windows newsletter

Over the past week, both Microsoft and Mozilla got some attention for their respective browsers with new "do not track" features. For its part, Microsoft announced the release candidate of Internet Explorer 9 at the Hang Art Gallery in San Francisco's Union Square. A massive list of improvements debuted in the new RC. Among the most notable enhancements are the new ActiveX filter, expanded support for HTML5 and "future-tech" standards, and advertiser tracking protection.

Meanwhile, Firefox 4 beta 11 has landed a useful security feature for people who are sick of "stalkertizements," those … Read more

What does Google have going for it that Mozilla does not? A faster rev cycle for its browser, according to some. Mozilla's aiming to change that this coming year, though. The developer has a new plan for Firefox in 2011: Turn the crank faster. Mozilla is set to deliver Firefox 4 in coming weeks. And according to a draft Firefox roadmap, the director of Firefox, proposed releasing versions 5, 6, and 7 in 2011, too. This fast-release ethos, pioneered in the browser world by Google's Chrome, means smaller changes arrive more frequently.

Speaking of Chrome, we took a … Read more

The majority of Windows news over the past week rests largely on Mozilla's shoulders. Namely, Mozilla released Firefox 4 beta 10. With plenty of competitors breathing down its neck--Microsoft's IE9 in particular--the pressure has been on the publisher to fix the final bugs that lie in the way of a Firefox 4 release. The latest build focuses mostly on stability and performance rather than on new features--although one new option is the ability to start Firefox in safe mode by holding down shift when launching on Windows.

Mozilla also made strides in the Firefox add-on department. While Google'… Read more

In its quest to continually improve Firefox, Mozilla has added a new do-not-track tool that will help users better thwart ads. With Mozilla's do-not-track technology, network data packets from the browser would signal to a Web site that a person doesn't wished to be tracked. Of course, the company still has to get the sites to cooperate with the new feature.

In security news, Kaspersky is taking its offerings to the next level with Pure Total Security. A laundry list of features new to Kaspersky debuted this week in the new home security suite. Originally announced earlier this … Read more

Lots happening in the browser world these days. For one, Mozilla is finally nearing completion of the next generation of its popular open-source browser, and the beta version of Firefox 4 is beginning to solidify into its final form. In the latest Firefox 4 beta, the browser focuses on faster start-up times brought by making improvements elsewhere in the code.

Google also made some developments with Chrome. Namely, the browser got a new developer hierarchy. Instead of notifying a "watchlist" of programmers who are affected by a particular change to the code in Chrome, a programmer on an &… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Although hardware took the spotlight at CES 2011, there was plenty to see on the software and service side as well, particularly in conjunction with said hardware. For one, the vast majority of the latest and greatest TVs at the show were Internet-capable devices with some type of app integration.

Another hot topic from the show: Honeycomb, the upcoming Android OS designed specifically for tablets. The OS features refined multitasking, richer and more interactive widgets, and a 3D user experience with unique home screen customization options.

Several online services made appearances as well, particularly those that focus on multimedia. … Read more

The end of the year is the perfect time to reflect back on the achievements of the past 12 months and look expectantly ahead to the potential advancements coming in the near future. So we here at Download.com we did just that.

For starters, we rounded up our top 10 most popular downloads from 2010. The site served up billions of downloads in 2010; check out the roundup and you can find out which 10 Windows programs were the most popular throughout the year.

We also made some predictions for CES 2011. Software and services may take a back … Read more

Download.com served up more than a billion software downloads in 2010--a huge feat, to be sure. And it may be tough to believe, but just 10 products made a huge contribution to that number. To recognize the programs that have dominated the Most Popular list for this year, we ranked the top 10 in 2010 among Windows downloads for your viewing pleasure.

Also, it may not have made our top 10 list, but Freemake Video Convertert certainly has its fair share of loyal fans. Since the software recently revved to version 2.0, we checked it out yet again … Read more

You heard right: Google's Chrome Web Store is open for business. The marketplace, similar to Google's Android Market and Apple's iPhone App Store, is designed for Chrome 8, which was released last week. It offers apps, as well as extensions and themes, for customizing the browser. Want to get inside the store? Be sure to check out our onsite video.

Also, there's nothing like a good deal to get us in the holiday spirit. From now until December 25, iCare Data Recovery 4.0 is available absolutely free. While most users never think about data recovery … Read more