Mozilla Firefox 9.0.1 is the latest version of the hugely popular web browser. The brand new Firefox 9 brings a (upto) 40% under-the-hood speed improvement, tighter control over add-ons and little more, as well as being faster than previous versions. Download Firefox 9 for Windows and for Mac and for your Android device.

Thunderbird is a neat free email client that has a small footprint and features some smart ways to stop junk mail. All the popular mail formats are supported and it comes with options for importing mail, address books and settings from Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora and other clients. Thunderbird 9 is now based on the new Gecko 8 engine, an improved add-ons manager and other fixes. Download for Windows and Mac.

CCleaner 3.14 now supports Windows 8 (pre-beta). This hugely popular tool enables you to quickly and easily clean files, browsing history, temporary data and other clutter from your computer. There's also a separate CCleaner Portable and an version of CCleaner for Mac, with a more limited feature-set.

Comodo Internet Security 5.9, Antivirus 5.9 and Firewall 5.9, are a popular and free suite of security tools designed to protect you against the majority of threats you may encounter when you surf the internet. Internet Security will keep you safe from most online threats you may encounter and help you to scan and remove them if your machine becomes infected. Alternatively, if you don't want to install the full package, you can simply install more basic Firewall and/or Antivirus.

Seamonkey 2.6.1 is a popular internet suite from Mozilla. Useful for those who really like Firefox and Thunderbird.

iolo System Mechanic FREE 10.8.1 is, as the title implies, the free alternative of iolo's powerful system maintenance tool. Use System Mechanic to enhance numerous areas of system performance and keep your PC running smoothly.

VirtualBox 4.1.8 is a powerful virtualisation product that enables you to run and manage multiple operating systems on a single machine. The latest v4.1.8 is a relatively minor upgrade. VirtualBox is also available for Mac OS X.

Sick of trying to keep in touch with others using different IM clients? One may be using Skype, another Live (MSN) Messenger, whilst another group prefer AOLs AIM. Trillian is a superb chat client that will enable you to chat with multiple users, across different IM networks, from the same interface.

Burnaware Free 4.3 is a good basic burning tool that's designed to produce discs, quickly.  Burn your data and audio discs, as quickly as possible. It will support just about every burning media from a single 700MB CD through to a Blu-ray writable disc. Assuming you have a Blu-ray burner.

Finally, we wish all our Download Junky readers a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. This will be the final roundup of this year, although download updates will be maintained on V3.co.uk through the holiday period.

Google Chrome 16 hit a major milestone this week. v16, moved from beta to stable, bringing multi-user support, enabling you to use one browser in one user profile and simply log in and out to access your bookmarks and browsing history.

AVG PC Tuneup 2012 is an all-in-one system maintenance tool that ships with a number of modules aimed at enhancing and maintaining system performance. Use this app to clean, boost and maintain your privacy.

Teamviewer 7 is a powerful tool that will enable you to control and manage a remote computer, from your PC. install TeamViewer on your computer and remote user's (or yourself) can initiate a TeamViewer module on your machine. This module does not need installation. The remote user can then control your computer, upload/download files and show you how to perform particular tasks.

AppRemover 2.2.21.1 is a specialist software removal tool that’s designed to remove installed security applications from various suppliers. It’s ideal for when you want to completely eradicate installed security software with the intention of installing fresh security packages.

Cyberduck 4.2.1 for Windows and for Mac is is the latest release of the popular free FTP client. Use this tool to admin a remote server, upload content to your Amazon S3 storage and download files from a secure FTP site.

Dropbox 1.2.49 is a powerful file synchronisation tool. Simply drop files in to your box and watch them automatically sync across your computers, whether they are Windows or Mac computers. You can also access your Dropbox from your mobile phone, if you need access to an important document.

Opera 11.60 is a popular alternative web browser. The latest v11 ships with a new UI, Speed Dial extensions, password synchronisation and much more.

If you have problematic software you want to remove from your computer, IObit Uninstaller 2.1 enables you to completely erase applications from your hard drive, without leaving the usual registry clutter and other junk files behind.

DriverMax 6.10 is an easy solution for managing Windows system drivers. DriverMax is able to display a complete report of all drivers installed on your system which can be very useful when you want to analyse the differences between the drivers installed on different machines.

The latest version of iTunes 10.5.2 brings (international) support for iOS 5's iTunes Match. iTunes Match scans your music collection and matches titles found in its own iTunes music database, then makes them available for online streaming through iCloud.

There has also been a minor update for the ever-popular iolo System Mechanic 10.7. This comprehensive system maintenance and optimisation tool ships with everything you'd need to keep your PC running smoothly and can also be run in the background, without affecting day-to-day tasks. The latest benefits from a number of speed and stability improvements.

