If you’re a fan of Apple’s Safari web browser, then you’ll be happy to hear that Apple has announced the availability of Safari 4 beta for both the PC and Mac platform. Safari 4 beta features the new Nitro JavaScript engine which Apple claims executes Javascript 4.2x faster than Safari 3, 30x faster than IE 7, and 3x faster than Firefox 3. In addition, the new browser loads HTML web pages 3x faster than both IE 7 and Firefox 3.

Features in Safari 4 beta include:

• Top Sites – frequently visited pages displayed as a wall of previews allowing users to jump to their favorite site with a single click;
• Full History Search -  users search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages to easily return to sites they’ve seen before
• Cover Flow user interface for searching web history or bookmarks
• Tabs on Top – better tabbed browsing with easy drag-and-drop tab management tools and an intuitive button for opening new ones;
• Smart Address Field – automatically completes web addresses by displaying an easy-to-read list of suggestions from Top Sites, bookmarks and browsing history;
• Smart Search Field – users fine-tune searches with recommendations from Google Suggest or a list of recent searches;
• Full Page Zoom – Closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site’s layout and text
• Built-in web developer tools to debug, tweak and optimize a website for peak performance and compatibility; and
• New Windows-native look in Safari for Windows using standard Windows font rendering and native title bar, borders and toolbars

You can download the beta now at http://www.apple.com/safari

[Check it out]

[Read this in Chinese Simplified and French]

Technorati Tags: Apple Safari 4 Beta

Mozilla, famous for its Firefox browser, may separate from its Thunderbird e-mail client.

Thunderbird, which was recently updated to version 2.0.0.5, is a competitor with Microsoft Outlook and Entourage and other stand-alone e-mail clients.

According to a blog post by Mitchell Baker, CEO of the Mozilla, the Firefox browser is the foundation’s first priority. As such, not enough development goes into the Thunderbird client.

The Thunderbird effort is dwarfed by the enormous energy and community focused on the web, Firefox and the ecosystem around it.

Three options have been proposed to resolve the issue, but at this point, no definitive action has been taken. With the future of Thunderbird unclear, Baker invites you to submit your own thoughts on his blog.

More at PCWorld and Mitchell Baker’s blog.

Technorati Tags: Mozilla Thunderbird, Email, E-mail