We thought very highly of Onspeed when we first reviewed it in issue 158. Using clever software that compresses text and images, Onspeed makes browsing much faster for dial-up internet users.

The new version adds several new features, including the ability to compress animated images and compatibility with Netscape Communicator and the Safari browser on the Macintosh. The program's size has also been reduced to a dial-up friendly 1Mb.

Installation is easy and once your user name and password are entered, Onspeed goes to work. Like the previous version, we found a vast speed improvement to web browsing and emailing. It won't make any difference to file downloading but it will speed up web surfing for broadband users.

A pop-up blocker also helps to accelerate browsing by stopping unwanted websites from appearing. Onspeed claim to also block banner advertisements that appear on web pages and slow them down, but our tests found this feature to work only intermittently.

The issue of security still applies and Onspeed won't be able to load secure web pages, such as internet banking sites, any faster than normal. Set against the backdrop of broadband rates, we found £25 per year a small price to pay for such a good service.

Contact: Onspeed 08707 585859
www.onspeed.com

Price:
£25 per year.