Norton's 2004 security apps
By Robert Vamosi
(September 8, 2003)
Symantec today announced its new line of Norton security software. The biggest surprise for most users will be the new product-activation requirement included across all the releases. Symantec says this step will protect the buying public from mistakenly purchasing illegally pirated copies of its software. While the activation process includes an option to use the product without registering it, we think activation in general is a bit meddlesome and unnecessary. For example, if you have to reinstall any of the apps below too many times, you may require assistance from Symantec, which charges hefty fees for its technical-support phone calls.
Security software
Product name
|
Product type
|
Date available
|
Price
|
The scoop
|
Norton AntiVirus 2004
 |
Antivirus |
September 8, 2003 |
$50
|
Norton AntiVirus (NAV) 2004 continues to protect PCs against malicious code in e-mail and instant messaging. New this year is the ability to detect and remove spyware and adware. |
|
Norton AntiVirus 2004 Pro
 |
Antivirus |
September 8, 2003 |
$60 |
Like NAV 2004, NAV 2004 Pro offers protection against threats from e-mail, instant messages, spyware, and adware. NAV 2004 Pro adds an additional seat license for those wanting to protect two PCs. |
|
Norton Personal Firewall 2004
 |
Firewall |
September 8, 2003 |
$50
|
Improvements to this year's Norton Personal Firewall (NPF) 2004 include an intrusion-detection package and firewall rule codes for different networks. |
|
Norton Internet Security 2004
 |
Internet suite |
September 8, 2003 |
$70
|
Norton Internet Security (NIS) 2004 includes all of Norton's standalone security products--NAV, NPF, and the new Norton AntiSpam (NAS)--in one package. Also included are Norton Privacy Control and Norton Parental Control to keep outsiders from gaining your personal information or children from viewing objectionable material on the Net. |
|
Norton Internet Security 2004 Pro
 |
Internet suite |
September 8, 2003 |
$100 |
NIS 2004 Pro includes all of the features found in NIS 2004, plus data-recovery and network administrator tools. |
|
Utility software
Product name
|
Product type
|
Date available
|
Price
|
The scoop
|
Norton SystemWorks 2004
 |
Utility suite |
September 8, 2003 |
$70
|
Venerable utility suite Norton SystemWorks (NSW) this year includes a password manager along with updated versions of NAV and Norton Utilities. |
|
Norton SystemWorks 2004 Pro
 |
Utility suite |
September 8, 2003 |
$100
|
NSW 2004 Pro includes all the features in NSW 2004, plus Norton Ghost 2004, a benchmarking tool, and a process viewer similar to the Windows Task Manager. |
|
Norton AntiSpam 2004
 |
Antispam |
September 8, 2003 |
$40
|
Previously a part of NIS, NAS integrates with Outlook, Outlook Express, and Eudora e-mail clients. Spam-detection levels are adjustable. |
|
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