Microsoft has conceded to pressure from the European Union (EU), and will now randomise the order of web browsers displayed on the systems browser ballot screen for EU users.

This comes as a bit of a blow for Apple, who were in line to have Safari first on the ballot screen.

Microsoft is now expecting approval of the new ballot screen before Christmas, and will push out an update to all Windows users in the EU with the ballot screen update.

The browser ballot screen will run the first time a user opens Internet Explorer, and will offer the user a choice of browser.

Currently, Apple’s Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer are all set to be included on the ballot screen.

The end may finally be in sight for Microsoft in the anti-trust case.

It’s been a busy day for Opera, with the releases of two new beta’s for Opera Mobile 10 and Opera Mini 5.

The updated mobile browsers now include a new download manager, Opera Link which synchronises bookmarks and other browser data between devices, plus plenty of bug fixes for both beta’s.

More information and download links for Opera 10 Mobile beta 2 and Opera Mini 5 beta 2 can be found in the Opera blog.

November has been another standard month, with Internet Explorer bleeding more market share, falling from 64.64% in October to 63.62%, while it looks like most of those users have moved to Firefox, which has gone from 24.07% to 24.72% share.

Safari lost a bit of ground for the month, moving from 4.42% to 4.36%, but rival web kit browser Chrome is up from 3.58% to 3.93%. At this rate, Google Chrome usage will overtake Safari some time in the first half of 2010.

Toping out the major browsers is Opera who also rose for the month, moving from 2.17% to 2.31%.

A big thanks to Market Share by Net Applications for the month’s statistics.

Mozilla have pushed out the latest Firefox 3.6 beta, taking it to beta 4.

The update mostly fixes existing bugs (131 to be exact), but also includes support the HTML5 file API.

A full list of changes for Firefox 3.6 can be found in the release notes, while the browser can be downloaded from the Firefox beta website.

The final release date of November 26 has now slipped, but Firefox 3.6 is still expected before the end of the year.

Opera have released Opera 10.2 alpha to the public.

What’s new in Opera 10.2? Opera Widgets! Included with 10.2 are two exclusive widgets for Twitter and Google Translate, along with access to plenty of other widgets.

Opera 10.20 alpha can be downloaded from the Opera Desktop Team blog.

Overnight Opera has released Opera 10.10, which includes Opera Unite, to the public.

Opera Unite allows users to stream music or share files, photos and more, right from the browser. This is achieved by using Opera Unite applications, 7 of which are bundled with Opera 10.10.

These include:

Opera Unite Home – Your personal Opera Unite Web page shows the Opera Unite applications you wish to share with family, friends, or the world.

File Sharing – The File Sharing application enables a simple and safe way to share files directly from your computer.

Fridge – The Fridge application enables people to leave notes on your computer.

Media Player – The Media Player application enables access to your complete home music library from wherever you are.

Messenger – A personal and private chat connection between you and another Opera Unite user who is listed as your friend on myopera.com.

Photo Sharing – The Photo Sharing application enables you to share your personal photos with friends around the world without the need to upload them.

Web Server – The Web Server application enables you to host your Web sites from your own computer.

A full list of changes can be read in the changelog, while Opera 10.10 can be downloaded from the Opera website.

Development of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) seems to be going full steam ahead at Microsoft, with the first news starting to come out from the campus.

Firstly, it seems that IE9 will feature hardware accelerated rendering.

“We think that the hardware you run on should shine through the browser,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live division.

This means that IE9 will be able to use graphics hardware to accelerate the rendering of images, videos and animations.

Early benchmarks of the JavaScript engine are also available, showing that IE9 is about the same speed as Firefox 3.5 in it’s early stage, more than 4 times faster than IE8.

A full run down on what to expect from IE9 can be read in An Early Look At IE9 for Developers.

Opera has released Opera Mobile 10 beta for Windows Mobile phones.

The mobile browser emulates the desktop feel, with a similar interface to Opera 10 and Opera Mini 5.

A full run down on features and a download link can be found on the Opera Mobile site.

A demo of Opera Mobile 10 in action is below:

In it’s third release in two weeks, Mozilla have released Firefox 3.6 beta 3.

The update includes 84 bug fixes, but gone, surprisingly is support for Windows 7 features, including tab preview and jump lists – perhaps the most anticipated feature of Firefox 3.6. The feature is now expected to reappear in Firefox 3.7.

This release is not surprisingly aimed at increasing stability heading into the release candidate phase.

A full list of changes can be found in the release notes, while the browser can be downloaded from the Firefox beta website.

Firefox 3.6 final is expected November 26.

TechCrunch has received word from Google that Google Chrome for Mac is indeed scheduled for release in December this year.

“As I’m sure you know, we generally don’t comment about timelines for releasing specific features or products. But we’ve been quoted a few times saying Chrome for mac should be out by the end of the year” said the Google spokesperson.

The release is expected to be similar to the Windows release, with a beta version released first, with a stable release coming within weeks of its initial greater public release.

We will keep you updated as more news on this story comes in.