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Internet Explorer 9 RC now available to download, tracking protection in tow (update)
The Internet Explorer 9 beta pleasantly surprised us with Microsoft's renewed competitiveness in the web browser wars, and the pinnable, hardware-accelerated experience is getting even better today -- you can download the IE9 release candidate right now, which streamlines and beautifies the tabbed browsing layout considerably, adds those previously promised, fully customizable tracking protection lists for privacy and freely toggled ActiveX filters, as well as an updated Javascript engine, geolocation support via HTML5, the ability to pin web apps to the taskbar, and a host of assorted speed and functionality improvements. Find the files you need at our source link below, and let us know if the Beauty of the Web captivates you this time around. Update: We spoke to Microsoft IE9 privacy guru Andy Ziegler, and learned to our dismay that tracking protection lists won't actually be included in the browser per se; rather, the company's created a feature where you can generate your own lists or download ready-made one from providers like TRUSTe. The thing is, IE9 won't suggest one for you, or even curate a group of them when you install -- you'll need to put on your power user hat and do the legwork there yourself.
Google's paying $20,000 to hack Chrome -- any takers?
So far, Chrome is the only browser of the big four -- Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer being the other three -- to escape the Pwn2Own hacking competition unscathed the past two years. (Sorry Opera aficionados, looks like there's not enough of you to merit a place in the contest... yet.) Evidently, its past success has Google confident enough to pony up a cool $20,000 and a CR-48 laptop to anyone able to find a bug in its code and execute a clean sandbox escape on day one of Pwn2Own 2011. Should that prove too daunting a task, contest organizer TippingPoint will match El Goog's $10,000 prize (still $20,000 total) for anyone who can exploit Chrome and exit the sandbox through non-Google code on days two and three of the event. For those interested in competing, Pwn2Own takes place March 9th through 11th in Vancouver at the CanSecWest conference. The gauntlet has been thrown -- your move, hackers.
Microsoft releases H.264 plug-in for Google Chrome, vows to support WebM video in IE9
Hard to believe that the infamous "fragmentation" term is now being bandied about in the web browser world, but sure enough, it's Microsoft using the term today to describe the brave new realm we're living in. If you'll recall, Google defended its decision to not include H.264 support natively in Chrome, but maintained that WebM plug-ins were coming to Safari and Internet Explorer 9. Today, Microsoft's kinda-sorta returning the favor. Following the outfit's release of a Firefox add-on to bring full H.264 support to Windows machines, the outfit is releasing a plug-in for Chrome (only the Windows version for now) that provides support for H.264. Furthermore, it's committed to supporting third-party WebM video plug-ins; to quote, users "will be able to play WebM video in IE9." It's fairly obvious that Microsoft's taking this golden opportunity to push its browser as one that supports everything (rather than just its own preferred format), but regardless of the motives, we're just happy to see differences put aside and compatibility finding priority.
iOS now accounts for 2% of global web browsing traffic, Chrome rounds the 10% mark
After the desktop stalwarts of Windows 7 and Mac OS, the world's third most popular platform for web browsing turns out to be Apple's iOS. The software that makes iPhones, iPod touches and iPads tick has been identified by Net Applications as responsible for over two percent of the global traffic data analyzed in the web statistician's latest report -- the first time iOS has crossed that threshold. The UK and Australia had more than five percent each, while the USA clocked in at 3.4 percent. Leaving operating systems aside, Chrome has continued its steady growth on the browser front and now stands at a 10.7 percent share, more than doubling its slice from this time last year. Internet Explorer overall has dipped to its lowest level yet, at 56 percent, however Net Applications indicates IE8 is showing nice growth. So at least it's looking like we're finally ready to bury the zombies known as IE6 and IE7, whatever other browser we choose to migrate to.
