IE8 Beta 2 Releases

Internet Explorer Beta 2 released last week (downloads).

Here is the current list of companies providing new accelerators, web slices, and search providers. It's an impressive list, and we expect other big names forthcoming.

There is also a Videos site (overview, accelerators, web slices, and security and reliability enhancements).

To give one a sense of the enhancements, consider these blog posts. I've added the features that the posts describe. Just looking across this list, you'll see that IE8 intends to be the leader, not just a contender:

• IE team Beta 2 announcement
  • Background on the enhancements
  • CSS 2.1 test cases
  • XSS Filter
  • Compatibility View
• Part I: Better Everyday Browsing
  • Smart Address Bar
  • Favorites Bar
  • New Tab Page
  • Tab Grouping
  • Find On Page
• Part II: Better Everyday Browsing
  • Search Box suggestions
  • Accelerators
  • Web Slices
  • Feeds
  • Suggested Sites
• Trustworthy Browsing with IE8: Summary
  • Security
  • Reliability
  • Privacy
  • Business Practices
• IE8 Tour
  • Smart Address Bar
  • Domain Highlighting
  • SmartScreen
  • Crash Recovery
  • Improved Zoom
• InPrivate Browsing
• SmartScreen details

Other interesting facts:

• The Phishing Filter was introduced in IE7, and blocks 1 million+ phishing attacks per week. (Source: IE8 Security Part III: SmartScreen Filter)
• Extended Validation support is still there in IE8