McAfee VirusScan Wireless software uses the same scanning and detection engine that the company claims protects 60 million desktops around the world. McAfee claims to hold two times the corporate anti-virus market share (44%) than its closest competitor. Many consumers trust McAfee to protect their PCs from viruses, and it's likely that this will continue with PDAs. A summary for VirusScan Wireless can be found in Table A.

Symantec AntiVirus 2001 for Palm OS
Symantec Corporation, known for its Norton AntiVirus software for desktop computers, is also entering the PDA virus protection software business through the introduction of Symantec AntiVirus 2001 for Palm OS (at http://www.symantec.com/nav/nav_pal/features.html). By redesigning the Norton AntiVirus scanning engine to meet the specifications and requirements for the Palm OS, Symantec believes they offer a very competitive solution for protecting PDAs from viruses.

Symantec AntiVirus 2001 for Palm OS resides directly on the PDA. Therefore, it protects users from viruses entering from synchronization, infrared beaming, and network access. The product has limited durability, as it requires frequent updates using the LiveUpdate function included in the software. Symantec AntiVirus 2001 achieves a small file size of 50K through what they call "microengine technology". The microengine and virus definition database are similar to the design of Norton Antivirus for desktop computers. However, the database still has the potential to outgrow its device space as the number of viruses increases.

Symantec's product has been available to the public since March 2001. Currently, Symantec AntiVirus 2001 can be downloaded from Symantec's Web site for $39.95. Installing and configuring the software is as easy as downloading and running the program. As for updating, Symantec has secured patents for its microdefinition system, allowing LiveUpdate to run up to four times faster than the previous version. LiveUpdate resides on your desktop, and when you HotSync your PDA with the desktop, LiveUpdate automatically updates virus definitions from Symantec's Web site. Microdefinition works by only sending new virus definitions since your last update.

Symantec has been providing anti-virus solutions for the past 15 years through its Norton anti-virus packages, capturing 25% of the market share. This experience adds value as Symantec evaluates potential solutions for anti-virus software in PDAs. A summary for Symantec AntiVirus 2001 can be found in Table B.