Comodo Unite 3.0.2.0 is a handy tool that enables users to easily create a secure and encrypted virtual private network (VPNs) between groups of computers. Once connected, all computers can securely share any files they choose. Share music and photos with pals, set up a multi-player gaming session, or simply chat with friends using the included messaging service.

Antenna 1.5 is an easy-to-use tool for exploring radio stations from across the globe. Search is possible by country or genre, or just by clicking on a location on the map. Beyond that you have a history of recently-listened stations and can even rate the ones you like and return to them at a later date.

Cyberduck 4.2 for Windows and for Mac is is the latest release of the popular free FTP client. Use this tool to admin a remote server, upload content to your Amazon S3 storage and download files from a secure FTP site.

Freemake Video Converter 3.0 is a powerful freeware video manager that will enable you to convert from one video format to another, with ease.

If you want to browse the web securely, Hotspot Shield 2.18 is an ideal security tool. This app gives you a secure VPN so you can hit the internet without any website knowing your location, source or other personal info.

WYSIWYG Web Builder 8.0.1 is an easy way to create your own websites. You can drop in a number of Windows objects such as ActiveX code and also Flash media files and, when you’ve finished your design, test and then upload to your homepage.

Speccy 1.14 is the latest version of the small but powerful tool designed to give you a detailed analysis of your PCs hardware configuration. The application has a number of uses but is ideal when trying to identify what components are currently installed on your machine.

CCleaner 3.13 which now supports Windows 8 has also been updated this week. This hugely popular tool enables you to quickly and easily clean files, browsing history, temporary data and other clutter from your computer. There's also a separate CCleaner Portable 3.11 and an version of CCleaner for Mac, with limited features.

Safari 5.1.2 is the latest version of Apples popular web browser. The latest version is faster than ever and boasts a number of new features and fixes.

For the past few years K-Lite Codec Pack has become a great source for alternative codecs. It ships with just about every audio and video codec you'll ever need to view content online. The latest version 8.0.0 now ships with support for Blu-Ray playback.

EssentialPIM 4.5 is a free and multilingual personal information manager that ships with three main components, which include a calendar, note taker and contact manager, just about everything you'd need to stay organised.

Advanced SystemCare Free 5 is a comprehensive PC utility suite that will help you optimise and tweak your PC, then repair and protect it. This free utility is equipped with all the features needed to maintain a smooth running, error free PC with relative ease.

This week there have been a number of new Android apps made available. Stumbleupon is a hugely popular tool that's great for killing time. The app makes it easy for users to stumble upon content on the internet that they perhaps might not have otherwise seen, and share or recommend it to their friends. Google Books for Android is a great free app that gives users access to over 3 million books using their Android tablet and Astrid Task is a popular and award-winning app to help you manage task and other to-do's.

Mozilla Firefox 8.0 is the latest version of the hugely popular web browser. The brand new v8 includes a much-improved add-on manager which gives you far more control over which add-ons are installed automatically, as well as being faster than previous versions. Download Firefox 8 for Windows and for Mac.

There's also a separate Firefox 8 for Android, which you can use on your mobile device.

Pale Moon 8.0 is the latest version of the speed-optimised, Firefox-8 based browser. This interesting browser will instantly feel familiar if you've used Firefox but also includes a number of unique features designed to improve speed and efficiency. The latest v8.0 is based on Firefox 8.

Another major release from Mozilla, Thunderbird 8. This neat email client has a small footprint and features some smart ways to stop junk mail. Thunderbird 8 is now based on the new Gecko 8 engine, an improved add-ons manager and other fixes.

Adobe Flash Player 11.1 is a minor update to the media player that enables you to view flash content within your web browser. In addition to accelerated graphics, Flash 11.1 now is natively in 64-bit code on all supported platforms, which will enable it to better integrate with browsers and plug-ins that are coded in 64-bit and more. Download FlashPlayer 11.1 for Internet Explorer or 11.1 for Other Browsers.

This week there has been another update to the ever-popular LibreOffice. The latest v3.4.4 ships with minor improvements that include official support for for business and enterprise deployment, as well as a new colour chart feature has been added to make life a little easier.

Dropbox 1.2.48 is a powerful file synchronisation tool. Simply drop files in to your box and watch them automatically synch across your computers, whether they are Windows or Mac machines. You can also access your Dropbox from your mobile phone, if you need access to an important document.

Triallian 5.1.0.15 is an easy-to-use chat client that will enable you to chat with multiple users, across different IM networks, from the same interface. the latest version ships with Skype support.

FileZilla 3.5.2 is a popular cross-platform free FTP client. FTP clients are still essential tools for maintaining a remote server, uploading new content or for minor admin. There is also a FileZilla 3.5 Portable which can be taken on the road.

