Software : Download of the day: Opera

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Download of the day: Opera Posted: With a range of new and improved features, the Opera web browser is tooled up and ready to challenge the big boys in the browser war. Why you need it Start the new year with a new browser and give Opera a try. Although it's not as well known as some of its bigger-name rivals, it's been around for years and has made some real strides forward. Thanks to the browser wars that have been hotting up in recent years, Opera has seen its performance markedly improve. It's now right up there as a genuine competitor to the big boys of Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. Aside from the fast loading speeds, useful organisational tools and competitive range of extensions, Opera has a few interesting tricks up its sleeve. There's the Speed Dial, which displays customisable tiles for your favourite websites whenever you open a new tab. Added to that is that Turbo mode, which compresses web pages by up to 80%, saving you bandwidth if you're not on an unlimited internet plan. So take a break from the big browsers and give Opera a try – you could be pleasantly surprised. Key features Works on: PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and more Versions: Free Fast: Competition from its rivals has seen Opera up its performance, making it about as fast as the super speedy Google Chrome Extensions: Add extra features to your browsing experience with the large choice of extensions available to download Extra features: Opera has some useful features of its own, such as Speed Dial and Turbo mode You'll also like Google Chrome Firefox Internet Explorer Safari Thunderbird

Best free software of 2014: Google Chrome Posted: Having built its entire business around the web, it seems only right that Google would offer the best browsing experience on Windows. It has been quietly iterating and updating Google Chrome over the past year – and it shows. Microsoft's Internet Explorer lost the user experience battle with Google Chrome long ago, as did Mozilla Firefox and Apple's Safari. In 2014, Google added syncing between devices that have Chrome, which is seamless – as is integration with Google services (especially Google Now). As a part time Android user, having Chrome sync bookmarks and browsing information (such as passwords) from my computer to my phone is useful. Automatically syncing my Facebook password to my phone feels like the future and while it isn't specific to Chrome (Safari does it too), it just seems to work better and faster. A myriad of extensions are also available on Chrome alongside the Chrome Web Store, which offers 'apps' within Chrome, such as Angry Birds or TweetDeck. While there are also standalone app versions on Windows 8 and OS X Yosemite, it is nice to be able to quickly hop into the app through the Chrome browser. As a free browser that runs and syncs across all major platforms – both PC and mobile – Chrome is class leading.

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