Internet Explorer 8 Now Available

Microsoft has released the newest version of the company's web browser for Windows: Internet Explorer version 8. After years of losing market share to Firefox and other rivals, Microsoft is hoping to convince Windows users to return to Internet Explorer. According to Net Applications, Internet Explorer still leads in market share at around 67%, which is a drop from four years ago when it held 91% of the market.

Most of the new features in Internet Explorer 8 (from the improved phishing protection to features like web clippings or private browsing) have already been available for some time in other popular browsers such as Firefox and Safari. One notable exception is the implementation of "Accelerators." According to Microsoft:

How many steps does it take with your current browser to map an address, translate a word, or perform other routine tasks online? Until now it was likely a series of cutting and pasting information from one webpage to another. Now there's a better way. The new Accelerators in Internet Explorer 8 help you quickly perform your everyday browsing tasks without navigating to other websites to get things done. Simply highlight text from any webpage, and then click on the blue Accelerator icon that appears above your selection to obtain driving directions, translate and define words, email content to others, search with ease, and more. For example, with the "Map with Live Maps" Accelerator in Internet Explorer 8, you can get an in-place view of a map displayed directly on the page.

Windows users can download and install Internet Explorer 8 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx.