For those who have tried Norton's security products in the past, more often than not they were described as "bloated", "slow" and there were many complaints about the pop-up notifications, although that's common amongst many anti-virus products. This time Norton would appear to have learned from mistakes of the past, by specifically targeting gamers with a "lightning fast and light as a feather" anti-virus program.
Whilst the installation still requires 150MB of hard disk space (with definitions), Norton claims that it now requires less than 6MB of memory, a small amount compared to their last release. They also claim that it "adds less than 3 seconds to boot time", which is one of the main issues with previous releases of their anti-virus products, as well as some other security products. Besides, 150MB is half the amount required by Norton 360, which was their last security suite.
Whilst the product will appeal to new gamers unfamiliar with the troubles of some anti-virus products, those who have previously tried their software, but left it for one reason or another, aren't likely to be convinced. After all, one look at the screenshot reveals little change to the interface, other than a new background and different layout. Interestingly, they also mention their "Rapid Pulse Update" technology, which "updates every 5 to 15 minutes". Although they describe these as "tiny updates", one can't help but wonder whether updating "30 times more often than the competitive industry average" would have a reverse effect on what they are trying to achieve.
Although it's not an entirely new product, Norton has made a good effort to fix many of the issues that users faced before, with a quicker, slimmer, less intrusive replacement. It's available from their website for $39.99, although subscription charges do apply. It is compatible with both Windows XP and Vista, all versions, and it can be installed on up to 3 computers with the standard subscription.
(NeoWin)
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