The update rate for web browsers is faster than ever, and this has been a particularly busy week for Firefox, starting off with the release of Firefox 10 FINAL. While there aren’t a huge number of big, notable changes – aside from perhaps the rejigged forward button that hides until it is needed – this is still an important milestone and offers impressive performance and stability improvements over previous version as well as better support for third-party addons. There is also a portable version of the browser available in the form of Firefox Portable 10.0. The release of a new stable version of Firefox means that there has been a spate of releases in the other channels, including Firefox 11 Beta 1. If you’d like to peer a little further into the future, Firefox Aurora 12.0a2 gives a taste of what to expect from upcoming releases.

Quick 'n' Easy Web Builder lives up to its name make web creation a breeze

For anyone who wants to check out the very latest browser, the nightly versions of Firefox are worth checking out, but are not really stable enough for day to day use. This week we have seen the release of Firefox Nightly 13.0a1 (32-bit) and Firefox Nightly 13.0a1 (64-bit). Mozilla has also updated its email client which features improvements to email searching as well as a new web search facility – check out what’s new by downloading Mozilla Thunderbird 10.0 FINAL or Mozilla Thunderbird Portable 10.0. The often over-looked Mozilla SeaMonkey 2.7 has also been updated, bringing you a web browser, email client, IRC client and web editor in one handy package. If you’d prefer to try out a web editor that comes from a different heritage, look no further than Quick ‘n Easy Web Builder v1.0.0 RC which is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Keep your computer protected with Norton Internet Security

All of the main modern web browsers have a number of security features built into them, but these will need to be supplemented with dedicated tool to protect from viruses, hackers and other online threats.  Norton Internet Security 2012 v19.5 is a big upgrade to Norton’s security suite, bringing better support for newer browser releases, better cloud-based threat detection and much more. Norton AntiVirus 2012 v19.5 is available for anyone who is interested solely in virus protection rather than a complete security suite, and Norton Identity Safe Beta 2012.6.0.24 helps to protect your identity be providing you with a secure vault in which to store passwords and personal information. Norton is a name synonymous with security software and another title from the same company is Norton Power Eraser 2.5.0.42 which weeds out rootkits and other forms of malware. Along the same lines is Kaspersky WindowsUnblocker 1.0.3 which enables you to rid the registry of infections even if you are not able to boo into Windows. Having to create a bootable CD, DVD or USB drive is a bit of a pain, but it could be a lifesaver. This week there has also been an update to another stalwart of the security world, Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware Free 1.60.1.

Read Google Books on and offline with GooReader

With a new web browser installed and the necessary security software installed, you can make use of the internet for other things. Skype for Windows 5.8 and Skype for Mac 5.5.0.2340 are the latest incarnations of the famous VoIP client and there is now support for full HD video calling as well as beta support for audio and video calling with Facebook contacts as well as introducing a new push to talk feature. GooReader 4.0 is a great app for reading fans, making it possible to access your Google Books in offline mode as well as making it possible to convert books and magazines to PDF format – for a price. If settling down to watch a film is more your thing, look no further than CyberLink PowerDVD 12 Ultra which includes everything you need to watch DVDs, play videos and stream media in one handy app.

Boost the performance of Windows with Ashampoo WinOptimizer

If there’s something every computer needs, it is a selection of utilities to help you to look after the health and performance of your system. Ashampoo WinOptimizer 9 Beta is an incredibly comprehensive optimization and maintenance tool that includes registry defragmentation, benchmarking, cleanup options and much more. If you want to look after your hard drive, take a look at Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro 4.0 which will defragment your hard drive on an on-going basis to ensure the best possible layout of your files, far exceeding what can be achieved with Windows’ own defragmenter. You may be looking to save a little hard drive space, or perhaps want to email a selection of files without filling up your friends’ inboxes. PeaZip 4.4 [32-bit] could help you by enabling you to compress file in Zip or 7z format as well as opening compressed RAR archives. PeaZip Portable 4.4 (32-bit), and PeaZip 4.4 [64-bit] and PeaZip Portable 4.4 (64-bit) have also been updated.

That’s it for this week. Join us at the same time next week for a catch up on the week’s most exciting releases.