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Build the Perfect Browser

We tested dozens of add-ons to find tools that make the new versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox even more useful.

Erik Larkin

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Browser Boosters

Too good to languish under a Miscellaneous tag, these great add-ons don't fit into our other categories.

Quero Toolbar Click here to view full-size image.This navigation-bar replacement blocks some advertisements and gives you plenty of other useful options, but its best feature is that you can use it to convey a more-familiar IE 6 look upon much of the IE 7 interface.

After installing the toolbar, choose Hide standard address/navigation bar under the Appearance option. Then consult "Master IE 7 Add-Ons" for advice on how to rearrange the toolbars to your liking; for example, you may want to move the menu bar back up top.

Unfortunately, though Quero does include a set of 18 search engines in its search box, you can't add more.

Adblock Plus This is one of the most popular Firefox add-ons, and for good reason: Adblock Plus automatically blocks online ads, based on their source URL. You can easily turn it off or tell it to display ads when you visit certain sites. Adblock Plus automatically blocks a wide range of online ads.

Bayden IE Power-Ups Supercharge your right-click! This collection of tools gives you new options in the right-click menu, such as looking up selected text on Wikipedia or hiding all of the images on a page at once for easier reading. There's also an option for speeding up broadband page-load times by using additional simultaneous connections.

Mouse Gestures You can save time (and a little wrist strain) by using particular mouse gestures to execute common commands. For example, you can quickly go back a page by holding the right mouse button and moving the mouse to the left.

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