Symantec's 360 Beta Coming Soon

Scared about holiday spam and spyware messages? Although it's some ways off, Symantec is now just a few weeks away from shipping a test edition of its next significant update to the Norton 360 security/backup formula. The finished product is expected to wrap up early this spring, shipping by the time March wraps up.

So, what's under the hood of this new Norton 360 (for now dubbed 'version 2.0)?

• Preventative measures against Internet hackers and identity thieves
   
• A "Smart Firewall" that reportedly uses behavior-based methods to weed out incoming threats
   
• New software that can be used to back up data to iPods, HD drives, or other new devices
   
• A fresh browser protection feature that prevents problem web sites from installing Trojans or adware to Internet Explorer, Firefox, or other browsers
   
• Cleanup features for both Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox

The new version of Norton's popular 360 desktop security software will give more power to both the amateur and advanced user. With all of the new measures in place, it'll make it all that much harder for naive Internet users to get infected while perusing the web's sketchiest pages. (Source: crn.com)

At the same time, the back up features are there to make 360 2.0 attractive to the hardcore computer user. According to Mark Kanok, senior product manager at Symantec, "We changed up a couple of things to make it a little more accessible and give the advanced users more control." (Source: pcmag.com)

As usual, Norton's next utility will retail for $79.99. The purchase will allow users to install software on up to 3 different systems. Finally, though the finally version isn't due until after the ides of March, the beta should be available sometime next month.