adding features meant to speed up common Web surfing tasks and
bringing the browser's security measures in line with those of major
competitors.
The number of browsers has grown to a dizzying array, from Internet
Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox, the two most popular, to Apple Inc.'s
Safari, Google Inc.'s Chrome, the Norwegian entrant Opera and others.
Each is using speed, security enhancements and new features to fight
for a share of Web surfers' growing time online. Microsoft remains the
dominant player, but Firefox's influence is growing.
Dean Hachamovitch, the IE group's general manager, said in an
interview Wednesday that the free browser is important to Microsoft
because the company simply wants PC users to have a "great experience
every day" when surfing the Web. For Microsoft, as for Apple and
Google, the browser is one more way to build relationships that could
sway other decisions, like whether to buy a Macintosh or a Windows
computer, or whether to use Google's Gmail instead of Microsoft's
Hotmail.
Google's entry into the market last year also shows the Web search
leader believes owning the browser can help it better understand Web
users' behavior and advertise to them more effectively — an area in
which Microsoft is struggling to catch up.
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