Browsers

Browsers

If you're looking for browsers or browser extensions, CNET Download.com has you covered. We feature all the latest versions of Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and more, as well as Firefox extensions, Internet Explorer add-ons, even RSS readers. If you want to surf the Web, CNET Download.com is the place to start. See all 1,126 products in this category.

for the week of: December 20Downloads

1.
Flash Player Mobile
Web Browsers11,178
2.
Opera Mini
Web Browsers7,894
3.
Opera Mini
Web Browsers5,621
4.
Adobe Flash Player 7 for Pocket PC
Web Browsers2,494
Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Sell mobile apps

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5.
Kinoma FreePlay
Web Browsers1,216
6.
Viigo for BlackBerry
Newsreaders & RSS Readers1,022
7.
Bolt Mobile Browser
Web Browsers930
Mac Starter Kit

Everything you need to get your Mac up to speed.

Download Now
8.
Windows Media Player (Pocket PC)
Web Browsers840
9.
Opera Mini
Web Browsers763
10.
Sompy Media Player
Web Browsers685

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RoboForm

Reduce multiple passwords to one single item.

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Release date

Calitics Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
California Lottos Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
California Healthline Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
California Fire News Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
Calcalist Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
BYU Universe Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
Byline Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
Business Junkie Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
Burnt Orange Report Dec 20
Newsreaders & RSS Readers
BBC SPORTS RSS Dec 19
Newsreaders & RSS Readers

See all new releases

1.
Viigo for BlackBerry
Access news, weather, entertainment, live sports, markets and stock portfolios with a single click.
2.
gDocsBar
Quickly upload, access, and manage Google documents from a handy Firefox sidebar.
3.
Skyfire for Windows Mobile (Touch Screen)
Browse your favorite Web sites exactly like you do on your PC.
4.
NYTimes for iPhone
Enjoy The New York Times on your iPhone.
5.
Ziibii (iPhone)
Read RSS, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook feeds and more in a unique way.
6.
Newsstand for iPhone
Read all your news feeds in an iPhone RSS reader that also syncs with Google Reader.
7.
Opera Mini
Opera Mini is a fast and tiny Web browser, that allows you to access the full Internet on your Palm OS device. Take all your favorite Web sites on...
8.
Opera Mini
Browse the Web quickly with your mobile device.
9.
PocketMusic
Play your favorite MP3 files on your Pocket PC.
10.
Super Mario Bros. 3 Firefox theme
Add a retro videogame theme to Mozilla Firefox.

See all editor's picks

an introduction to Browsers

Browsers, often called Web browsers, are software clients that allow users to navigate to sites on the World Wide Web. The majority of these Web sites use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), but many browsers can also interpret other protocols, including FTP, RSS, and P2P protocols such as BitTorrent. Hypertext pioneer Tim Berners-Lee created the first ever Web browser, WorldWideWeb, in 1990, but the software didn't become popular until the release of NCSA Mosaic, the first graphical client.

Browsers truly hit the mainstream with the launch of Netscape Navigator, which was later shortened to simply Netscape, though the free client's popularity was radically affected by the 1995 release of Internet Explorer, Microsoft's entry into the browser market. In the years since, IE has completely dominated the market, only recently losing ground to alternative browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Opera.

Aside from general Web browsers, various subsets of the category offer special services. Offline browsers cache content from the Internet for future reference when you're not connected to a network. Newsreaders manage content from Usenet newsgroups and syndicated feeds.

In recent years, the open-source browser Mozilla Firefox has earned praise for the ability of third-party developers to easily create extensions that add functionality. Among the thousands of home-brewed add-ons for Firefox, we've narrowed down our favorites in a collection of the best. The Microsoft browser also allows for IE add-ons, but its closed framework makes it a bit more difficult for developers.

from the download blog

Mozilla hopes to finish Thunderbird 3.1 in April

an introduction to Browsers