Symantec, the company behind the popular Norton AntiVirus software, announced the release of its 2006 products. Package purchases will begin shipping the third week of October whereas downloads are ready for immediate install, according to Symantec’s website. Here’s what’s new with the 2006 version of Norton AntiVirus:
Each year, the company claims that less user intervention is required and that more features are automated. This year, the three biggest changes are the following:
1) The software is designed to work only with Windows XP or Windows 2000 (Norton AntiVirus 2005 or older must be used for other versions of Windows such as Windows 98).
2) Symantec claims that users can now “surf the Web without being watched by dangerous spyware or unwanted adware, and without getting hijacked and redirected to spyware download sites.” Norton AntiVirus’s ability to protect against spyware has never been that good, but this year may change that. The problems associated with browser hijacking are on the rise (one example of this is when your internet homepage changes without you knowing), and anything Symantec can do to prevent this is a step in the right direction.
3) A new feature called the Norton Protection Center is designed to help users understand PC security.
The cost for Norton Anti-Virus 2006 is currently set at $39.99.
