TechFlaps | Waves of Technology

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 was release by Microsoft on Wednesday. The world’s largest software maker said the latest version — beta 2 — of Internet Explorer, which has a market share of about 75 percent, comes with new features to enhance privacy, ease-of-use, and security.

Fast, safe, easy. Internet Explorer 8 takes the Web experience beyond the page for quicker and more reliable browsing with peace of mind.

Microsoft, About Internet Explorer 8

I was using the Beta 1 for sometime and found it very disturbing. The appearence had improved and they had added some new functionalities. But the basic thing got worse with the Beta. Inline HTML editors in some sites were not working at all and the CSS style displays were pathetic.

But with Beta 2, after working with it for last few hours, I can feel the difference. Smooth and perfect. No glitches so far. the tabs are working perfectly. I haven't been into much of the function provided but it seems that the Internet Explorer Beta 2 have much in it to stand atop other browsers.



Many new features had been added with this version of the beta but the noticable features are as follows.

Increased Performance : Internet Explorer 8 includes many performance improvements that contribute to a faster, more responsive web browsing experience in the areas that matter most. Internet Explorer 8 starts quickly, loads pages fast and instantly gets you started on what you want to do next with a powerful new tab page. In addition, the script engine in Internet Explorer 8 is significantly faster than in previous versions, minimizing the load time for webpages based on JavaScript or Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX).

InPrivate Browsing : Sometimes you don’t want to leave any trace of specific web browsing activity, such as when checking e-mail at an Internet café or shopping for a gift on a family PC. InPrivate Browsing in Internet Explorer 8 helps prevent your browsing history, temporary Internet files, form data, cookies, and usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser, leaving no evidence of your browsing or search history.

Peace of mind for parents: If parental controls are activated, InPrivate Browsing is disabled.

You can start InPrivate Browsing by opening a new tab and selecting Start InPrivate Browsing or selecting it from the Safety button on the top right corner of the browser window.

SmartScreen Filter : Internet Explorer 8’s new SmartScreen Filter builds upon our leadership in the detection of phishing sites and now helps protect you against inadvertent installation of malware—or malicious software—which can compromise your data, privacy, and identity while also damaging your computer and valuable data.

This site has been blocked by the SmartScreen Filter.

If the SmartScreen Filter is active and you attempt to visit a website that isn’t considered safe, the below screen will appear prompting you to take alternative actions.When active, the SmartScreen Filter will also notify you when you attempt to download software that is potentially unsafe.

Accelerators : Now you can get more done, more quickly on the Web. Accelerators provide instant access to information like maps, Web search, translation, email, blogging, and more.

Common accelerator showing driving directions

Tired of cutting and pasting information from one website to another for everyday tasks? Now there’s a better way. Accelerators give you ready access to the online services you use everyday—from any page you visit. Now you can simply select some text and then click on the blue Accelerators icon. For example, you may be interested in the location of a business featured on a webpage. In the past, you would need to copy the address from the webpage, navigate to another the webpage for a mapping service, and paste in the address. With the “Map with Live Maps” Accelerator in Internet Explorer 8, you can get an in-place view of a map displayed directly on the page.

Visual Search : Search is one of the most frequent and important things you do online. The new Internet Explorer 8 Search Box takes results to a whole new level by adding graphics and images, helping you find exactly what you're looking for, quickly and easily.

Instant search provides intelligent search suggestions and visual clues.

Now you can type a search term and see real-time, relevant search suggestions from your chosen search provider and your browsing history. Click on a suggestion at any time to immediately execute the search without having to type the entire word or phrase.

Web Slices : Web Slices puts you in control of the information you care about most. Now you can subscribe to specific content within a page and monitor things like auction items, sports scores, entertainment columns, weather reports, and more. Internet Explorer 8 automatically delivers updated information directly to a Web Slice in your Favorites Bar, all without leaving the page you're on.

A Web Slice preview on the Favorites Bar

When new information becomes available, the Web Slice will become highlighted. When you click on the Web Slice in the Favorites Bar, it previews relevant information. Clicking on the preview takes you directly to the site for more information.

Suggested Sites : If you love that site, try this one. That's the idea behind Internet Explorer 8's new Suggested Sites feature. At your request, Internet Explorer 8 can use your browsing history to suggest other sites you may like or find useful. It's another way that Internet Explorer 8 helps you utilize the Web to its full potential.

Find on Page : Searching for a keyword or phrase on a Web page is easier than ever. In Internet Explorer 8, the Find on Page search feature is built right into the browser and each instance of the search item is highlighted for a streamlined and efficient experience.

The new find on page toolbar in action

The toolbar is integrated below the tab row, so that it does not obscure any content on the page. Instead of waiting for you to type an entire search term and hit Enter, the toolbar searches character-by-character as you type. Matches are highlighted in yellow on the page so that they’re easy to identify.