If you are running the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you can now download and try out free beta versions of three Symantec Norton security products. Betanews.com reports that the 2013 public betas versions of Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360 have been released and can be downloaded at Symantec's website.
Users of Windows 8 will be able to check out Metro versions of all three programs, with a new interface that supports touch screens, along with hardware acceleration. Norton Antivirus 2013 also apparently works with Microsoft's previously announced anti-malware measures; this means the software will launch earlier in the boot process for a Windows 8 PC, so that it can help find any embedded malware or rootkits that could be installed on the machine.
There has been some speculation that there was no need for a Windows 8 Metro app for antivirus makers. Indeed, one of the leading free antivirus companies, Avast, has said that it won't be making a Windows 8 Metro version of its popular software. The fact that Symatec is offering exactly that kind of support for Norton Antivirus 2013 means that at least some security software companies see the need for a product that supports the Metro UI.
36 Comments - Add comment