Top 3 features in IE 7 Beta 2

I've been using Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 for about a month. I really like it. If you're using an earlier version of IE now, I suggest you give IE 7 Beta 2 a try. Sure, it's a beta—but I haven't yet had any reliability problems with it at work or at home. Not only is it cool, but it has some great new features that make browsing easier.

Here are my favorite things about using IE 7 Beta 2:

  1. Tabbed Browsing
    The new Tabbed Browsing gives a much cleaner interface to navigate through multiple pages and a clearer view of what Web pages I have open. It significantly reduces the number of windows I have open to clutter my desktop. Another nice thing about tabs is that the page is already loaded. Click the tab and the page is there. That's a big plus to the 20 percent of you who are still using a dial-up connection.

    In addition, I like using Quick Tabs, which gives a thumbnail view of up to 20 open tabs at once. I find this really useful when I'm doing research at work and have 10 – 15 windows open at once.

  2. Better printing features
    It's strange to get excited about something as simple as printing, but I can't tell you the number of times I've printed out a Web page only to have the right side cut short. IE 7 Beta 2 includes a printing feature that automatically reduces the page to fit on the page.

    In addition, from Print Preview, you can do a host of things to make sure you print out exactly what you need. You can:

    • Adjust Web page margins
    • Change the page layout
    • Remove headers and footers
    • Increase or decrease the print space

  3. Easier RSS feeds
    RSS feeds have always been a little elusive to me. Having to use yet another tool to access my feeds makes it hard to check them habitually. With IE 7 Beta 2, you can view your feeds right from your browser.

    After subscribing to a feed, you can come back to the page later by opening your Favorites Center. All your feeds are displayed, without having to go to another tool. Now you can read news when it arrives and click headline links to get the complete Web page.

There are some other pretty cool features in this browser. I do recommend you try IE 7 Beta 2. Once you have, let us know what you think.

—Jason Kozleski