BitDefender has released a Mac version of the next iteration of its popular antivirus program. BitDefender 2009 for Mac is free to download and evaluate on Intel machines running Mac OS X 10.4.6 or later.

The company says that “BitDefender Antivirus 2009 for Mac OS (Beta 1) is a superior software package,” which includes real-time protection, on-demand scan and automatic signatures and product updates. BitDefender hasn't issued an official report explaining its intentions with a Mac version of the antivirus software, but feedback is appreciated.

The company does say, however, that BitDefender 2009 for Mac is capable of protecting your machine “in real time against known viruses, spyware and other malware,” while blocking “unknown viruses using advanced proactive detection techniques.” Ultimately, BitDefender 2009 for Mac hopes to be a good candidate to “monitor and prevent potential spyware threats in real-time.”

A full list of requirements says that an Intel-based Macintosh is needed to run the beta, while Mac OS X Tiger (10.4.6 or later), Mac OS X Leopard (10.5 or later) are the supported OSes. Also needed to run the software are 256 MB of recommended available memory, 40 MB of available hard drive space for BitDefender Antivirus 2009 Mac OS installation, and an Internet connection, of course, to receive online BitDefender Antivirus 2009 Mac OS updates. Other specs include:

 - Required display colors: millions;
 - Minimal normal (4:3) display resolution: 1024 x 768;
 - Minimal wide display resolution: 1024 x 640.

Note: the makers claim that the beta should not be relied on (obviously), since the software is still being tested. Therefore, you will have to continue exercising caution when receiving and opening packages / files from untrusted sources. The company's disclaimer says it all.

BETA DISCLAIMER

2.1 THE BETA SOFTWARE LICENSED HEREUNDER IS BELIEVED TO CONTAIN DEFECTS AND A PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS BETA TESTING LICENSE IS TO OBTAIN FEEDBACK ON SOFTWARE PERFORMANCE AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF DEFECTS. LICENSEE IS ADVISED TO SAFEGUARD IMPORTANT DATA, TO USE CAUTION AND NOT TO RELY IN ANY WAY ON THE CORRECT FUNCTIONING OR PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE AND/OR ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS.

Download BitDefender 2009 for Mac Beta 1 Build 1.9.0 (Free)