We've all been using web browsers for a while now. We know how to go to a site, how to search, and how to print. But for more and more of us, the web browser is becoming a central work application, and we need to be able to do all of these tasks better. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), because of its market dominance, is an appealing target for add-on writers seeking ways to boost browser power with extras and enhancers.

The Web is a great place to wander around, get lost, and find stuff you never knew existed. There are plenty of tools that work with or within Microsoft Internet Explorer to find, visualize, capture, and organize information more efficiently. Most programs we looked at have free trial periods, so you can experiment and find the ones that suit you best.

There seems to be an alternative browser front end to match everyone's style. Typically, such products aren't full browsers but work by encapsulating IE's Web page–rendering technology.