AVG 9 Antivirus Improves Performance, Adds Identity Theft Tool [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/NrPpiLE9LKk/avg-9-antivirus-improves-performance-adds-identity-theft-tool

Windows only: One of our readers' favorite antivirus applications, AVG, has updated, claiming faster scan times (up to 50%), boot times (10-15%), and less memory usage. On top of that, it's added a new feature to assist with identity theft.

The identity theft feature, as reported by CNET, is only available in the U.S., and pairs the folks at AVG with a service called Identity Guard that integrates with your browser toolbar (Firefox and IE only); Identity Guard is there to help you avoid and handle identity theft.

Frankly, the Identity Guard addition doesn't seem like something to get all that excited about (who wants another browser toolbar, anyway?), but if nothing else, the performance boosts are worth the update for die-hard AVG fans.

AVG comes in both freeware and shareware versions, Windows only. Currently only the shareware version is ready for the update—apparently AVG delays the release of AVG Free to give their pay versions a little more time in the limelight. Unfortunately that means AVG Free users—which I suspect is most AVG users—will have to wait a bit longer to update to the faster version.

AVG Anti-Virus 9.0 [via CNET]
AVG Free