Firefox 4.0 revealed !
Mozilla recently released details about the upcoming Firefox 4.0 which is due to arrive in the latter part of 2010. The new version will bring with it a range of new features, such as a new slick user interface and multi-touch gesture support.
For those existing Firefox users, a plentiful number of changes can be expected prior to the late 2010 release date of 4.0, with both 3.6 and 3.7 lined up for debut before then. These new releases will offer such improvements and features as faster javascript handling, improved form completion tools, bookmark synchronization and pageload enhancements.
Mozilla also revealed that when Firefox 4.0 does hit, it will take a leaf out of Google Chrome’s book, as each tab will function with it’s own separate process, reducing the instances of losing your precious browser session.
Firefox 4.0 will be with us in late 2010, so be sure to stick it in your diary!
10th version of Opera
Opera has always been packed with features, but it has yet to gain the same kind of publicity that Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome enjoy. And that’s a shame, because version 10 of the Web browser adds a slew of clever features that anyone who surfs the Web will welcome.
Like previous versions, Opera 10 is fast, configurable, and clean-looking--and it offers just about everything you’d expect in a modern browser, including a pop-up blocker, plug-ins, an RSS reader, and an anti-phishing tool. Unlike competing browsers, it also has a surprisingly good built-in e-mail client, with support for POP3 and IMAP servers, the ability to create incoming message rules, and a spam filter.
The new features don’t clutter up the browser or make it more difficult to use.
Overall, Opera 10 is sleeker-looking than previous versions. But Opera’s added beauty is more than skin-deep. Tab handling, for example, has improved, in that you can now configure the browser so that thumbnails of all of your tabs appear above each tab; the thumbnails are re-sizable as well.
Opera has always displayed pages quickly, and the newest version is even speedier, particularly on interactive sites that use a lot of resources, such as Facebook and Gmail. Opera claims a 40 percent increase in speed.
Among other new features are an inline spelling checker (which will be particularly welcome to bloggers) and Opera Turbo, a compression technology that Opera says will allow you to surf faster on slow connections, such as via dial-up. As a broadband user, I was not able to test this feature, so I can’t vouch for it.
Surprisingly, given how many features Opera has, it still lacks one feature that IE, Firefox, and Chrome all have: a privacy mode that makes all traces of your Web-surfing session vanish after you close the browser. If such a feature is important to you, Opera isn’t the best choice.
Should you replace your current browser with Opera? Which browser you use is a personal decision, so we can’t give a one-size-fits-all answer. But anyone who has ever wished that their browser were faster and more feature-packed will certainly want to give Opera 10 a try. |
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