Norton has recently released a new version called Norton 360. Symantec claims that they have scrapped 80+ percent of their old code and the 360 version is a totally new program.
I have only seen it installed on one computer so far and I couldn't really see if it was any faster or slower than previous versions. Since the system I saw it on was also running Windows Vista, I couldn't tell if the sluggishness of the computer was caused by Norton or Vista.
I can say that I have Vista running on a very similar machine as the one I saw running 360 and it didn't seem any slower.
One thing I did notice about Norton 360 is that it still has plenty of pop-up nags that appear by the clock.
Unless something changes drastically, I don't see any reason why someone should choose Norton over AVG.
Here are some of the events that would make me want to change antiviruses:
1. Grisoft upping the price of AVG to $300. I would pretty much pay anything up to that amount for AVG as long as the $299 provided me with enough licenses for all of my computers.
2. Norton offering a free remote control helicopter with every purchase. I wouldn't switch for one of those $60 jobs, but if it was a nice one, I would do it.
3. Norton cutting the price by 3/4 then eliminating every feature except for virus protection.
I am willing to give Norton a chance to prove themselves, but from what I have seen so far, I'm not ready to believe that 360 is any better than any of their previous versions.
