Microsoft hasannounced the worldwide beta availability of its new Internet Explorer 9 web browser, accompanied by over 70 top websites and global brands that created new experiences to show off the capabilities of the browser. The new browser promises a fast, clean, trusted, and interoperable online experience that takes full advantage of Windows 7. Developers and designers from partners around the world are showcasing how they have used the capabilities of Internet Explorer 9 to tap into Windows 7 and support modern standards such as HTML 5 to create immersive sites that feel increasingly like native PC applications. Users can download the new Internet Explorer 9 Beta at BeautyoftheWeb.com.

Internet Explorer 9 features full Windows 7 integration, and is designed so that more pixels dedicated to the website, not the browser, allowing sites to shine. Browser controls are reduced and framed in “glass” so that, while they are discoverable, people see their Web content first and foremost. In addition, the design principles in Windows 7 carry through to Internet Explorer 9 so that sites appear more like native applications on the PC. Features include:

• Pinned Sites. Favorite websites can be accessed directly from the Windows Taskbar without having to first open the browser
• JumpLists. A quick and easy way to get to a common website task without having to first launch the browser. For Pinned Sites where developers have created JumpList capabilities, users can quickly create a new e-mail message, check their inbox, change the music station, accept a friend invitation, or see breaking news.
• Tear-off tabs and Windows Aero Snap tabs. Tearing off a tab by dragging it away from the browser and using Windows Aero Snap enable users to show two sites or pages side by side. Users can compare products from different websites, watch a video while reading e-mail, or look at a map while reading an itinerary for a trip. To tear off a tab and snap it, the user simply clicks a tab and drags it to the edge of the screen. Content on the site is rendered continuously, and videos continue to play when snapping a window in place, providing a fluid experience just like a native application.

The new version of Internet Explorer includes the introduction of a new scripting engine, Chakra, that uses common multicore central processing units in PCs to deliver significant performance gains. Internet Explorer 9 is also the first browser with full hardware acceleration of HTML 5, harnessing the power of the graphics processing unit, reallocating much of the graphic processing to the GPU instead of the CPU. Internet Explorer 9 has support for industry standards including built-in extensive support for HTML5, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), andCSS3.