Just recently the newest release of the open source browser Firefox has been released with quite a bit of coverage in the media.  The Mozilla Foundation the organisation responsible for the development of the browser, has claimed a record number of downloads for Firefox 3.  So just what is all the fuss about? I thought I would post a quick review of the benefits that I see in Firefox that might be of some help if you are thinking of trying out the new browser.

I use both Internet Explorer (at work) and Firefox (at work and home) so I have the ongoing opportunity to compare the two browsers.  At work where it is a Microsoft dominated environment I often use IE 7 to get the most out of the integration with Microsoft Office applications.  Tellingly though, if I had to choose just one it would be Firefox and this is my browser of choice at home.

Top 5 reasons to try

Firefox 3 provides a lot of new features but here are my top 5 reasons for trying the new version out, whether you are a Firefox 2 user or are currently using another browser;

1. Excellent rendering speed (how quickly it displays a web page) - It is noticeably faster on complex websites such as web applications like Gmail.
2. The smart location bar (also known as the “awesome bar”) - Which provides a easy way to find the websites you have previously visited.  As you begin typing into the location bar, the browser will immediately provide a list of suggested web sites. These suggestions are drawn from your browsing history and are based on a combination of how frequently and how recently you have visited various sites. This really works well and will usually find where you want to go after only typing a few letters.
3. Built in security - The new browser has been designed to help it users browse more safely, with lots of integrated security features such as anti malware and phishing  tools, and an improved password manager.
4. Improved bookmarks management - The browser comes with nice bookmarking and bookmark management features included smart folders and a tagging capability.
5. Improved download Manager - A new download manager that lets you pause and resume later and cope with system crashes or forced shutdowns.

There are plenty of other new features to look at as well including the thousands of third party add-ons that are also available through an improved interface. In my opinion Firefox 3 continues to deliver innovation in the web browsing arena that would be missing if IE was the only option.

Do you use Firefox? What do you think of version 3?