Software : Updated: Best Browsers 2015: the top five candidates for your PC

Updated: Best Browsers 2015: the top five candidates for your PC
Gmail brings the blocks to Android
Windows 10 update makes managing emails easier
Cortana adds native translation support to its box of tricks
Instagram turns itself into a genuine messaging service

Updated: Best Browsers 2015: the top five candidates for your PC

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Introduction

Best Browsers

There was once a time when the world of web browsing was ruled by Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Those days are fast becoming ancient history thanks to the veritable smorgasboard of browsers out there catering to everyone's habits

On the whole browsers are completely free and offer a similar experience in that they find web pages and deliver them as quickly as possible. In addition to the regular suspects of Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Opera there are plenty of new browsers ready to bring new perspective including Torch, Tor, Web Freer and various others. That's before you even bring Microsoft's brand spanking new Edge browser into the equation.

To find you the best browsing experience we've gone through the list with a fine tooth comb and picked out what we think are the five best free browsers for Windows PC users in the world right now.

Mozilla Firefox

Constant updates, add-ons and high performance across all platforms, especially Windows PCs, makes Mozilla Firefox one of the most popular web browsers on the planet. Its intuitive interface lends itself to beginners whereas the high level of customisation makes sure that advanced users are kept on their toes.

Tabbed browsing is at its heart and the add-ons is where Firefox really comes into its own by offering all kinds of ways to tinker with the browsing experience. Security is kept at an exceedingly high level thanks to the slew of updates that are always being worked on and a speed test last year showed that it is only second to Internet Explorer for speed.

Firefox, like most of its competitors, is constantly evolving and the latest feature to arrive as part of Firefox 41 is instant messaging for both desktop and Google Android users.

Windows versions going all the way back to 95 can still use versions of Firefox yet the latest stable version (35.0.1 at the time of writing) are only available for XP Service Pack 2, Server 2003 SP1 or later versions. As for the future, stable builds are on the way all the time and for HTML5 it is just bested by Google Chrome and Opera, thus making its features exceedingly hard for any other browser to beat.

Google Chrome

Battling it out at the top of the browsing ranks is Google Chrome and for users plugged into the Google ecosystem it's quite simply a joy to behold.

It offers a cross-platform browsing experience that is second-to-none in terms of syncing information but to the run-of-the-mill Windows PC user it won't matter that this option is available. Like Firefox, Chrome comes with a wide array of apps and add-ons from the Chrome Store that add a considerable amount to the browsing experience and one area that it does even better than Firefox is the HTML5 loading speed that is at a higher level than any other Windows browser.

Chrome only runs on Windows XP SP2 or later and with support for XP disappearing in April 2015 it will be one of those browsers of of reach of those running older versions of the world's most popular OS.

In all honesty it's very hard to choose between Firefox and Chrome as they're both similar in what they offer to the end user so pick whichever you like the look of.

Microsoft Edge

Annotations in Edge

Unless you've been living the existence of a hermit for the past couple of months, you'll know that Microsoft released a replacement for Internet Explorer in late July in the shape of Microsoft Edge.

Designed to harness the very best of Windows 10, on first look the browser already appears completely different to its far older sibling except for one thing - it uses an 'e' as its logo that makes it familiar as the home of the internet for many PC users. One big way that it differs from IE apart from the design is the lightning quick performance it offers thus addressing a significant bug bear for IE users in the past.

There are obviously teething problems inside a browser that was in early beta as recently as March and one of the most annoying of these is certain sites that rely on Microsoft's Silverlight tech don't function correctly. The same applies for various poorly build sites that don't appear as they should.

Where it really comes into its own, though, is through the integration with Cortana that allows you to select anything and then 'Ask Cortana' what it is before it is displayed in the sidebar. Cortana is a big part of Windows 10 and its presence in Edge is a welcome addition.

Its very nature as part of the new era of Windows-as-a-Service means the problems will be ironed out as time goes on and as a break from the IE tradition this has the potential to be very impressive indeed.

Opera

Opera Browser

One of the newest browsers on the top table is Opera with a speedy experience and various little extras that make it a credible rival to the big three Windows PC browsers. Yet again you'll notice the tabbed browsing experience that feel rather squared compared with Firefox and Chrome, and closer to IE in terms of looks. Although the similarities to IE end there.

Its extra features make it stand out and none more so than the Turbo mode. Opera's shot of NOS speeds up page loading times by compressing pages by up to 80 per cent and it is a god send for anyone with a sluggish connection. Although we're not sure whether Opera's claim that it will make a dial-up connection resemble a broadband line, it certainly does make it a lot quicker to get on to certain pages.

Speed dial is another added extra that enables you to add your favourite sites as large icons to the start screen, however, most other browsers now have a similar version of this available and the same can be said for the add-ons that are also elsewhere.

Torch

Torch Browser

Sick of having to download apps or an add-on everything you do anything online? Torch is a Chrome-based browser that comes with a range of nifty tools already built-in to prevent you having to continually find add-ons.

Torch looks exactly the same as Chrome interface-wise, although that's where the comparison ends as there's so much more you can do from the get-go including the ability to download torrents and grab media straight from pages. There's also dedicated tabs for music, which clicks in to YouTube to deliver a polished Spotify-esque experience, and games are laid out as app tiles and can be played from right inside the browser.

In addition there are custom home and search page backdrops that come with the time in the top left corner and options for all manner of different wallpapers that can be accessed by selecting the menu in the top right corner.

