F-Secure launches mobile anti-virus for retail market

F-Secure has announced the release of its Mobile Anti-Virus product in a box for the retail market. The company says this is the first mobile security product to be sold through retail channels, while most developers distribute their security software through the web - although Symantec has already released its Symantec Antivirus for Handheld as a boxed option since 2004, with versions for Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Palm OS.

As with its equivalent counterpart sold through the web, the retail box product is targeted mainly at consumers as well as for small and medium-sized businesses.

Speaking about the launch, Antti Vihavainen, Vice President, Mobile Security at F-Secure said: “We are naturally delighted to be able to offer consumers the option to purchase a retail box version of our Mobile AV product and to be the first in the industry to do so. Over time people have started to realize that the threat from mobile malware is real as they experience the threat themselves or hear from people around them. As people increasingly adopt smart phones to help their daily activities, the virus-writing community will also be there to stalk them. We at F-Secure want to anticipate these kinds of threats before they reach the levels we have witnessed in the PC world and our products are there to do just that.”