Norton 360 Everywhere Review

For those of you who use computers, be they desktops or notebooks, you know of this scourge that is called the virus – there are millions of them running around out there in the digital world, and when Internet use exploded worldwide, it was without a doubt the end of the days where the primary mode of infection among computers were through floppy disks. Plenty of sites that offered free software, movie downloads and other freebies were also a front for the website to host malicious code to install trojans and viruses on unsuspecting visitors with the wrong click.

Antivirus software too, will need to play the catch up game, and over the years, I must say that free antivirus software gets the job done if you do nothing but surf the usual sites (Google, news, sports, etc) and check email. If you are one who ventures to other reaches of cyberspace, then it would be prudent to settle for a paid version of an antivirus program. Having said that, Norton is a name that I have trusted for a long time already, and with the latest Norton 360 Everywhere, I must say that I am not disappointed. Sure, I have my fair share of brickbats concerning Norton 360 Everywhere, but we shall look at that in closer detail after the jump.

First of all, Norton 360 Everywhere takes on a new form, where it is a multi-device security software which offers protection for up to five of your Macs, Pcs and Android-based smartphones and tablets using a single license key and account. This is definitely a good deal, considering the Internet connectivity found on most modern devices these days, as well as the number of gadgets that we carry with us as well.

Installation was a snap – the download took just a couple of minutes on a 5Mbps line, and all it took was keying in the activation code after installation to get Norton 360 Everywhere up and running smoothly.

For folks who leave your computer idle for long periods of time, Norton 360 Everywhere is smart enough to know when that happens, kicking off a computer tuneup process when that happens. Definitely not new, but at least this shows that a good idea remains even after a long time (just like the wheel). Apart from that, the virus definition updates are done automatically as well, and it can be safe to say that Norton 360 Everywhere is pretty much self automated, that you do not need to babysit the software. Instead, the reverse happens, and the software will make sure all potential security holes are plugged according to what it can do, but of course, this does not mean you now have a free rein in surfing potentially harmful sites and simply downloading software from restricted sites.

The interface is clean and easy to understand, so even the beginner or seasoned computer user would not find any issue in fiddling with the settings. Basically, Norton 360 Everywhere works on an "install and forget" principle – at least according to my experience so far.

I do have one gripe though – my machine is now 3 years old, and I use it for 8 hours on average each day (save for the weekends, of course), with Google Chrome as my primary browser. I tend to have around 25 tabs opened at any one time, in addition to a graphics editing program, an image optimization program, Windows Explorer and Notepad open – with Skype running in the background. After working on my machine for 5 or 6 hours, there is a slowdown when it comes to switching between tabs, as well as windows. This lag is rather noticeable, and I am wondering whether this is due to the software itself, or that my notebook is urging me to ditch it for a newer model, perhaps one with the latest Intel processor and definitely double the 2GB RAM that it wheezes on at the moment.

All in all, Norton 360 Everywhere gets a thumbs up from me if you want a hassle free antivirus solution that protects your desktop as well as mobile devices.

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