Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 8 Beta
The much-anticipated 8th version of Microsoft Internet Explorer has finally been released in Beta to the public. Internet Explorer 8 comes with quite a few new and nifty features that all Vista and XP users should look forward to.
First, Microsoft is debuting a feature called “Activities.” This feature was included so as to allow users to streamline many of their internet-related tasks with less clicking a few keystrokes. For example, Microsoft noted that many users spend time switching between address listings and map or direction websites; Microsoft has included an activity which transfers addresses directly to Live Maps for easier navigation. Another example of Activities is the ability to cut a piece of text off a website, select the blog function in Activities, and voila! — the users are automatically taken to their respective blogging sites with the text included in the edit box.
The second new feature to Internet Explorer is called “Slices.” Slices function similarly to links, as they are tabbed below the URL bar; users may select slices of websites they like, and Internet Explorer will automatically check that particular website for updates, which will be easily viewable from the “slice” tabbed on Internet Explorer. From there, the user can redirect to the website if they choose.The link bar has been renamed and revamped, now called the “Favorites” bar. In the favorites bar can obviously go favorite websites for easy navigation; this time, though, users can also include Slices as well as direct links to Microsoft Office documents such as PowerPoint presentations or Word files.
“Automatic Crash Recovery” seems to be another promising Internet Explorer 8 feature; though crash recovery has been around for a while on different browsers, IE8 includes a new feature for tab recovery, which allows tabs to be recovered without interrupting a user’s activities.
A new feature has been included in the Phishing Filter which was built into Internet Explorer 7; users can now turn on and off a “safety filter,” which will block websites that have been recognized to contain malicious software or phishing devices.
There’s the roundup for ya — now go and do your civic duty and test it!
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