Internet Explorer 8 beta 2

Microsoft's third beta for the next iteration of Internet Explorer is predictably a solid contender in the browser category. A sleeker and more spare interface will have some old IE users running for the preferences, but even with fewer buttons, the new IE works fine right out of the gate. The adoption of tabs is a welcome change for more efficient browsing and the Quick Tabs feature is an especially nice touch for viewing the contents of all of your tabs in one window. The addition of an RSS feed manager is nice for news addicts, blog fans, and hobbyists, and subscribing to new feeds from your favorite sites is a snap. We also like the integrated search bar that offers a pull-down menu letting you add your favorite search engines and sites quickly. While Internet Explorer doesn't offer the user-made plug-ins, themes, and extensions found in other browsers like Firefox and Opera, there are several useful plug-ins you can choose from at Microsoft's Web site. Also, we found IE 7 didn't work on some major sites, but hopefully when Microsoft releases a final version 7, these bugs will be fixed. Finally, security concerns with what will undoubtably be the most used Web browser are always an important consideration, but with the proper security programs, most people will be able to surf safely. Overall, we find the latest beta of Microsoft's megabrowser a fine way to browse the Web, with the addition of many long-awaited features to make the entire experience more efficient and enjoyable.