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Chrome support comes to free Norton betas (video)

With around two months left before they debut, the beta versions of Norton Internet Security 2012 (download) and Norton AntiVirus 2012 (download) provide a solid glimpse of how Symantec wants to protect you in the coming year, including significant updates to its detection engines. See what else is new in this First Look video.

Most interesting of these under-the-hood improvements is the ability to scan downloads not just for viruses and malware, but also to determine if the file will adversely affect your computer's stability. Other new features include long-awaited Google Chrome support, online backup, and an Android app … Read more

Norton 2012 betas tweak already well-regarded suite

New Norton betas include the ability to rate a download's stability based on the file behavior on the computers of other Norton users and full Google Chrome support, setting the tone for the premium security suite updates due later this year.

Released today by Symantec, Norton Internet Security 2012 beta (download) and Norton AntiVirus 2012 beta (download) also include a new start-up manager that debuted earlier this year in Norton 360, changes to Symantec's SONAR technology, and a new autofix feature for curing installation woes quickly.

The changes are not ground-breaking, but do appear to be able to … Read more

Symantec goes all-in with Norton 360 v5

The bottom line: Norton 360 version 5 maintains the Norton brand's recent strong performance record and introduces some useful new features, bringing recent improvements to Norton Internet Security 2011 to the more expensive 360 while also improving the program's feature set. Symantec believes Norton is the premiere security product around, so don't be surprised at Norton 360's price tag.

Review: Editors' note: Portions of this review are based on CNET's review for Norton Internet Security 2011.

Over the past few years, Symantec has completed a course reversal for its Norton consumer Internet security suites. The … Read more

New Norton CyberCrime Index rates your risk

A new free tool from the makers of Norton attempts to quantify the real-time state of cybersecurity. It makes its debut today alongside the latest version of Symantec's all-in-one consumer security suite, Norton 360.

The Norton CyberCrime Index lies somewhere between a weather report and the United States' threat level advisory system, and Norton 360 version 5 launches with a direct link to it.

The CyberCrime Index uses a statistical model based on information from Symantec's Global Intelligence Network, ID Analytics, and DataLossDB. At the top level, the CyberCrime Index takes this data and creates a number evaluating … Read more

Are Notion Ink's Adam tablets finally shipping?

Notion Ink's Adam tablet is starting to ship to U.S. and European customers, the company announced in a blog post yesterday.

According to Notion Ink, its tablet has received U.S. Federal Communications Commission approval and a CE marking from the European Union, thus paving the way for shipments. A search of the FCC's Web site reveals that the Adam has indeed gained clearance. In addition, the company said in its posting that those who have February ship dates will likely receive their tablets at the end of January.

But before anyone who has the device on … Read more

People feel safer on a PC than on a mobile device

If you feel safer online using your PC instead of your mobile phone, you are not alone.

A majority 87 percent of people polled for a new study think their home PCs offer better defense against viruses, malware, and hackers than do their mobile phones. Released today by the National Cyber Security Alliance and Symantec, the study (PDF) also discovered that people may be overconfident in the power of their computers to protect them as less than half are using full security software.

Though only 24 percent of those polled said they feel very safe using their home computers to … Read more

Do-it-all file tool

We're big fans of open-source, cross-platform, portable freeware, especially when it's in the form of an especially flexible and useful tool like muCommander. It's a Java-based file management utility that handles just about anything you can throw at it: ZIP files (all kinds), FTP, ISO, SFTP, SMB, NFS, HTTP, e-mail messages and attachments, browser bookmarks, themes and skins, and much more. It offers full credentials management, keyboard shortcuts, compatibility with Apple platforms, checksum calculation, and some 20 languages. Since it's an open-source project, it's evolving new features and capabilities all the time.

This program's … Read more

Symantec makes push to secure mobile devices

As people increasingly use their smartphones both for work and for pleasure, Symantec is now offering a range of tools designed to better protect mobile devices, no matter where or how they're used.

The security company today unveiled several updates to its mobile strategy to help companies, consumers, and carriers all better secure and manage smartphones, tablets, and other portable gadgets.

On the business front, companies face strong challenges in securing the mobile phones on their networks, especially as more employees try to use their own personal gadgets on the job. Many can't support the increasing array of … Read more

The security suites to beat

"Most impressive" is one way to describe the latest Norton updates from Symantec. After three years of progressively better versions and significant improvements, Norton Internet Security 2011 and Norton AntiVirus 2011 look incredibly sharp. Gone are the days of crippling system behavior and debatable security efficacy.

Instead, Norton gives people blazing installs and quick scans, useful system-managing tools and security extras like the capability to scan your Facebook wall for malicious links, and most importantly, extremely high ratings in threat detection and prevention. With a 30-day trial that has no other restrictions, anybody who's willing to pay … Read more

Security ramps up

Antivirus and security software may have an expiration date, but it's not dead yet. We found evidence in the form of Norton's new offerings, which were released just last week to praise from CNET editors. Internet Security 2011 maintains its recent strong performance record and introduces some useful new features in the latest version, making it one of the top Internet security suites available. Meanwhile, AntiVirus 2011 offers the same core high-quality computer and networking protection features as its more full-featured sibling, but comes with a slightly cheaper price tag attached.

We also spent some time with BitDefender Total Security 2011, … Read more