Improvements and additions to Windows Live OneCare Beta 1.5 include tighter integration with Microsoft’s Windows Defender anti-spyware software.
Microsoft recently announced a new beta version of Windows Live OneCare. OneCare Beta 1.5, which can be downloaded and used free of charge, is available in 17 localized editions for countries that include the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K. Earlier editions were for U.S. customers only.
This newest version of OneCare is the company’s all-in-one, automatic and self-updating PC care service designed to help consumers protect and maintain their PCs. It is another part of Microsoft’s attempt to diversify its software revenue stream, is available as a free download.
Preparing for Vista
Microsoft released OneCare 1.0 in June. The original version sells for US$49.95 a year. Other improvements and additions to 1.5, said a company spokesman, include tighter integration with Microsoft’s Windows Defender anti-spyware filtering capabilities, more back-up options (to USB-connected hardware and PCs on the local network), and the ability to run on both Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista beta.
"As we continue to evolve the OneCare service, we are testing new features and functionality in beta before releasing enhancements more broadly," Gina Narkunas, lead product manager and OneCare team guest blogger, wrote on Microsoft’s blog lately.
OneCare first made waves in February when Microsoft announced a $49.95 price and three-PC license for the service. Microsoft’s foray into the antivirus market puts it at odds with Symantec and McAfee, among others, which sell competing security products for Windows. The firms are reacting differently to the threat of Microsoft’s full-force entrance into their playing field.
Bold Declarations
This is the first antivirus package available from Microsoft around the time of the Windows Vista launch. Not surprisingly, it supports the new OS. It also integrates more tightly with [Microsoft’s] Defender antispyware offering, which should make PC management easier, Basex CEO and Chief Analyst Jonathan Spira told TechNewsWorld.
"Microsoft will continue to release betas as part of an extensive testing and development process before their final release to the public," a Microsoft spokesperson said in an e-mail to PC Magazine. "Windows Live OneCare v1.5 beta will evolve throughout the beta process, based on internal testing and consumer feedback. Microsoft plans to release these features to both existing and new subscribers during the Windows Vista general availability timeframe."
Feeling Threatened
Though Microsoft partners with both companies, some fear these partnerships could come to an end if Microsoft feels it can corner the Windows security market with its proprietary solution.
Symantec Chairman and CEO John Thompson last week boldly declared his intention to double the company’s annual sales from $5 billion to $10 billion by 2010, with 10 percent of the company revenue coming from services. The company also launched its Norton Internet Security 2007 product.
McAfee, meanwhile, has accused Microsoft of compromising security in Windows Vista. McAfee recently took out an ad protesting security designs in Windows Vista that it claims will make the operating system less secure.
However, Symantec and McAfee may not have much to worry about, at least in the short-term. The way Spira sees it, "Some buyers will increasingly look to Microsoft to provide all PC management services; on the other hand, other users are skeptical of an all-Microsoft solution, so they will discount this offering regardless of its benefits."
The ad reads, "For the first time, Microsoft shut off security providers’ access to the core of its operating system — what is known as the ‘kernel’.”
At the same time, Microsoft has firmly embedded in Vista its own Windows Security Center — a product that cannot be disabled even when the user purchases an alternative security solution.