Do you switch back and forth between Internet Explorer and Firefox and miss the bookmarks of the one when you’re in the other?  Then check out the Firefox extension PlainOldFavorites for a quick fix to this and get your bookmarks in sync.

What PlainOldBookmarks does is creates an extra option in your menu bar called “Favorites” right next to your “Bookmarks” in Firefox.  This is a list of all the favorites in Internet Explorer that you can now access, sort, add to and delete from right through Firefox.

Grab it for free from:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/668

There is already a ton of comparisons and technical reviews of free browsers online, just google “review browsers” for that kind of detail.  I’m going to list the top three and the quick notes as to why they are worth using as an alternative to the one you use habitually.

Firefox

Firefox seems to be the number one rated browser out there.  It happens to be the one we use mostly at NYC Tech Guys.   It is fast, runs on both PCs and Macs, and is known as one of the safest browsers in terms of preventing viral-type vulnerabilities.   We are also fond of  adding a handy extension called Adblock Plus which disables annoying advertisements on websites.  (More about add-ons coming soon.)

Google Chrome

This is a browser whose reputation boasts a fast and simplified user interface.  I really like how efficiently streamlined it is — a little plus sign opens a new tab, bookmarks and recently viewed pages populate as thumbnail images, and it offers a private browsing option (surf without being tracked).  I think this might become my new favorite!

Opera

Do you have an older computer?  Opera is less of a resource guzzler, which IE and Firefox have been known to be; meaning, you may experience more ease moving between your browser and other applications.  It’s built well, it runs on both PCs and Macs, and it synchronizes well between computers if you like to have your settings the same on all the computers you use throughout the day.

Lastly, in all fairness, Internet Explorer has really met the competition as of late with IE 8.  All of these browsers have corresponding numbered versions, Firefox is at version 3, etc.  To find out what browser version you are running, generally select “Help” from the browser menu and  then select “About . . .” (IE or Mozilla Firefox). If you are married to IE and you have a relatively new computer, definitely upgrade to version 8.  You will be happy to know that with version 8 they have improved its security, added private browsing, and created tab features that color code and minimize site crashes.

What is important is that you know choices exist.

There’s a whole new world out there.  Download away and happy surfing!

Get Firefox here:  http://www.mozilla.com/

Get  Google Chrome here:  http://www.google.com/chrome

Get Opera here:  http://www.opera.com/

Get Internet Explorer 8 here:  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/