Firefox beats Internet Explorer in Europe, according to at least one Statcounter
Measuring browser use is an inexact science, we all know that, but at least one traffic monitor is reporting that Firefox has managed to beat out Internet Explorer as the most popular browser in the fine continent that is Europe. StatCounter reports that during the month of December, FF afficionados accounted for 38.11 percent of all analyzed traffic, a few precious digits ahead of IE's 37.52 percent. This marks the first time Microsoft's browser has lost the crown in a major territory, though apparently the handover of the number one spot has been thanks to the third player in this contest, Google's Chrome. StatCounter says it was Chrome's consumption of IE's market share that has led to the current situation, whereas Firefox's big achievement is to merely maintain its position. Guess that EU-imposed browser ballot screen is having the desire effect after all, eh? [Thanks, Nickolas]
Chrome closes out the year with ten percent browser share, gains at expense of IE
It may not exactly look like a huge shift in the chart above, but 2010 did represent something of a milestone year for Google's Chrome web browser. It started out 2010 with a market share of just over five percent, and managed to double that over the course of the year to close things out at a nice, even ten percent, according to stats from Net Applications. Those gains, as you might expect, came largely at the expense of Internet Explorer, which is continuing its slow, slow decline, but still hangs onto a commanding 57 percent market share. As for the rest of the major players, both Firefox and Opera slipped ever so slightly over the course of the year, while Apple's Safari gained just over one percent to end the year at 5.9 percent.
Internet Explorer 9 privacy measures to include Tracking Protection
In a nod to future FTC mandates regarding web privacy, Microsoft has announced that among its many charms, Internet Explorer 9 will introduce something called a Tracking Protective List. In essence, the TPL looks at third party elements of whichever page you may be viewing (for instance, when you're at msnbc.com and it contains elements that are hosted by another domain) and allows you to block those which track your movements. This is done by domain, and there is both a whitelist and a blacklist -- ensuring that while elements that are required for full functionality will be allowed, those which are a nuisance will be blocked. Of course, this isn't the answer to all of your security needs, but between this and properly managing your cookies it is a decent first step. IE9 will come around sometime in early 2011 -- in the meantime, check out the video after the break for more info.
How would you change Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 Beta?
It's not often that a web browser makes into our HWYC lineup, but it's also a rare occurrence for Microsoft to issue an entirely new web browser. Internet Explorer 9 Beta has been in the wild (and thus, on your PC) for a few months now, and seeing that the browser wars are raging harder than ever these days, we felt it prudent to ask how you'd change things in the world of IE. After all, being that this is a beta, there's still plenty of time for Microsoft to actually heed your wisdom and implement changes prior to the full, final, non-beta release. So, have you been pleased with performance? Tab layout? Any tweaks you'd make to the user interface? Compatibility? Go on and get sophisticated down in comments below, won'tcha?
Coexist laptop decal puts presumptions to bed, demonstrates your tolerance
You've probably seen something similar wrapped around Bono's cranium, but this iteration of the famed Coexist logo is taking on an entirely new meaning. Rather than attempting to get warring factions and crazed arsonists on the same page, Suzie Automatic is simply trying to get the computing world on the same TextEdit document. The Coexist banner laptop decal ($10) obviously works best on Apple machines (aesthetically speaking), but there's a bumper sticker ($7) and t-shirt ($15) for those who wouldn't be caught dead with equipment Designed in Cupertino. But we're preaching tolerance here, remember fanboy? [Thanks, Stig]
Windows Phone 7 will work with third party browsers, so long as they're based on IE? (video)
Internet Explorer not stirring your cup of Windows Phone 7 tea correctly? Well, you now have an alternative in the form of a new browser that's arrived in the Marketplace: Browser+. It does seem to have been built on IE code rather than its own framework, so don't get your hopes up for Chrome to Phone on WP7 any time soon. Anyhow, the new app's been given a test drive by a couple of sites, who note it integrates a view of your current tabs and a Google search box right into the general web view, providing a slightly more accessible interface than the default option, while also throwing in a private surfing mode for the paranoid among us. A few crashes and bugs have been spotted in Browser+ so far, but hey, it's cheap and it at least gives us hope for a less monotheistic browsing experience. See it in video action after the break.
