Maxthon: IE on Steroids Ultimate Search and More Scott Koegler
Ultimate Search
Maxthon's search bar comes predefined with a long list of search engines. You can select the engine you want to use or you can ask Maxthon to use all the search facilities in the list at one time. Maxthon runs each search in its own tab so you can click through them. I searched for the word "hurricane" and received results from a number of popular engines.
Once you've found the information you're looking for, you can save phrases, images, or even full pages using the included trial version of NetSnippets. As mentioned earlier, you can also save the results in a Maxthon Group for later use.
Off Your Keyboard
If your hand is always on your mouse, you'll like Maxthon's Mouse Gestures capabilities. You can set up Maxthon to translate certain mouse movements to actions in much the same way Graffiti translates stylus gestures on a PalmPilot. Holding the right mouse button and swiping the mouse to the left performs a 'page back' function returning you to your previous browser page. And you can define your own gesture translations using Maxthon's simple interface.
Outside the Browser
Another useful feature in Maxthon is the ability to add standard programs to the Utility toolbar and launch them in the same way you use the Windows Quicklaunch function. This makes it quick and simple to launch programs you use often without needing to first move away from your browser.
Overall
Built-in functions combined with the ability to extend its functionality using plug-ins, and the stability of its underlying Internet Explorer rendering engine make Maxthon a great alternative browser. You'll quickly get used to the tabbed interface. And once you configure the browser to perform the way you like to work and start to use the add-ons, Maxthon may become your only choice for browsing.
Pros: IE on steroids — offers tons of useful features not found in IE, including Ad Hunter, tabbed browsing, Mouse Gestures, privacy protection, language translation, and more; free (donationware)
Cons: Can be a bit slower than IE and resource-hungry than IE, requires IE for rendering engine
