The final build of Internet Explorer 8 has been released in 25 languages. You can also grab the download directly from these links: Windows XP 32-bit (16.1 MB), Windows XP 64-bit (32.3 MB), Windows Server 2003 32-bit (16.0 MB), Windows Server 2003 64-bit (32.3 MB), Windows Vista 32-bit (13.2 MB), Windows Vista 64-bit (24.3 MB), Windows Server 2008 32-bit (13.2 MB), and Windows Server 2008 64-bit (24.3 MB).
New features include Accelerators, Web Slices, and visual search suggestions, which improve how quickly users can get typical browsing tasks done. Accelerators allows users to get—or pass on—information like a map or a definition by right clicking a word on a website and choosing a service from the drop down menu, without ever leaving the page. That means getting directions to the party, figuring out what your friend means when he says he’s an “aficionado,” or even sending something on the page to a friend via e-mail, all from the right click menu.
A Web Slice grabs specific information from a website (like the top stories from Digg or the weather forecast) and puts it in a drop-down menu, eliminating the need to browse to the actual website.
An improvement to the search box — users can get their answers without ever hitting enter, thanks to the drop-down menu that grabs information from the search engine without ever going to the site. The address bar also looks through favorites and history, and opening a new tab shows you a list of tabs you’ve closed recently, making it easier to find the site you visited earlier.
eWeek Labs calls IE8 a “Must Upgrade.” Although, after its debut last Thursday, those who use Microsoft Internet Explorer as their browser are proving reluctant to adopt the new IE 8. On Friday afternoon, StatCounter Global Stats reported that IE 8 only accounted for about one and a half percent of all internet traffic. That was an increase of less than one and a half percent over Thursday. [24×7]
Get more info in the Seattle24x7 blog
