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Showing off substantial improvements, first official beta of Firefox 3 has arrived.  It offers better performance and a friendlier user interface.  The final release is due later this year. 

The question is, can it compete with the new Internet Explorer 7, Opera, now a free download, and Apple’s Safari 3, which is now available for Windows as well? 

Firefox has always been a popular alternative to IE, but has become bloated with memory leaks and poor performance.  Mozilla hopes to change that perception with a more efficient program. 

According to Wired News, the beta is "noticeably snappier. Page loads are quicker, and Ajax-heavy sites like GMail refresh almost imperceptibly." 

New features include a new bookmark system, revamped add-on manager for installing third party plugins, an improved downloads panel and a search bar for finding downloads.  Also, better color rendering and the ability to integrate antivirus software with downloads and other security features have been added.

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