Netscape have decided to spoil Microsoft's launch of Internet Explorer 3.0 by releasing Netscape Navigator 3.0 just a week later. The world-wide rollout began on August 19th, right on schedule for this week's update. Netscape claim that Navigator is still several streets ahead of Explorer and a large part of Netscape's site is currently devoted to demolishing Explorer's weaknesses and touting Netscape's strengths. These include Netscape's support for 16 major computing platforms from Windows 3.x/95/NT through to Macintosh and Unix (Explorer only runs on Win95/NT); far less bulk (Navigator only requires half the disk space that Explorer chews up); 42% faster page rendering times and many, many other features. Netscape still have a commanding lead over Microsoft in the browser market, and if you want the very latest and greatest browser it really is hard to go past this very slick new version, which also has many features formerly supplied by plug-ins (such as LiveAudio, LiveVideo and Virtual Reality 3D, CoolTalk Internet phone capability, chat and data whiteboard). You can download Version 3.0 from Netscape for a free 90-day trial, and there are download sites available world-wide (including three very fast Australian sites). As reigning king of the mountain and our own site's preferred browser, we simply have to make Navigator 3.0 our Top Pick Of The Week.

Ever stayed at the keyboard a little too long and wound up with a sore arm or an aching back? Wouldn't it be nice if your computer could remind you to take a break every now and then to prevent RSI or other computer- related injuries? Well, ErgoMinder from Australian developer Sapiens Software does just that. This clever little program (which is available in both Windows and Macintosh versions) runs in the background on your PC, giving you friendly reminders to move or stretch at pre-timed intervals. Developed as the result of 5 years of R&D by an experienced physiotherapist and an industrial engineer, ErgoMinder can also show you how to exercise correctly to prevent the onset of postural pain and RSI, and can be customised for many physical ailments. It can also show you how to set up your workstation for best ergonomic performance. 15-day free trial versions for both Windows and Mac platforms are available here, and the full product costs $49.95 Australian.

Still searching for a hot VR plug-in? Or would you just like to see what VR can really do? Superscape have developed the Viscape VR plug-in for both Netscape and Explorer, and you can obtain it free at their site and then explore some very, very impressive virtual reality sites that have been built to show off its capabilities, including the Virtual Stonehenge site that Superscape created in conjunction with Intel, along with a variety of virtual cities and worlds accessible from their site (a good night's entertainment all by itself!). Superscape also produce tools for virtual reality developers so that they can build Viscape worlds, and their site provides detailed descriptions of their full product line. The Viscape Virtual Reality Viewer requires 4Mb of disk space, and there are download sites in both the USA and UK. At present, the Explorer plug-in only works with the Explorer 3.0 beta releases - but the Netscape version works with all Netscape releases from 2.0 onwards.