It displays the same lightning quick HTML5 speeds as Google Chrome and Torch is an excellent alternative for anyone looking to a browser that breaks away from the norm.

Gmail brings the blocks to Android

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Is there anything in this world as frustrating as copious emails with no easy way to unsubscribe? Well, yes, there are plenty, but that hasn't stopped Google from updating its Gmail app for Android to bring easy Block and Unsubscribe functionality to the app.

This isn't the first attempt at offering easy unsubscribe functionality from Gmail, but given the rise and rise of smartphones, this version is much more useful.

The app update also allows users to block "disruptive" people – so long as they stick with the same email address.

Have yourself a Block Party

To block or unsubscribe yourself from unwanted emails, you simply have to press the three dots menu button next to the email in question while using the latest version of the Gmail app on Android.

From there, you will be given the option to Block or Unsubscribe, alongside traditional options of Moving and Marking as Important

By making these changes, Gmail will automatically start pushing content to the Spam folder. If you change your mind down the track, you can undo the changes later.

Windows 10 update makes managing emails easier

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Microsoft is making a new Mail feature available on Windows 10. With the latest Insider Preview build, you can now turn off conversation view in the Mail app. The bad news is that you won't have access to this feature unless you're an Insider willing to test software for Microsoft ahead of commercial availability.

When Microsoft debuted the new Mail client on Windows 10, all emails were grouped into conversations by subject, rather than by time stamp. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not give users the option to turn off conversation view, at least until now.

Given that the feature is being tested by Windows Insiders, it could eventually make it into the next big Windows 10 release. Microsoft has a planned OS update for November, and this could introduce conversation view into Mail for all users.

Mail

Mail is one of a number of apps that Microsoft redesigned for Windows 10. Together with Calendar and People, these apps deliver similar experiences to the Outlook app that Microsoft had launched for iOS, Android and Windows 10 Mobile. On Windows 10, these apps offer better support for non-Microsoft services, like synchronizing People contact information with Google.

With the Mail experience, another feature that is lacking is a unified inbox. The current setup does not allow you to view emails across different email accounts. If you have more than one email account, you still need to switch between them.

Enterprise customers who need a more powerful email and personal information management system can always use the Outlook program that comes with Office 365.

Windows as a Service

With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft is changing its strategy with Windows. Rather than delivering Windows as a software product, Microsoft is positioning it as a service.

This means that the product will receive continuous updates. Updates will automatically download in the background and get installed when they're ready. Unfortunately, this means that you can't skip an update if you don't like what it does, but Microsoft has shown that it is listening to its users to deliver positive experiences.

The OS is available free to owners upgrading from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 during the first year of release, and the promotional offer has attracted more than 75 million installs in just less than a month.

Via: ZDNet

More about Windows 10

Windows 10

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Windows 8.1 users will miss some features

Windows 10 is an entirely new version of the veteran Windows operating system – a version that is make-or-break for Microsoft.

It was released on 29 July in seven versions, which we'll tell you a lot more about in our full review, as well as give you our complete verdict on all aspects of the new OS...

Read the full review: Windows 10

Cortana adds native translation support to its box of tricks

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All the goodness of Microsoft Translator is being added to the Cortana app inside Windows 10, which means you'll soon be able to ask Microsoft's digital assistant for instant translations.

Just load up the OS on a tablet or laptop and you're good for your tour of Europe (just watch those data charges).

Native translation support is now available in the US and China and we're hoping it expands internationally soon. Cortana itself hasn't yet been switched on in the UK yet for Windows 10 users but there seems no reason why Microsoft would want to hold it back much longer.

38 different languages are supported, including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, simplified Chinese and Japanese. Some less well-known ones make the cut too, such as Finnish and Slovenian.

Language barriers

To use Cortana's new interpretation skills, shout the "hey Cortana" shortcut at your computer. You can then use the phrases "translate..." or "how to say..." as you prefer. As with any other Cortana query, you can opt to type it into the taskbar search box if you don't like raising your voice in the living room or office.

Via the Open Translator button to the side you can edit the translation, hear it through a text-to-speech engine, or share it with a friend (if you must) - and this shortcut takes you to the Microsoft Translator page on Bing.

Considering Microsoft Translator is already well established as part of Bing, it's a surprise it's taken so long to make the jump to Cortana.

Microsoft also recently added the same functionality to its Skype app, though if you have serious business to conduct we'd suggest that learning the lingo is still the best way of making yourself understood.

Android Wear can now translate almost any conversation

Instagram turns itself into a genuine messaging service

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Instagram has just added a bunch of new instant messaging features to its mobile apps, making it easier to hold one-to-one conversations, share photos privately and keep track of group chats on the platform.

Instagram Direct launched back in December 2013, giving users the option to send photos privately, but up until now it's been fairly limited as a DM platform - users had to start conversations with a photo, for example, and could only reply with text rather than another picture.

Now both of those limitations have been dropped. What's more, it's now possible to share something straight from your feed into a private conversation, reducing the need for all those @mentions cluttering up the comments.

Pick up the thread

The newly added threaded conversations feature makes it easier to pick up chats where you left off, and Instagram obviously wants to tap into the success enjoyed by WhatsApp - both apps are owned by Facebook, of course.

"With these changes to Direct, it's easier to connect around the things you love," enthuses Instagram in the official blog post. "We hope it helps bring the community closer together than ever."

According to Instagram, around 85 million people (from a total userbase of 300 million) make use of Instagram Direct. The new upgrades available now on iOS and Android should see that figure climb further.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015