Spamihilator 1.0.0 is an anti-spam client that sits between your email client and the internet and attempts to filter incoming email. The program works with almost every e-mail client.

Finally, Autoruns 11.1 will look deep in to your system and find every startup application and service, enabling you to quickly view problematic services, disable them permanently or temporarily.

The AVG 2012 range received a minor update this week. AVG LinkScanner 2012 v12.0.1869 is a useful tool to help you easily identify rogue or malicious sites whilst browsing the web. This proactive tool will alert you of any potentially harmful sites before you're unlucky enough to visit them. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2012 v12.0.1869 is one of the best free AV solutions. The latest version provides faster performance and speedier scan times. If you require even more robust protection, theres also the full paid-for version AVG Anti-Virus 2012 v12.0.1869.

Avant Browser 2012 Build 7 is an interesting browser based on Internet Explorer, plus a few other enhancements. The latest version now ships with the latest Firefox 8 rendering engine, in addition to the built-in Internet Explorer engine. This makes for a very compatible and fast browsing experience.

Also this week, Auslogics released new versions of a number of products. Highlights include Auslogics Disk Defrag 3.3, which is a solid drive optimisation tool, which will work faster than the supplied Windows-based defragmentation tool, Auslogics Registry Defrag 6.2.0.0 provides visual representation of the fragmented areas in your registry, and the ever-popular Auslogics BoostSpeed 5.2, a very useful collection of performance-enhancing tools which includes elements of both Disk Defrag and Registry Defrag.

PC Tools AntiVirus Free 2012 v9.0.0.888 is a free AV tool from another one of the industry leaders. This freeware solution will provide basic protection for your home computer. PC Tools Spyware Doctor 9.0.0.888 is a useful anti-spyware application that will provide more comprehensive protection from the very latest spyware threats out there than your average firewall and AV tool. And PC Tools Registry Mechanic 2012 11.0.0.277 is a powerful Registry optimisation tool that will help you to manage all aspects of registry maintenance and enable you to securely delete files from your computer, all whilst improving performance.

EASEUS Todo Backup Home 3.5 is a freeware tool for backing up important files and other media, incase disaster strikes.

Freemake Video Converter 2.4.0.3 is a free video manager that will enable you to convert an array of video, audio and image files from one format to another, with ease.

WinZip 16 is the latest version of the incredibly popular archive manager. Use the application to compress files by up to 25% as well as edit files without extracting them.

BurnAware Free 4.0 is a lightweight application designed to enable you to burn discs quickly and easily. You can use the tool to burn data, audio and video to CD or DVD.

A number of new Android apps this week included OS Atlas 1.25 for Android, a useful OS map tool that uses both GPS and Ordnance survey maps for ramblers and cyclists. Co-pilot Live 9.1, which is a brilliantly designed voice controlled navigation tool that ships with 2D and 3D maps for your Android phone. And Shazam Encore 3.5.0, designed to help you to quickly easily identify songs using your mobile.

Finally, new to V3.co.uk, is Nitro Pro 7. This superb cost-effective professional PDF manager can be used to create, edit, convert and manage your documents all within a well-designed interface.

Apple Boot Camp 3.3 for Windows enables users to natively run Windows 7 on an intel Mac. Simply hold down the Alt key on your keyboard and you can choose between Windows or Mac OS X. Once in Windows, as everything performs natively, you effectively get a Windows-based Apple notebook. The only frustrating element of running Boot Camp is that you'll hear the fans far more than using OS X, as fan management is poor. We recommend VMware Fusion 4.0.2 for your Mac if you want to run Windows and Mac, side-by-side on the same system.

CCleaner 3.12 is a hugely popular application designed to help you to clear hard disk clutter and keep your registry in check. The latest version 3.x also ships with a new interface and there's now also a lighter weight version available. A separate portable version will enable you to take your favourite system cleaner on the road.

Peazip 4.1 is a powerful freeware archive manager that can be used to easily create or manage your own archives.

Maxthon 3.2.0.1000 is an alternative web browser to the usual contenders such as Firefox and Chrome. This interesting browser is based on IE so is very compatible with most online content, yet is quicker than the standard IE. In addition to the IE core, the latest Maxthon now ships with an additional Firefox 8 engine.

Opera 11.52 is a fast and cleanly designed web browser. The latest v11.52 ships with a new UI, Speed Dial extensions, password synchronisation and much more.

DriverMax 5.96 is an easy solution for managing Windows system drivers. DriverMax is able to display a complete report of all drivers installed on your system which can be very useful when you want to analyse the differences between the drivers installed on different machines.

