "shredding zone" and select the shredding patterns; the software destroy the data beyond recovery. Shredding patterns offered by Disk Doctors File Shredder exceeds the standards of DOD US and offers 9 Shredding standards. (Compatibility: Windows XP,Windows Vista,Windows 7) Use discount code FILE-OMRW-DISK to get 50% off!

Newsletter Subscription Resources You are subscribed to this newsletter as: dediyuan.technoworld@blogger.com Unsubscribe from this newsletter here. To add or remove newsletters, change your address, or change your format (HTML or text-only), please go here. If you have questions or comments about PCWorld e-mail newsletters, please contact: webmaster@pcworld.com PCWorld Privacy Policy © 2011 PCWorld Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of PCWorld Communications, Inc. is prohibited. PCWorld is a registered trademark of International Data Group, Inc. All other trademarks used on PCWorld are the property of their respective owners. PCWorld Communications, Inc., 501 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94107.