V3 downloads roundup: Google Chrome 11 FINAL, Trillian 5, Airfoil, LinkedIn for Android

With Easter, various Bank Holidays, days off and a royal wedding, it feels like we've barely been at work over the last few weeks. However, software updates and new releases do not slow, so we're back with another update containing some of the better downloads from the last couple of weeks.

If you're a Google Chrome user, you may have noticed that v11 was made stable? This stable channel is consistently updated and Chrome for Windows 11.0.696.65 and Chrome for mac 11.0.696.65 are now available for download. Chrome 12 has just gone in to beta, so expect this to hit the stable channel in the next month or so. Also on the horizon is Firefox 5 Beta 1, which is expected at the end of this week!

Sick of trying to keep in touch with colleagues using different IM clients? One may be using Skype, another Live (MSN) Messenger, whilst another group prefer AOLs AIM. Bringing these together in one central interface is what Trillian 5 is about and it's worth some investigation. It's free (a Pro version is available), too.

Paragon NTFS for Mac 9 is trial software, but essential if you use a Mac and need access to either a Windows partition (perhaps your Bootcamp partition) or an external Windows-formatted drive. With NTFS for Mac 9 installed, simply connect the drive and you'll be able to read/write without further intevention.

If you stream audio across your work department or your home office, using iTunes, check out Airfoil for Windows and for Mac. This simple tool enables you to stream audio from just about any software to your hi-fi.

Directory Opus 10 is a powerful Windows Explorer replacement and used by us for many years. It takes some getting used to, with a high learning curve, but the flexibility of the software makes it essential if you can master the options available.

Last, but not least, we've put a host of Android apps online and another batch to follow soon. We seek only the best and most essential apps. These include Quickoffice for Android, which will give you access to your office docuements, Exchange for Android, which connects your to your contacts, calender(s) and an Microsoft Exchange server, plus LinkedIn for Android.