Hands-On with Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1

I have to admit that I’m more of a Firefox type of guy. I’ve been using it for at least two years, and really dig the extra punch that the multitude of plug-ins deliver. When I learned that Microsoft recently released a beta version of Internet Explorer 8, I knew I had to give it a download, as IE for me is like an old friend I haven’t spoken with in a while. So I decided to pick up the phone, so to speak, and see what’s up. Yo, IE, how’s it hanging? I acquired the Vista version of IE8 Beta 1 (also available for XP) from Microsoft’s download page. After installing the browser onto a Gateway FX, I quickly realized that this early beta just isn’t ready for Joe Websurfer.

Bugs and Instability
To be fair, Microsoft clearly states on its site that the IE8 Beta 1 is intended for Web developers and designers—and it shows.

The first Web site that I visited, our very own Laptopmag.com, caused IE8 Beta 1 to open a “Developers Tools” window (which contained lots of code for the propeller-heads to work their magic) and promptly froze the browser (pictured). I could access other areas of the PC, but trying to close the Developer Tools window or IE8 Beta 1 itself was a no-go. There was only one answer for that—reboot! Unfortunately, IE8 froze again when I tried to access Microsoft’s own site. Yikes. After another reboot, I found an IE8 Beta 1-friendly site (CNN.com), and poked around there for a while. I experienced two more crashes and saw my frustrations rise.

New Features
There are two new major additions to Internet Explorer. Activity Partners lets you quickly share or look up information. For example, I added the Facebook Activities Partners app from here, which I used to send an article about the Clinton/Obama race to a friend via the popular social networking site (pictured).

It was as simple as right-clicking, selecting the app, and signing into Facebook. Very cool. WebSlices lets users monitor particular portions of a site as they surf the Web. This feature has to be integrated by developers.

Other than that, there’s nothing revolutionary about IE8 Beta 1—at least not yet. IE8 looks and feels very much like IE7, and, in fact, it has an IE7 emulation button for developers (which we couldn’t determine was even working properly). But I really liked the revamped address bar that looks like it may help prevent phishing scams by making the base domain name easier to spot within a URL. Overall, the browser has potential but is still a ways away from being ready for prime time. Early adopters, be forewarned that IE8 Beta 1 totally replaces IE7 on your computer, so tread lightly.