Antivirus for Windows Mobile: Do You Need it?

[Brandon Miniman]

CoolSmartPhone (http://coolsmartphone.com/) is reporting that Symantec (http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=pf&pvid=smavwm) has just released a new version of their antivirus program for Windows Mobile. Here is the press release (http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20061101_05). You can get it now for a steep $30.

Is this sort of protection necessary? Have you or anyone you know that uses Windows Mobile had problems with a virus on their device? It seems that this product is aimed more at the corporate user who carries sensitive information on their device.

[Rainman]

CoolSmartPhone (http://coolsmartphone.com/) is reporting that Symantec (http://www.symantec.com/norton/products/overview.jsp?pcid=pf&pvid=smavwm) has just released a new version of their antivirus program for Windows Mobile. Here is the press release (http://www.symantec.com/about/news/release/article.jsp?prid=20061101_05). You can get it now for a steep $30.

Is this sort of protection necessary? Have you or anyone you know that uses Windows Mobile had problems with a virus on their device? It seems that this product is aimed more at the corporate user who carries sensitive information on their device.

I have seen this before and I myself wonder if it is necessary. I have yet to have any viruses on any of my Windows Mobile devices (Knock on wood!).

On a sidenote, I also stumbled upon Spybot - Seach & Destroy here:
http://www.spybot.com/en/wince/index.html

This works like the desktop version in that it looks for any spyware on your Windows Mobile device. I tried it for a week on my Tilt and it never found anything. So I am not sure if spyware has been made for mobile devices yet. I took it off for now holding faith that spyware won't make it to mobile devices.

[Jaime Rivera]

Well, if virus scammers hadn't thought about it, Symatec just did us a favor in letting them know of the big growing market of mobile devices out there:rolleyes:.

I personally hate all the paranoia these apps try to bring to end users with the "Your Computer Is In Danger!" message. I ended my days as a Symatec PC customer because of that.

[Rainman]

Well, if virus scammers hadn't thought about it, Symatec just did us a favor in letting them know of the big growing market of mobile devices out there:rolleyes:.

I'm sure they have thought about it. I just hope that they don't have the desire or time to create viruses.

[nerdstrap]

more importantly, what device can spare the cpu cycles and ram to a resource monitoring application?