avast! 5 is coming… soon!
After a long time of keeping everything in secret, I’m glad that I can now disclose some preliminary information about the upcoming avast! version 5. The first thing to note is that the product is coming relatively soon. Namely, we’re currently planning to release it this October.
The product will be offered in three flavors: a free AV (that will supersede avast! 4.8 Home Edition), a paid AV (successor of avast! Professional Edition) and a full Internet Security suite. As usual, all customers (or users) with a valid avast! subscription will get a free upgrade to this new version.
The free AV will, of course, contain all the features from the existing Home Edition, plus a couple of new extras (I’ll be sharing more details on the blog as time goes by). The paid AV now includes a new virtualization module as well as all the features from the free AV and features previously exclusive to avast! 4.8 Pro. And finally, the suite adds an antispam and firewall module and will thus provide you with a complete, worry-free protection.
All three products will share the same antivirus engine (e.g. all of them will still have exactly same detection rates) that has been substantially improved and optimized. It may sound like a cliché, but it’s a fact: the new engine can detect more viruses, while actually consuming less resources.
The performance optimizations were not confined to the AV engine only; the program now uses various tricks to feel as light as possible and to not interfere with your work in any way. For example, we have radically improved the time it takes the computer to boot, making the slowdown imposed by avast! almost unnoticeable. I’ll be very interested in getting some feedback from you on this one (as soon as you get a chance to test it – please read on).
Starting with version 5, avast! now officially supports heuristics (proactive detection), although between me and you, many of the stuff has already been present in the previous versions – but we haven’t marketed it in any way. Also, detection of Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) has been added. Additionally, version 5 includes a new code emulator (or in fact, a dynamic translation module, to be technically correct) that will be of great help e.g. when unpacking malware samples packed/protected by unknown packers (as is the case pretty often).
All three products also feature a new user interface which has been completely redesigned for this new version. We’re abandoning the dual (simple vs. enhanced) UI model and replacing it with a single comfortable console, designed for both novice and experienced users. I’m attaching a couple of screenshots to give you an idea of what the product actually looks like.
File System Shield (formerly "Standard Shield")
File System Shield Settings
Scan page
Scan Settings
Shield Statistics
Virus notification
The beta testing of avast! 5 will start in a couple of weeks (roughly by the end of July / beginning of August), so if you are interested to give it a try, please check back soon as I’ll be posting the details here on the blog as well as on our forums.
Hey VLK, take all these frustration comments as a good sign that your product is in high demand. Just keep us posted and you will see people calm and be very supportive. Just don’t let us hanging and make promise that don’t deliver.
So if you plan not to translate it into Russian then are able to tell us when you plan to release the actual beta in English!……….
Sorry for the delays, we just don’t want to rush it.
But the beta is almost here now.
Dear VLK,
I just would like to know when exactly avast! version 5 for beta version will be launched?
Regards,
Yanto Chiang
Hmh I think it will be released on September 1st
@kantagara
Why do you say that it will be released on the 01st September.
Is there something you know that we all eager people don’t?…………
hello hello again!!! im here again to ask if in avast! 5 there will be sound when a virus will be detected??? like “enngk! enngk! enngk! a virus has been detected” ??? im really interested or if they’re going to change it to a simpler sound like “Virus Eliminated” WOW!!! i wish they still have that feature!!! im waiting for you avast 5!!!
like i said: Just wait till it released you dont want to have a program like AVG every week another new patch and fixes… and will this program have that Cloud scan thing? ( like Pnda cloud antivirus ? )
Hey VLK. Thanks for the update advising that the Beta is almost here.
Are you able to be a bit more precise in advising how almost you are.
Will Avast 5 have link scanner like AVG? And I hope it has some kind of Cloud base along with traditional AV definition method to enhance protection when online. Also I hope it does not have that silly announcement when a virus has been detected. It alarms people, it’s unnecessary. I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer. I’m sick of delays. This happens all the time with software business! I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer. Greetings from Ireland! But the beta is almost here now- does that mean 1 week or 1 month away? Because Quicksys Disk Defrag will be available soon was said on 30th July and its 18th August and still hasn’t been released. I’m getting very impatient and checking this blog so many times because I don’t want to miss it the minute it’s out, that’s why we like a date or some time after such a date so I don’t have to keep checking this blog everyday. I hope we get an update. Hope this comment doesn’t look too long, not my fault, there’s no preview comment.
the blog of avast is losing credibility.
you said at the end of July and we are nearing the end of August.
where is the credibility of the avast team?
where is the avast 5 beta?
i am from Brazil and we are waiting!
The credibility isn’t in the blog cako, is in the final product. I’m positive 5 will be ever as great as 4 when the final product is ready. Take your time guys, I for one would like it correct the first time without the many updates service packs
I hope they keep the current virus alert. It’s one of the features that sets Avast! apart from other AVs. Also it lets the user know that the blue ball spinning in the lower right corner of the screen is actually doing something!
Congratulations for the first beta release!
I’ve seen your post on the forum.
Can anyone from the Avast Team tell us how close the beta is from being released today. A response today would be appreciated. Thx
its released, i have it installed its nice,
( http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=47740.msg402682#msg402682 )
where do you post bug reports