Skype for iPad 3.5.118 now enables users to make video calls and send instant messages to each other via your iPad. The latest version now ships with Bluetooth support for the iPad 2.

Mailstore Home 5.0 enables you to store and access emails from different locations. This obviously makes it easier to access all mail through a single interface.

Finally, the big release this week is Google Chrome 15, which is now in the stable channel. Few new features, but the standout feature is a brand new "new tab" window, which now separates your favourite pages, apps and visited links, making it easier to find the content you require. Chrome 15 for Windows and for Mac is available now.

A number of key releases this week, with the major update to iTunes, which brings iOS 5 support and wifi synchronisation.

WindowBlinds 7.3 enables you to easily customise the look and feel of Windows. You can easily 'skin' virtually every aspect of your graphical user interface. From the Start bar to title bars and even radio buttons. 

Safari 5.1.1 is the latest version of Apples popular web browser. The latest version 5 ships with a host of new features including Safari Reader. This addition removes annoying ads and other visual distractions from online articles so you get the whole story and nothing but the story. 

Sandboxie 3.60 enables you to test applications within a secure environment before installing them on your machine. Ideal for testing applications you have downloaded from the Internet or even a web browser. 

Apple iTunes 10.5 is a major update to the music management suite. The latest version brings support for iOS 5, so you can download and install the latest OS on your iPad or iPhone, as well as wifi synchronisation, so you can keep files downloaded on your iPhone in sync with your desktop and vice-versa. Support for iCloud is also included, although you need an iCloud account. iTunes Matching was left out of iTunes 10.5 and will be in a forthcoming release.

iTunes 10.5 for Windows and for the Mac are both available now.

Comodo Internet Security 5.8, Antivirus 5.8 and Firewall 5.8, are a popular and free suite of security tools designed to protect you against the majority of threats you may encounter when you surf the Internet. The Internet Security package will keep you safe from most online threats you may encounter and help you to scan and remove them if your machine becomes infected. Alternatively, if you don't want to install the full package, you can simply install the Firewall and/or Antivirus.

Recuva 1.41 enables you to effectively undelete or salvage files that you may have sent for recycling and deleted. You can also use Recuva to attempt to salvage photos deleted from your digital camera memory cards, songs from MP3 players and more.

Paint.NET 3.5.10 is a great replacement for the standard Microsoft Paint application that ships with a well designed interface. Useful features include a multi-document, tab-based interface, so you can open and edit more than one image. And in the latest v3.5.x, an improved and more powerful toolbar and user-definable colour palette.

Finally, TuneUp Utilities 2012 was released this week. Despite the version number, this is a relatively minor upgrade to the system maintenance suite. The Program Deactivator has been improved, which enables you to quickly stop or start applications, without having to uninstall. The new Economy Mode feature will get the most from your system and optimise your laptop battery so you eek as much power as possible, keeping your system from running longer.

We take a closer look at some of the key new releases and important updates that you may have missed during the last 7 days.

Nero Multimedia Suite 11 is a suite of all the tools you would need to edit, protect and save all of your favourite photos, music and video files. The suite comprises of Nero Burning ROM which is an excellent disc burning package amongst an array of other powerful multimedia applications. 

VMware Player 4.0.0 is a free solution that will enable you to run multiple operating systems at the same time on your PC. The application makes it easy for you to try out a new operating system, or safely test new software and surf the web.

Norton Internet Security 2012 v19.1.1.3 provides complete protection for your PC. The latest v12 is a major release and ships with a host of improvements over v11 and is faster and more secure than its predecessor. Note that this is a new build (build 19.1.1.3).

Norton AntiVirus 2012 v19.1.1.3 is one of the leading anti-virus solutions on the market. The latest Norton AntiVirus 2012 ships with a number of essential new features and offers comprehensive real time protection. Note that this is a new build (build 19.1.1.3).

Avira Free AntiVirus 12 is the latest version of the popular freeware virus protection tool. This is a major upgrade and ships with a brand new brand, improved user interface and much more.

VirtualBox 4.1.4 is a powerful virtualisation product that enables you to run and manage multiple operating systems on a single machine. The latest v4.1.4 is a relatively minor upgrade. VirtualBox is also availible for Mac OS X.

Adobe Air 3.0 is a useful tool that enables you to run various applications including the new Adobe Media Player, eBay Desktop tool and many other web-based tools. 

Adobe Flash Player 11 enables you to view flash content within your web browser. In addition to accelerated graphics, Flash 11 now is natively in 64-bit code on all supported platforms, which will enable it to better integrate with browsers and plug-ins that are coded in 64-bit and more. 

Pale Moon 7.0 is the latest version of the Firefox based web browser. The latest v7.0 is based on Firefox 7 and is optimised for speed.