Norton 360 is the newest member of the Norton PC Security family. The software boasts that it incorperates all-round protection into one easy to use program. Like Windows Live One-Care, Norton 360 combines anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, tune-up repairs and automatic backups. What makes Norton 360 unique is that it comes with a remote account where you can upload your back-ups. Which means when your computer crashes your back-ups will be held at Norton's server for retrieval.

Norton 360 combines all of the things you need to be safely connected to the internet while still allowing control over the individual security features. The security features include;

• Auto Protect: continually monitors your PC for viruses, spyware, and other risks.
• Firewall: protecting your PC from hackers and other online intruders.
• LiveUpdate: Automatically updateing so that you always have the most up tp date definitions.
• Virus and Spyware Scan: Preforming deep clensing scans to make sure no viruses or spyware are hiding within your files.
• Email Scanning: Protecting you from malicious email or spam by monitoring your email.
• Windows Updates: Making sure that your version of Windows is up to date.
• Intrusion Protection: checking for intrusion attempts.
• Weak Passwords Check: a feature that lets you verify the strength of your passwords.
• Browser Vulnerability: automatically checking your browser settings.
• Network Address Check: automatically scans your Windows network settings.

Phishing protection is important for online transaction because the filter lets you know if a web-site is fraudulent and should not be trusted.

The phishing-filter toolbar is attached to your browser and will work automatically. See below.

Perhaps the most unique feature of Norton 360 is its automatic Backup features. The remote account lets you rest easy knowing that you information is safe no matter what happens to your computer. The initial back-up takes time but after that the the process is reduced significantly because the program knows which files were changed and only updates those ones. The back-ups can be scheduled at regular times when you are not at your computer so that you will not have to worry about CPU usage.

The Backup Settings allow you to control which files to Back Up: categorized by type (Pictures, Financial Files, Documents, Contacts, Added Files and Folders, Music, Video, Emails, and Internet Favorites). Backup Location: internal hard drive, external hard drive, burn to CD/DVD, or Norton's secure online storage. Backup Schedule: lets you chose from Automatic (initiating when your PC is idle), Weekly, Monthly, or Manually.

The PC Tuneup scans can be scheduled regularly so that you computer isn't bogged down with added weight internet files create. The scan includes:

• Clean Up Internet History: cleaning your browsers unnecessary history files.
• Clean Up Internet Temporary files: files accruded through internet browsing and downloading.
• Clean up Windows Temporary Files: cleaning up unnecessary Windows file clutter.
• Disk Optimization: defraging you files to improve PC preformance.

I think that Norton 360 is a smokingly good deal for those looking for total PC protection. The $80 price tag is minimal since it combines all the programs that would have normally been sold seperatly for hundreds of dollars. The price includes a one-year subscription for up to 3 PC's.

I mainly use a laptop so CPU efficiency is important to me, from what I can see the Norton 360 runs on 25,000 K which is about the same as an internet browser. So far I love it and would recommend it to anyone.

Norton 360 officially sells for $79.99 but Amazon sells the same program for under $40.