Today, Microsoft released the newest version of their web browser – Internet Explorer version 8. I have not yet worked with it, but from what I have seen, it adds some great new functionality.
Some of the new features are already available in other popular browsers such as Firefox and Safari. According to Net Applications, Internet Explorer still leads in market share at around 67%, which is a drop from four years ago when it held 91% of the market.
The Accelerators feature is one of the most exciting new features. Microsoft describes it well:
How many steps does it take with your current browser to map an address, translate a word, or perform other routine tasks online? Until now it was likely a series of cutting and pasting information from one webpage to another. Now there's a better way. The new Accelerators in Internet Explorer 8 help you quickly perform your everyday browsing tasks without navigating to other websites to get things done. Simply highlight text from any webpage, and then click on the blue Accelerator icon that appears above your selection to obtain driving directions, translate and define words, email content to others, search with ease, and more.
Other new features include:
- Enhanced navigation
- Increased performance
- Improved favorites and history management
- Instant search
- Web slices
- Better security
If you are anxious to try out Internet Explorer version 8, click here to get started. That's where I'm headed now….
