Norton 2010 security software betas available now for free

Need new computer security software? Consider Norton's upcoming 2010 versions of Norton AntiVirus and Norton Internet Security, both of which are available as free betas for a limited time.

These betas won't be formally announced until Monday, but you can download them here today if you want to get a jump on everyone else.

Which one should you get? Norton AntiVirus is a simple virus and malware killer, while Norton Internet Security adds identity theft protection in the form of a browser plug-in that ensures you aren't browsing phishing websites, plus a system that monitors your network for security breaches (including when you're connected to public wireless hotspots). Put more simply, all the features of Norton AntiVirus appear in Norton Internet Security, so if you want broader protection, NIS may be the way to go.

Both applications build on the very successful, wholly revamped Norton 2009 applications, but with a few new spins. Based on the idea of "reputation," Norton now goes beyond just checking antivirus definition files for infections, now taking into account user-provided data about various programs to determine what applications running (or attempting to run) on a system are good or bad. It's kind of like Yelp star ratings, but for digital data.

The dashboard is now updated, too. While the look and feel are similar to the 2009 version of the software, you'll find addition features, including application ratings (which offer a numerical safety score based on each app's reputation, as outlined above), plus detailed CPU and memory utilization charts along with a more visual history screen outlining infections over time.

I've had relatively limited experience with the NIS beta so far, but for now my opinions are mixed. Installation was rocky and took a few tries to get right, and the application rating system doesn't really do a lot for me in its current incarnation. I appreciate that many apps I run are "Norton Trusted," but am troubled that Norton doesn't trust some major, common apps (rating them as merely "Good"), including Sun's Java install, and software required for my PC's webcam and touchpad. The "smart firewall" is also way too aggressive. I had to shut it off in order to once again be able to share my printer with other PCs on my network. Still, it's a promising beta and I like some of the ideas behind it.

The beta's only good for 14 days (though it claims on the download page to be good for 30 days), so keep that in mind if you want to try it out.