Firefox 2011 Review

Experience the simplistic power of Firefox, one of the original FREE Internet browsers and winner of our TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award. This web browser packs top–notch features and blazing speed into a tidy, intuitive interface that will help you navigate the web the way you want to. A few outstanding features include tabbed browsing, an integrated search engine and many add–ons of all types. This high-performance browser also has a massive selection of great customization features and tools to help you personalize your Web experience. New to version 3.5 of Firefox is improved speed, a private browsing mode, even more security than in previous versions, open audio and video formats, and a bunch of additional improvements.
Features Set:

Mozilla Firefox has over 6,000 add-ons to customize and enhance your web browsing experience. Categories include blogging, tools, entertainment, humor, news, privacy and security, and more. You can add style to your browser with skins and themes. Or, equip your browser bar with a dictionary or add a media toolbar with games and other forms of entertainment.Firefox 3.5 features the innovative (first in the world, in fact) use of open audio and video. With HTML 5 audio and video support (and the Ogg Theora open video format), you can expect a richer media experience with fewer format problems and plug-ins getting in the way. You can even save a video directly from the site to your desktop.

Firefox has tabbed browsing so you can quickly jump from site to site and open more than one website in the same browser window. Firefox also allows you to change the order of your tabs, and has a redo function for when you accidentally delete tabs. And now Firefox even has a single-click option to open new tabs, and the ability to pull a tab off and create a new window. There is an add–on for voice interaction so you can navigate the Internet through simple voice commands.Firefox's integrated find-on-page function is slick and non-intrusive. You can easily find a word or phrase on a specific webpage without dealing with a pop-up window; Firefox puts the feature right into the bottom of the browser.

This is a great browser for students or others who conduct research on the Internet. Mozilla has developed virtual sticky notes so you can add your own notes to web pages, and they will be there when you return. The Library archives your browsing history and bookmarks for easy organization. One thing that was lost in the latest update was the ability to download video streaming files by simply clicking on the pop-up window that appears above the stream. This may be a minor change but was just one more thing that made it shine.

The innovative Smart Location Bar will adapt to your use and preferences. This handy tool makes it easy to return to websites you've previously visited, even if you don't remember the exact URL. The smart location bar helps you locate sites based on titles and content. The improved "Awesome Bar" has been refined and now includes privacy settings. One-click bookmarking makes it easy to organize your favorites. Firefox 3.5 also now includes anti-phishing, a pop-up blocker, password manager, and parental controls. Another nice feature is the anywhere drag and drop, which allows you to drag text or a link from anywhere on a web page and put it directly into your search bar.

Ease of Use:

Firefox is well organized and intuitive. The browser has an easy–to–use interface that has all the essentials but isn’t cluttered. Firefox features are powerful and useful, yet simple. Firefox 3.5 has several additional features that further improve usability. A fully integrated spell checker allows users to work directly on the web and still have spelling errors checked.Another great function is an automatic session restore. When Firefox reopens you pick up where you left off, even if the browser closed unexpectedly or by accident. It's really nice to not have to spend time getting back to where you were. Session restore restores text you were writing in an email and even downloads you might have been in the middle of.

The Firefox download manager is easy to use and integrates simply with the browser interface. The download manager gives you the ability to pause downloads and then pick up where you left off. This straightforward resume function is even available after a system restart.

Help/Support:

Mozilla provides lots of useful online documentation including FAQs, a knowledge base and tutorial. You can even get some help through email. The Mozilla team puts useful help right at your fingertips. The support center is searchable and includes standard help as well as personalized help in the form of live chat with the Firefox community. But even better than providing great support, Firefox makes it so that you won't need much help doing exactly what you want to do.

Summary:
Firefox is a FREE download; the numerous add–ons are also free. This is a simple, user–friendly browser; and there are so many add–ons it is great for someone who likes to customize and construct their ultimate browsing application.

Firefox hosts a load of features and a top-notch security system in an intuitive program. And with tools like the smart keyword search toolbar and password manager, you can add productivity to your web experience. Firefox has all the essential features to make a great browser, with plenty of add-ons for each user to personalize. But more than having all the features, Firefox outperforms in its execution. Firefox has a sleek interface with all the right tools under the hood. Firefox is certainly our browser of choice, and they continue to deliver new and innovative features that keep us excited, making the web a whole new experience as they go.