It's this simple: when Firefox 3.0 goes into final release, you'll want it. It's a significant improvement over Firefox 2.0, adding a host of features any Web surfer will want. You may even want to test it today. Even though Mozilla says that this version is only for Web developers, we found it surprisingly stable and bug-free (we tested the version for Vista).

Are you sick and tired of Internet Explorer?

Google has produced an excellent browser that is friendly enough to handle average browsing activities without complicating the tasks, but at the same time it's powerful enough to meet the needs of more-advanced users.

If you want one of the fastest, safest, convenience-loaded browsers available, go for Opera. For speed and improved security alone, Opera 9.5 is a worthy upgrade.

Firefox 3 sets new standards for the Web browser. From security and usability through performance, every aspect of Firefox has seen improvements and immediately useful feature additions. Expect Firefox's market share to not only continue to grow, but grow even faster from this point on.

This one-stop Web browser offers easy blogging and integration with Web services, but not all of its features are configurable.

Despite SeaMonkey's rough edges, its bundling of a browser, an e-mail utility, and an HTML editor in one package is appealing.

What impressed us most about Onspeed was the quality of its compression technology. Pages spring into your browser two or three times more quickly than normal and images are not overly degraded in the process.

If you post multiple items on Ebay at once, there is no better tool available for doing so

The final version of Firefox should provide even more improvements to memory leaks and other areas of performance and, as a sleek, customisable browser this is still a very good application. Previous versions of Opera and Internet Explorer have done more in terms of interface design and security features, but Firefox is catching up.

At first glance, Safari 3.0 seems a solid upgrade. There may not be any earth-shattering new features, but what is new feels well thought-out and improves on Safari's already strong performance.

If you're a power user, you can get used to some Microsoft Internet Explorer-related eccentricities. If you're looking for the most features in a Web browser, live with Maxthon 2.1 a while, and you may learn to love it.