Installed 10.4 now can't get browser or email to work

Oh definately, incidentlly 8.8.8.8 are googles public dns servers but I only advise them as they are easier to remember than the opendns ones and dont steal your seach page. I'll also add dnsmasq to this to make your internet a little faster.

if you open network manager so it looks like this (I havent use network manager in ages):
http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/11/03/ubuntu_network_manager_big.jpg

You can click on the wireless tab, select Auto wlan0 (or whatever yours is) and click edit and you'llget something like this:
http://www.weiqigao.com/blog/images/ubuntu-network-manager.png

under ipv4 settings click the method and drop it down to DHCP for address only and in the DNS servers box type:

127.0.0.1, 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4

Click apply and ok until you get back to the desktop. You can then run:

sudo apt-get install dnsmasq; gksudo gedit /etc/dnsmasq.conf

press ctrl+f and search for:
listen-address=127.0.0.1

uncomment the line by deleteing the leading # so that

#listen-address=127.0.0.1
becaomes
listen-address=127.0.0.1

save the new file and reboot to test

You can test the dnsmasq with:

dig www.bmezine.com | grep -i query | tail -n 1; sleep 5; dig www.bmezine.com | grep -i query | tail -n 1

see how the first one takes ~60ms then it takes 0ms, your system has cached the resolution of the name to the ip so doesn't need to ask the web for a resolution as it can be done locally. If youdo this several thousand times it can all add up ;)