4. Spam Slayer: Don't Can Spam, Cube It
www.pcworld.com /article/125180/article.html
Tom Spring
By Tom Spring, PCWorld
If the federal CAN-SPAM law can't put a lid on junk e-mail, one company
is trying to cube it. The company, Spam Cube, has introduced a $150 anti-
spam hardware product, called the Spam Cube, that filters spam, phishing
e-mail, and messages infected with viruses for as many as four PCs.
Spam Cube doesn't charge subscription fees for spam filtering. However,
it does charge $52 per year for its optional Security OnDemand service,
which adds protection from viruses and phishing scams with McAfee and
Symantec antivirus scanning of e-mail and Spam Cube's anti-phishing
technology.
To use Spam Cube, you simply plug the four-inch square device between
your cable or DSL modem and your wired or wireless router. All e-mail
traffic that passes through the hardware is analyzed, suspected spam and
phishing e-mails are red-flagged, and virus-laden e-mails are nixed.
Network Security Products Proliferate
Spam Cube represents a growing trend in computer security solutions
that rely on hardware plugged into a network to protect multiple PCs,
rather than software programs installed on individual PCs.
Other recent entrants to this category come from TrustELI and Netgear.
TrustELI offers Eli, a network security appliance that filters spam, offers protection against viruses and
phishing attacks, and includes a firewall. Eli costs $200 and will run you $120 per year for updates to the
security service.
Netgear's Super G Wireless Router--Security Edition ($80) protects up to ten PCs from spam, viruses,
phishing, and spyware, and it includes a firewall. It also comes with Trend Micro's Home Network Security
software. After the first year, updates cost $99 annually.
There are advantages to network security hardware. Primarily, by running security processes on a
network, as opposed to on every PC, individual computers are spared the security software that can
sometimes tax a system's performance with scanning, filtering, and defensive shielding processes.
Test Drive
I tested the Spam Cube for a few days, using it with one PC over my office's network connection. I was
impressed by its simple setup and how easy it was to work with. But I do have some reservations.

5. Spam Cube labels
suspicious e-mail
messages by
adding "[SPAM],"
[VIRUS]," or "
[PHISH]" to the
subject line. The
device works
seamlessly with
Microsoft Outlook
and Outlook
Express, once you
install a specialized
Spam Cube toolbar
on your PC. The
toolbar creates
filtering rules for
both e-mail clients
that dump unwanted
e-mail into either a
Spam or Virus
folder; it also
provides "This is
Spam" and "This is
Not Spam" buttons
for teaching the
device what you
consider spam.
On the downside,
Spam Cube does
not make a toolbar
for non-Microsoft e-
mail clients. If you
use Mozilla
Thunderbird or Eudora, for example, you have to define your own rules to automatically move e-mail into
folders of your choice. And if Spam Cube labels legitimate e-mail as spam, the only way to correct it is by
launching a Web browser and visiting the Spam Cube Web Control Panel.
But non-Outlook users shouldn't have to fuss with teaching the Spam Cube very often. According to the
company, the device accurately blocks 95 percent of spam out of the box and 98 percent of spam after it
has been trained. It uses a combination of anti-spam techniques that includes identifying spam based on
the message's characteristics and "interpreting" the messages as spam or legitimate.
In my limited tests, Spam Cube was about 95 percent accurate when filtering spam, phishing e-mails, and
blocking viruses. However, my tests were not extensive enough to draw any final conclusions.
My biggest concern using this product, or another network security appliance like it, is that its protective
power is limited to computers on a network. If you use a notebook that is frequently outside of the network,
devices like the Spam Cube have limited value. That's because the e-mail clients protected are dependent
on the network hardware to identify and filter out spam, viruses, and phishing messages. Once you are

6. outside of its sphere of influence, you are left with no e-mail protection.
Overall, I think Spam Cube does a good job at stopping spam and is great for those with more than one
PC in the home or office that they want to protect. For parents who double as the family's computer support
techie, Spam Cube offers a simple, hassle-free approach to protecting inboxes. It stands out from other
competing network security appliances in that it offers a one-time investment when it comes to fighting
spam.
Stay tuned for a more extensive review of Spam Cube's accuracy at filtering spam.
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7. POPSHOPPING
GADGETS
Gizmo
goodiesIs it March already? Man, time flies. By now,
you’ve probably gotten a little bored with the
new plasmaTV, iPod or electric toothbrush
you got for the holidays. Plus, you’ve probably
paid off your credit card bill from all that end-
of-year gift giving, and you’re ready to get back
in debt. RedEye shuffles through some of the
coolest new gadgets we’ve found.
[ SAM JEMIELITY IS A REDEYE SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR. ]
Samsung YP-Z5 Music Jukebox
$199 (2GB), $249 (4GB); samsung.com
When it comes to mp3 players,Apple is Coke,
every other manufacturer is Pepsi. But the com-
petition is not giving up. With the new YP-Z5
mp3 jukebox, Samsung tries to bust a move on the
similarly sized and priced iPod Nano. Sam-
sung’s aluminum-bodied model weighs a
svelte 2 ounces, has a 1.8-inch color LCD
screen and comes in either silver or black.
It has up to 35 hours playing time, stores
up to 25,000 digital photos and has a photo
viewer that lets you pan or zoom on your
favorite shots. It’s also subscription-enabled
throughWindows Media’s PlaysForSure site.
Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2
$149.99, neurostechnology.com
Don’t want to be beholden to iTunes to put shows on
your video iPod? Sick of paying $20 a pop for PSP movies
that you own on DVD?This tiny digitalVCRhooks up to
yourTV, DVR,TiVo, DVD player or other video source
and records your favorite shows for playback on your
computer, video iPod or Sony PSP.The unit records onto
digital memory sticks or Compact Flash memory cards
(sold separately). A 1GB memory card holds about 140
minutes of programming at medium resolution (60 min-
utes at highest quality). That might not be ideal for an
epic like “Ben-Hur,” but it’s perfect for converting your
favorite “Simpsons” episodes.
Spam Cube
$150, spamcube.com
Sick of spam solicitations?The creators of Spam Cube have
a solution.About the size of an iPod, Spam Cube works on
up to four computers at a time, picking off spam before it
gets to your e-mail inbox, no subscription needed. The
company offers an optional service called Security OnDe-
mand, which deletes e-mail viruses from inboxes and alerts
users whenever they receive a fraudulent e-mail. For a $52 annu-
al fee, Security OnDemand provides McAfee and Symantec
Norton anti-virus, and Spam Cube’s anti-phishing technology,
protecting your financial information. Spam Cube can’t help
improve your stamina, however.
Saitek A-350 Wireless Headphones
$99, saitek.com
Admit it, it’s happened to you. You’re running on a treadmill
at the gym, your iPod headphone cord catches your wrist, and
your iPod goes flying to the floor. Everyone smirks as you pick
up your busted gadget. Good luck hitting on the hottie next to
you now, loser. Spare yourself the shame with Saitek’s newA-350
wireless headphones. Connect the set’s audio jack to an iPod or
other mp3 player, and you can listen wirelessly from up to 25 feet
away. Lightweight, with six-hour battery life, they’re perfect for
jogging or biking. Not so much for swimming.
BY SAM JEMIELITY
REDEYE THURSDAY36