The Download Dispatch

In this economy, it's always nice to hear some good news. Mozilla brought that in the form of its 2009 financial reports. The company saw its 2009 revenue increase 34 percent to $104 million, up from $78 million the year before. This is at least partially thanks to a mutually beneficial search-ad partnership with Google.

All is not sunshine and roses in the browser world, however. Microsoft's latest iteration of IE 9 has triggered some speed-test squabbles between developers. The seventh IE version beats rivals on the SunSpider benchmark. But Microsoft doesn't like the test, and Mozilla … Read more

Though the Big Five browsers duke it out to see which one can come up with the best mix of speed, compatibility, and add-ons, social networking bruisers Flock 3 and RockMelt beta have taken off the kid gloves to beat each other senseless over Twitter and Facebook integration. We pit the two minor leaguers against one another in a head-to-head blog with plenty of video goodness to keep you interested.

In other news, iTunes 10.1 is out now, and with it comes AirPlay, the new feature that will allow videos to be streamed to an Apple TV. Apple introduced … Read more

Having a tidy system is important, which is why we're always eager to see updates from our favorite drive wipers. Last week, we took a closer look at CCleaner 3, freeware from Piriform, that hasn't seen many major revisions since it was launched in 2004. Version 3 of the software introduces some major new features that make it worth the upgrade, such as a drive-wiping tool that can wipe all the data from your hard drive. You can see much of the new functionality for yourself in our First Look video.

We also got up close and personal … Read more

Browsers saw some renewed interest over this past week as Microsoft kicked off its Professional Developers Conference in Redmond. The company released an updated test version of Internet Explorer 9, which is a new platform preview that developers can use to test Web sites. However, it's not an update to the more full-featured beta version that Microsoft released earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Mozilla announced that it would be pushing back the Firefox 4 launch to 2011. Six beta versions have arrived in recent weeks, but Firefox 4 beta 7 hasn't appeared, despite more than six weeks of frenzied … Read more

Now into its second year, Google Chrome has begun to mature from a lightweight and fast browsing alternative into an innovative browser on the precipice of a potential revolution with the pending ChromeOS. The software saw another minor rev recently, so we decided to give it an even closer look for a review update. The browser that people can use today, Chrome 7, offers highly competitive features, including synchronization, autofill, and maintains Google's reputation for building one of the fastest browsers available.

We also got up close and personal with Trend Micro's Maximum Security 2011, which brings users … Read more

Financial software might not be the type of thing to make your knees go weak, but a good program is a control freak's dream come true. Such is the case with Intuit's latest offering in the form of Quicken 2011, which launched last week in a choice of three versions: Starter Edition, Deluxe, and Premier. No matter which one you choose, you'll benefit from a streamlined setup process and handy improvements to the user interface.

Also cycling through the update process is popular VoIP service Skype, which revved to version 5 last week. This edition features a … Read more

Over the past week, desktop software took a back seat as CNET attended the CTIA Fall 2010 trade show, where editors got up close and personal with every variety of mobile app under the sun. The highlights included the innovative and supremely useful shopping app Aisle411; a new twist on the universal remote from Twonky; and an all-new, all-free texting service from HeyWire. In addition, Vlingo announced its new InCar feature, aimed at making texting while driving safer (a popular theme this season).

We also got to check out a nifty software solution from memory-maker SanDisk. The company announced Media Manager … Read more

Three things are on the tips of our tongues lately: Internet browsers, security suites, and video-editing apps. Let's start with the first. NetApplications' browser usage statistics for September provide a look at who's gaining clout on the Web: Google's Chrome, twin mobile powerhouses Apple iOS and Google Android, and Microsoft's IE9. In other browser news, Chrome enjoyed an update that added activation by default of the WebGL 3D graphics technology, an option for built-in Google Instant search results, and some hardware acceleration for some CSS transformations--to the dev version, at least.

On the security side of … Read more

Antivirus and security software may have an expiration date, but it's not dead yet. We found evidence in the form of Norton's new offerings, which were released just last week to praise from CNET editors. Internet Security 2011 maintains its recent strong performance record and introduces some useful new features in the latest version, making it one of the top Internet security suites available. Meanwhile, AntiVirus 2011 offers the same core high-quality computer and networking protection features as its more full-featured sibling, but comes with a slightly cheaper price tag attached.

We also spent some time with BitDefender Total Security 2011, … Read more