RITLabs has released a major update to its email client. The Bat! 5.0 features a complete rework of the program's intercommunication mechanisms, which significantly improves the way it access mail via IMAP. Not only does this make the program more stable and secure, but it also allows for the implementation of new search capabilities.

The Bat! 5.0 also boasts several new features, including folder information panels that display dynamically updated information about the currently selected mail folder, and a "smart" hints function that pops up relevant options when the mouse is pointed at specific parts of the program.

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Security specialist Emsisoft has released Online Armor 5.0, the latest version of their do-everything firewall package. If you've tried the program before then the most immediately obvious change will be its revamped interface, which makes it easier to locate the features you need and to understand the various alerts that you'll see.

Online Armor has now also extended its program trust level settings, which allow it to define exactly how much access your installed applications have to key files, folders and Registry keys.

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AVG has released a "Summer Update" for its security portfolio. AVG Internet Security 2011, AVG Anti-Virus 2011 and AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011 all benefit from higher malware detection rates, faster scan times, a lighter user interface and user experience improvements.

At the same time, AVG has also rolled out two new standalone services, both of which will also be accessible through the main AVG interface. AVG LiveKive is an online backup service offering free (5GB) and paid (25GB and "unlimited", or 500GB in reality) subscriptions, while AVG Family Safety offers online protection for children from unsuitable social networking sites as well as the wider web.

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In the web browser wars, it has long been the case that two names crop up again and again -- Internet Explorer and Firefox. In more recent years, alternatives such as Opera and Chrome have entered the fray, but it is still these two names that get mentioned most frequently. Where Firefox differs from Microsoft's web browser is in the fact that it is open source, which means that anyone is free to work with the code behind the app. This is precisely how Pale Moon came into being, offering a stripped down version of Firefox that is optimized for speed and efficiency.

As Pale Moon is based on the latest Firefox 4 code, it is possible to take advantage of all of the latest features and enhancements that have been included, while eliminating superfluous features that, for most people, serve little purpose other than using up value system resources. The idea behind Pale Moon stemmed from the fact that Firefox has been designed for maximum compatibility with as wide a range of computers, and this includes very old systems.

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If you're looking to maintain your browsing privacy then there are plenty of tools that can offer at least some help, by deleting your Internet history, cookies and cached files on demand.

This is a surprisingly difficult task to do well, though, and many of these utilities fall short of what most people really need. Browser support can be poor, for instance; the tool may not be as thorough as it claims; and typically you'll get little control over the cleanup process.

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The web design market is packed with tools that promise to help you quickly build a website, even if you're a design novice. But while ease of use is great, the end results are more important still: and the dull, static HTML templates you get with many of these packages won't impress anyone at all.

The cross-platform MAGIX Website Maker 5 takes a different approach, by allowing you to create animated Flash-based sites, which you can then customize with a host of animated and dynamic components: music and video players, photo galleries, contact forms, guestbooks, embedded YouTube videos or Google maps and many more.

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Radian is an app launcher to replace the Start menu that operates in quite a unique way. Rather than relying on a the usual system of menus and sub-menus, this launcher takes the form of a segmented circle whose sections can be customised to house shortcuts to the programs and documents you use most frequently.

Just like the Start menu, Radian can be accessed from any app, and it can be called up using either the mouse or keyboard shortcuts. The segmented circle is divided into four main sections  -- upper, lower, left and right, and these different sections can be used to keep different types of shortcuts grouped together.

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You can back up just about every aspect of your computing life, but what about the positioning and layout of your desktop icons? If you have everything neatly laid out exactly the way you want, it can be frustrating finding that the layout has changed. This typically occurs when temporarily lowering the desktop resolution (such as when entering Safe mode).

If this behaviour irks you, or you want to be able to switch between different layouts (perhaps you share your computer with a friend who has a nasty habit of moving desktops around the screen), then the answer to your problem lies with a handy little freeware tool called DesktopOK.

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ACDSee Systems has released ACDSee Pro 4, a comprehensive graphics package that can help you import, manage, view, fix, edit and share your digital photos.

New features this time around include improved metadata handling. A separate metadata panel makes it easy to edit IPTC metadata for individual images, or an entire batch, and you can even save frequently used metadata as presets, then apply them to a group of images in a single operation.

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There comes a time when we all forget where we have stored a particular files, or need to track down a series of files that have a particular name. Windows' own search tool is useful to a certain extent, but it can also be somewhat slow and limited. This is where the free Listary can help, making it possible to perform searches in Explorer windows as well as Open and Save dialogs.

As the program is always running in the background, there is not need to remember to launch it -- it is always there for whenever you might need it. The tool can be called up using a keyboard shortcut and you can then start typing your search terms. Real-time results and autocomplete mean that it often takes little more than a few letters to find what you are looking for.

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The long overdue release of Firefox 4 has prompted a mixed reaction from users. It's undoubtedly quicker than previous versions, and it consumes less system resources too. The streamlined user interface isn't to everyone's tastes however, while there are still functions missing that might prove to be deal-breakers for those weighing up the pros and cons of upgrading or switching from another web browser.

In this roundup we dig out a selection of extensions that can speed up Firefox 4 further, help you regain absent options, customize the browser to your tastes or to add in features found in other browsers that are missing here. So whether you're enamoured or enraged by the latest Firefox browser, there's bound to be something to charm or calm you in this collection.

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Everyone wants to keep their computer running as smoothly as possible, where possible avoiding the need to upgrade hardware. Over the years, Ashampoo has built up a reputation of producing easy to use software that makes it possible to do just this, and WinOptimizer 8 has just been released, taking system optimization to the next level.

A redesigned interface incredibly make it easy to access the suite's various modules, which are broken up into system maintenance, improving performance, customizing Windows, system analysis file tools and general utilities. Spread across each of these sections are hundreds of options that can be used to not only greatly speed up your computer -- using tools such as the drive cleaner and registry optimizer -- but also to perform other tasks such as securely deleting files.

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EASEUS Partition Master 8.0.1 has been released by Chinese software house EASEUS. The eighth major release of this popular partition tool boasts three notable new features, two of which are available in the freeware Home edition, while the third, an updated WinPE bootable disc option, is restricted to Professional and Server users only.

EASEUS Partition Master was one of the first freeware non-destructive partitioning tools to be released on the Windows platform, and allows users to partition their hard drives quickly and easily through a series of wizards, which allows them to create, delete, resize and move partitions.

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As a music producer who went through the rapid changes from the "tangible content" era to the "digital content" era I am incredibly pleased with Amazon's cloud storage and personal music streaming services. Editor's Note: Amazon unveiled Cloud Drive and Cloud Player on March 29.

I had conceived of a unique service similar to Amazon's Cloud Drive around 2004. Lacking the funds and expertise to put something together I chose a career path for my music that was far from designing web and app code. After 10 years of composing, producing, engineering and performing I have amassed a very large publishing catalog of music that I own and operate.

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It is understandable to think the Net Neutrality argument is new, but it is actually rooted in legislation that first passed in 1860. The Pacific Telegraph Act, which was passed in that year, essentially stated that no individual or entity, save the government, would be given preferential access to information which they were entitled to.

While today's Net Neutrality debate is surrounded by a much more complex information infrastructure, the same basic principles apply. A consumer's right to access information to which they are legally entitled is protected, and content carriers may not prioritize one customer or content provider over another.

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