Browser Bloat, Privacy Concerns Among the Top Tech Predictions for 2012 from SlimWare Utilities

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November 7, 2011
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Browser Bloat, Privacy Concerns Among the Top Tech Predictions for 2012 from SlimWare Utilities

D'IBERVILLE, Miss., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An increase in browser-based bloat and malware, and growing concern over online tracking technology, will top the technology trends in 2012, according to Chris Cope, CEO of SlimWare Utilities.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100217/CL56709LOGO )

"As more applications move to the cloud, consumers' browsers will increasingly become the target - and the preferred delivery method - for bloatware, malware and other items that can slow down, damage or compromise a PC," said Cope.

Already, Cope noted that the amount of optional items, or bloatware, in some browsers can come close to 20 percent, according to data from SlimWare Utilities' community of users.  Even for browsers like Chrome or Firefox, which have typically lower levels of bloat, the percentage of optional items and targeted threats from malware will increase.

"Unneeded items that slowed down a PC are now migrating to the browser, and interfering with websurfing," Cope noted.

Other trends that Cope says will come to the forefront in 2012 include:

    --  Growing concern over online tracking technology, including
        "supercookies," that leads to more legislation prompting disclosure
        about what cookies are on consumers' PCs, and what information those
        cookies and other tracking items might be transmitting.

    --  Continued migration of consumer applications to a cloud environment and
        web-based model as consumers continue to spread their digital lives over
        more and more devices, such as laptops, PCs, tablets and Smartphones.

    --  Increased need for software and device updates and patches. Software and
        hardware companies will be forced to keep pace with a fragmented
        landscape of operating systems running on multiple devices, as well as
        new forms of malware and vulnerabilities introduced by these OS's and
        the programs that run on them. All this volatility will make updates and
        patches increasingly more critical in 2012.

    --  A surge in Windows popularity as Windows 8 takes hold and the
        possibility of Microsoft a tablet becomes a reality.

Cope's information comes from SlimWare Utilities community-based data, which powers the company's free software for cleaning, optimizing and repairing PCs. SlimWare Utilities' flagship products include:

SlimComputer, which removes the trialware, adware, toolbars, unwanted start-up entries and other unnecessary programs that come pre-installed on brand-new PCs.

SlimCleaner, a community-powered cleaner, that uses social networking and crowdsourcing to clean, repair and optimize PCs.

SlimDrivers, which automatically updates a PC's drivers with real-time scanning and cloud technology - making sure that an operating system and its peripherals, such as printers, sound cards, Bluetooth devices, etc., are working properly and in sync.

About SlimWare Utilities

SlimWare Utilities automates the solutions to the world's computer problems. Headquartered near Biloxi, Mississippi, SlimWare Utilities' cloud-based, crowd-sourced software provides consumers with personalized applications developed from the community input of IT users everywhere. For more information, please visit http://www.slimwareutilities.com.

SOURCE  SlimWare Utilities

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100217/CL56709LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
SlimWare Utilities

CONTACT: Carla Shaw, SlimWare Utilities, +1-404-242-6267, cshaw@slimwareutilities.com; Emily Shirden, Ruder Finn for SlimWare Utilities, +1-312-329-3979, shirdene@ruderfinn.com

Web Site: http://www.slimwareutilities.com

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