Windows Live OneCare review

By providing a commercial security solution, many are worried that Microsoft will have less incentive to fix core OS security bugs. We'd certainly rather it concentrated on developing a truly secure OS than on trying to sell us the first-aid kit. But even if you look beyond the understandable, if rather knee-jerk, reaction to buying security products from Microsoft, there's a bigger stumbling block when it comes to OneCare: at this stage, it isn't an original enough concept to make any impact in the already highly competitive security marketplace.

Even more of a concern for consumers at this stage is the value proposition. Windows Defender is available for free, Vista will include a two-way firewall and mature backup client, and the tune-up category of "check for missing updates" simply runs the Windows Update service. The three PC licence is a step in the right direction, but the actual cost to the UK market is as yet unknown. If the usual straight dollar-to-pound conversion applies, that means £50 rather than the £27 exchange rates would suggest. Compare this with ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6.5 at the same price. That doesn't include data backup or drive defragging, but it does add parental controls, IM security, anti-spam, spyware site blocking and a superior firewall, all from a central console. Even if Microsoft is aggressive on price, we're not convinced OneCare is up to the challenge yet, although we'll be watching closely as the product heads for our shores.

Author: Davey Winder