Microsoft rolls out Internet Explorer-8

Microsoft Corp has unveiled its latest web browser Internet Explorer 8 tonight after two beta tests and a soft release.

Internet Explorer 8 provides improved navigation through tabbed browsing, web search right from the toolbar, advanced printing, easy discovery, reading and subscription to RSS feeds, and much more.
IE8 can be freely downloaded in 25 languages from Microsoft’s website, the company said.

Internet Explorer has partnered with a carbon reduction reminder service to help increase awareness around one of Earth’s most precious resources. Browse three endangered forests and plant your own virtual tree while learning how to become a better steward of the environment, the company said.

With the new web browser user would be able to view multiple sites in a single browser window. One can easily switch from one site to another through tabs at the top of the browser frame. At the same time it would be easy to select and navigate through open tabs by displaying thumbnails of them all in a single window.

The company said in a release that the tabs can be grouped and saved into logical categories, so you can open multiple tabs with a single click. A Tab Group can easily be set as the Home Page Group so the entire Tab Group opens every time Internet Explorer is launched.

Not only this, a redesigned, streamlined interface maximizes the area of the screen that displays a webpage, so you see more of what you need, and less of what you don’t.

Internet Explorer 8 automatically scales a webpage for printing, so the entire webpage fits on your printed page. Print options also include adjustable margins, customizable page layouts, removable headers and footers, and an option to print only selected text.

Web searches using your favorite search provider can now be entered into a search box within the toolbar, eliminating the clutter of separate toolbars. You can easily choose a provider from the dropdown list or add more providers.

Microsoft’s market share dropped to about 67 percent last month as compared to over 90 percent three years ago. Microsoft, whose share in the browser market took a beating with the emergence of rivals like Mozilla’s Firefox, Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari, is aiming to regain its lost ground with the new browser.

Before this IE, being bundled as the default browser of the Windows Operating system, has helped the company achieve the strong market share it now enjoys.