You know, this may be just enough for me to crack open IE once in a blue moon? You have to admit, some of these features are pretty cool…

Browser plug in Browster released version 2.0 of its product this weekend and is aiming to make MySpace profiles easier to view. A Windows download for IE and Firefox, Browster preloads pages from search results and provides a live minibrowser when inserted lightning bolts are hovered over. The new version also offers a live search box supporting a number of web, blog and shopping search engines inside the Browster window. Those search box results are combined with contextual ads. Future features will also generate ad revenue.

This version’s biggest change is that it makes the notoriously unnavigable profile pages on MySpace easier to use. Users can hover over friend photos or username links on one user page and get a preview of that friend’s profile in a Browster pop-up instead of having to click through, wait for the painfully slow page load and then repeat with the back button. Browster strips out the CSS hacks, music players and slideshows that clutter many pages - and that represent a big part of the business model of many startups profiled here! What’s left are the MySpace user’s “about me” section and all their photos. Essentially, it’s a way to check out someone’s friends and comment makers without having to leave one profile page and suffer through multiple pageloads (though Browster itself is only so fast). Browster may not be for everyone, but I actually find this new feature quite useful…. Source: TechCrunch