W3C tests HTML5 browser compatibility, crowns IE9 the champ
The World Wide Web Consortium -- you know, the team responsible for certifying and standardizing HTML5 -- has put together its first table of official conformance test results, giving us an idea of how well prepared each of the most popular browsers is for the oncoming web standards revolution. The data show Internet Explorer 9 as the most adroit performer (again), though Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari don't seem to be too far behind in their HTML5 compliance, either. Of course, these checks don't cover the entire spec, which in itself isn't even finalized yet, but they provide us with a glimpse into a brave new world where Microsoft actually cares about coders keen on maximizing interoperability by adhering to web-wide standards. Good stuff. Check out the full results at the source link below. [Thanks, Mehran]
Internet Explorer falls below 50 percent global marketshare, Chrome usage triples
Oh, IE, it pains us to do this to you. You who once so mightily won in the battle against Netscape Navigator now seem to be losing your war against a battalion of upstarts, relatively fresh faces like Firefox and Chrome. According to StatCounter, IE's global usage stats have fallen to 49.87 percent, a fraction of a tick beneath half. Firefox makes up the lion share of the rest, at 31.5 percent, while Chrome usage tripled since last year, up to 11.54 percent. Two years ago IE had two thirds of the global market locked down, and even if Internet Explorer 9 is the best thing since ActiveX, well, we just don't see the tide of this battle turning without MS calling in some serious reinforcements. Update: If you needed more proof of Chrome's increasing popularity, we got a tip on this report from Softpedia confirming that Chrome is the fastest growing browser of the moment. Firefox is more or less flat and, well, you know all about how IE is faring.
Everything you wanted to know about the Internet Explorer logo but were afraid to ask
Apple may have gotten a bit of attention by radically redesigning the iTunes icon, but it's not the only desktop mainstay that's undergone a change -- Microsoft also revised the Internet Explorer logo once again for its latest release, and it's now taken the opportunity to offer a bit of insight into its design process. As explained on its Internet Explorer blog, the original blue "e" was designed to represent a globe, with the "orbiter" intended to depict speed and exploration. For Internet Explorer 9 both elements were updated, with the "e" getting a slightly more modern treatment, while the orbiter was given a fuller, more continuous connection and the appearance of an even faster orbit. That's just scratching the surface, though -- hit up the source link below for a detailed look at the making of the new logo, and a look back at its evolution over the past 15 years.
Internet Explorer 9 Beta review
(function() { var s = document.createElement('SCRIPT'), s1 = document.getElementsByTagName('SCRIPT')[0]; s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.async = true; s.src = 'http://widgets.digg.com/buttons.js'; s1.parentNode.insertBefore(s, s1); })(); Digg If you're anything like us, as soon as you get a new PC there's a laundry list of things you do: uninstall every piece of crapware, change the desktop wallpaper, and fire up Internet Explorer 8 to download a new browser like Firefox or Chrome. Without fail, we've repeated that last step on every Windows laptop we've reviewed in the last year. Why is it that we almost instantly replace IE with another option? There are lots of reasons, but to name a few... the browser usually comes plastered with toolbars, which makes it painfully slow to load even just a simple news site. And even when those are uninstalled it feels sluggish in comparison to Firefox and Chrome. Also, it's just not as attractive or intuitive as the others. Oh, and then there are the smaller items, like the fact that it lacks a download manager or uses more RAM than the competition. That's no short list of complaints, but you can't say Microsoft hasn't been listening. It's been saying for months that Internet Explorer 9 -- which is now available for download as a public beta -- will mend all those issues and then some. A lot of the improvements come in speed -- Redmond's been talking about hardware acceleration since November of last year -- but there are some other interesting features such as "Pinned Sites" and "One Box" that Microsoft's been less vocal about. So, does IE9 live up to the hype and will it finally give us a preloaded browser that's fast enough to run with the others? Should you run along and download it right now? We've spent the last week using it as our primary browser on a number of different laptops to find out. We'll meet again in our full review after the break. %Gallery-102354%
Internet Explorer 9 Beta seeing public release later today (update: it's out!)
