Bitdefender 2015 release focuses on ease of use

Bitdefender has announced the release of its 2015 range, including Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2015, Bitdefender Internet Security 2015, and the do-everything Bitdefender Total Security 2015.

The new builds add little to Bitdefender’s core security abilities, instead introducing what the company calls "OneClick Security", a strong focus on simplicity and ease of use.

This starts with the revamped interface. Common tasks (Quick Scan, Update, Safepay, Optimize) are now launched with a single click, while groups of functions are sensibly organized via three main tiles (Protection, Privacy, Tools). From our experience so far, it all works very well.

There are plenty of convenient improvements to save you time. Bitdefender’s Wallet can now automatically fill web forms with user names, passwords, even credit card details, often allowing you to pay online in a single step. And Bitdefender’s Vulnerability Scanner not only finds missing patches on your PC, it also provides links to help you download and install them.

A new Activity Profiles feature available across the 2015 range sees the suite automatically optimize your system for different situations. Play a game and Bitdefender enables the Game Profile, disabling unnecessary services and working to speed up your PC. The Movie Profile kicks in when you’re watching a movie, optimizing the suite’s settings and enhancing visual effects. And if your battery is running low, the Battery Mode Profile optimizes Internet Security and Windows settings to save energy.

If you’re still worried about performance, the Tuneup section -- again, available in all 2015 products -- provides six new modules to help: Boot Optimizer, PC Clean-Up, Disk Defragmenter, Registry Cleaner, Registry Recovery and Duplicate Finder. Or, if exploring all those sounds too complicated, the new One-Click Optimizer will clean up your PC all on its own.

There are smaller improvements elsewhere: better reports, enhanced parental controls, and a more capable desktop widget, while the spam filter is now entirely cloud-based, improving accuracy and making it more responsive to the latest threats.

Bitdefender’s real strength comes in the protection it provides, of course. The company points out that it’s topped AV-Test’s protection list for the last three years, while AV-Comparatives’ most recent Real-World Protection Test found Bitdefender’s package blocked 100 percent of threats.

30-day trial builds of Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2015, Bitdefender Internet Security 2015, and Bitdefender Total Security 2015 are available now.