McAfee puts Total Protection 2.0 into beta

The beta was posted to McAfee's Web site on Monday. It will be available for download until August 1, 2007, and beta testers will continue to receive signature files until September 1.

Total Protection 2007 is McAfee's high-end consumer product, expected to be launched by the end of September this year. It includes network management and wireless protection capabilities that are not available in the company's flagship Internet Security Suite.

McAfee customers looking for cool new features will be disappointed with the beta, however, as it appears to have few new capabilities.

In fact, McAfee declined to discuss any new capabilities in Total Protection 2.0. "The main point is going to be performance," said a spokesman with the company's public relations agency. "Last year when we rolled out Total Protection there were a lot of complaints about the performance."

"This year we're focused on streamlining the experience and making it a lot more consumer friendly."