HP Will Bundle Antispam Software on PCs

Saying it wants to protect children from inappropriate material and give customers a more "positive" computing experience, Hewlett-Packard will bundle antispam software with its new desktop PCs.

The company will preload InterMute's SpamSubtract Pro product on new HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario PCs, according to InterMute.

Customers who purchase the new PCs will be able to use the spam-blocking software free of charge for 30 days. After the trial period, customers have the option to purchase a full license for the software, priced at $30, from the InterMute Web site.

Message Filter

SpamSubtract Pro acts like a spam firewall, using a specialized algorithm and database of spam e-mail identifiers such as obscene words and offensive images, as well as commercial solicitations, according to a company spokesperson.

Incoming e-mail messages are sorted into folders for confirmed spam, suspected spam, and "friendly" messages, the spokesperson says.

The product is also capable of masking offensive words in spam e-mail messages and preventing image attachments from being previewed, according to InterMute.

Customers who do not purchase a license after the trial period will continue to be able to use the product to quarantine spam with obscene words and images. However, commercial solicitations will no longer be flagged, the spokesperson says.

While bundling software on new PCs is a common practice, HP was interested in having some of the "family friendly" antispam features stay on even for customers who do not choose to purchase a SpamSubtract license, according to InterMute.

Other Utilities

SpamSubtract runs on the Microsoft Windows platform and works with common e-mail clients such as Outlook, Outlook Express, and Eudora, according to InterMute.

The company also develops and markets a selection of related products, intended to block unwanted intrusions online.

For example, its Message Subtract blocks unwanted Messenger Service ads, a misleading new form of pop-up that resembles Windows alert messages.

InterMute also markets AdSubtract, a Web-filtering and ad-blocking utility that guards against banner and pop-up ads.