The Best Instant Messaging Application for iPhone

“Imo hits the sweet spot thanks to its speedy operation, intuitive interface, support for many chat protocols, and keeping itself limited to just the features you really want. – Adam Dachis

Features:

• Supports multiple chat protocols: AIM/ICQ, Jabber, Facebook, Google Talk, MSN, MySpace, Skype, and Yahoo.
• Concurrent sessions allow you to be logged in on your desktop while also being logged in on your phone.
• You can send voice IMs instead of typing.
• Push notifications will let you know when you receive a new message, even when the app is in the background.
• Both your buddy lists and chat histories are searchable.
• Tabbed chats make it easy to switch between conversations.
• Accounts can be linked so you don't have to sign in to several accounts.
• Simple, elegant interface with colorful chat bubble options.

The Competition

“There are many IM apps for iPhone, but nothing really matches imo on cost, features, and ease of use. IM+, another free app (with a $10 pro version) offers much of what imo does but also adds a few bells and whistles like group chat and location maps for your buddies. It's still easier to quickly navigate through imo, which is really paramount in a mobile messaging app. BeejiveIM is another popular option, but it costs $6 (at the moment—it's on sale) and its customization options make it look nostalgic for the messy profiles we used to see on MySpace. If all you care about is good looks and minimalist interfaces, rather than the $3 it'll cost you, try Verb. And then there's Meebo, which has become a bit bloated and personally, I find frustrating to use. Of course there are several other IM apps for iPhone and they all have their merits, but Imo gets just about everything right. It's simple, it's easy to use, it's fast, and it has all—and only—the features you need.”  ibid

Mac Viruses

Mirabile dictum, “Macs are safe from malware”.  That is just not true. Beloieving that will give nothing but a false sense of security.

Case in point: Mac Defender. Even worse because it has a web page which looks just like the real one.

Recently a fake AV program has been targeting and infecting OS X computers. It has been adapted to Mac from an identical Windows malware/Trojan-virus called Windows Protector but has additional names.

The site delivers scareware dubbed "Win32/Winwebsec," while Macs get "MacOS_X/FakeMacdef," O'Dea and Saade said, using Microsoft's labels for the OS-specific versions of the fake security software. There's also evidence that the same cyber criminal, or gang of scammers, created both versions. They appear to be in Russia.” – ComputerWorld

"MAC Defender also opens Web pages for pornographic Web sites in the user's Web browser every few minutes. This is most likely to make users think that they are infected by a virus, and that paying for MAC Defender will relieve them of the problem. "When a user clicks on a link after performing a search on a search engine such as Google, this takes them to a Web site whose page contains JavaScript that automatically downloads a file. In this case, the file downloaded is a compressed ZIP archive, which, if a specific option in a Web browser is checked ("open safe files" after downloading in Safari, for example), will open" – ibid

It may present itself as Apple Security Center, Apple Web Security, Mac Defender, Mac Protector, and possibly many other names. It installs itself and “finds” viruses and redirects to a download site and asks your info to buy the software. I have reported on this in the past connected to Windows. There haven’t been many infections yet, possibly because users are Windows users in the past (or present, as well) and are more wary.

How to Prevent Getting the Virus

There are some precautions you can take in getting this virus. First of all, use common sense when browsing the internet. If the website looks suspicious or the warnings look fishy, don’t click on them. If you are using Safari you should also disable the setting to automatically open “safe” files after downloading. Go to your Safari preferences and uncheck the box to disable this setting. You should also scan your downloads with an antivirus program. When the installer package is scanned with Symantec Endpoint it detects the virus immediately (from PCmag).

To remove the Virus/Trojan

Not having a mac, this is the advice from PCMagazine:

“To remove the fake MAC Defender application, TNW recommends going to Activity Monitor in Applications > Utilities and disabling anything that relates to the file. Then find any references to the application in Startup Items, Launch Agents and LaunchDaemons and quit out of anything that's running. In the Applications folder, drag the MAC Defender app to the trash and run a Spotlight search to locate any MAC Defender references you may have missed, trashing whatever you find.”

You can find 10 very good mac security tips HERE.

For Your iPad:  “Best Case Scenario” 

There’s a really beautiful selection of iPad2 cases here. Also… Logitech has come out with iPad accessories, as well.

http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-31747_7-10007818.html?tag=mncol