We all knew today was the day, but just in case you've been zoned out in Kauai the past few weeks, Microsoft's getting set to release its refreshed build of Internet Explorer to the general public today. IE9 Beta is said to be a beta that's essentially done, so you shouldn't have too much to fear when the download links go live later today. The crew at Redmond claims that it's far more compliant with HTML5, CSS3 and SVG2 standards, and that it's the only game in town with full hardware acceleration. Keep an eye on that source link for a shot at downloading your copy later today, and if you're terrified of offending your existing Firefox or Chrome installation, we'll do you one better -- our own in-depth review will be going live in a matter of hours. Update: It's out! Check out our review if you're still feeling antsy.
Internet Explorer 9 Beta sees video demo, hits 95/100 on Acid3 test
Looks as if the Internet Explorer 9 Beta has now leaked on video, and -- surprise, surprise -- it looks exactly like Internet Explorer! If you were out hoping for a major overhaul, it looks as if you'll need to pick a new wish to cross your fingers for. Design wise, the IE9 beta shown in the video past the break is no drastic departure from IE8, though the internals should obviously be revamped quite a bit. The rest of the world is still awaiting that September 15th launch date, but you and your impatient soul can watch an early build peak at 95/100 (so close!) on the Acid3 test with just a couple of clicks. Enjoy! [Thanks, pradeep]
Internet Explorer 9 makes cameo appearance on Microsoft Russia site
Microsoft's gotten a little carried away with its Internet Explorer 9 excitement and posted an early screenshot of the browser up on its Russian site. The post and the image have since been diligently pulled, but not before Mary-Jo Foley managed to snag the pictorial evidence. What's new to see? A resoundingly minimal interface, that's what. The Chrome comparisons should be raining down thick and heavy if this snapshot is anything to go by, as Microsoft has done a fine job of ridding its browser from pesky menus, consolidated its controls into a few icons in the top right, and combined the search and address bars into one. Of course, given the earlier leak of screenshots, those menus could still just be hiding somewhere nearby, ready to spring at us. Another similarity to Chrome (and Firefox and Safari) is the new ability to "tear off" tabs from one window and reposition them independently. We'll see how closely the Beta aligns to what we see here when it debuts for real on September. 15.
Internet Explorer 9 Beta launching September 15th, might enter a beauty pageant
Once again, the whispers were true. Microsoft has proudly announced on this fine day that September 15th will mark the official launch of the Internet Explorer 9 Beta, but details beyond that are scant. We do know that the Big M will hold a gala in San Francisco to celebrate "The Beauty of the Web," and once it hits the tubes, you'll need either Vista or Windows 7 to use it (sorry, XP loyalists). 'Course, it remains to be seen if IE can catch up to Chrome and Firefox in the technical department, but at least you can start preparing your existing squeeze for somewhat of a letdown next month. Let 'em down easy, okay?
WSJ reports Microsoft diluted IE8's privacy features to appease advertisers inside and outside the company
The Wall Street Journal has a rather extensive and well-sourced expose on some behind-the-curtain stuff that went on during Internet Explorer 8's development. It all centers around Microsoft's InPrivate Filtering technology, which keeps track of "beacons" around the web that track your movement, often with the help of cookies. The story goes that the IE team's original plan was to enable InPrivate Filtering by default, blocking any third party content embedded on a page you were browsing if it showed up more than ten times in your day to day activity. When some certain executives at Microsoft caught wind of this, they weren't too pleased. Microsoft had just bought aQuantive for $6 billion in 2007, and blocking the ability of advertisers to track users effectively would be a disruption of the online advertising industry in a major way. To that effect, Microsoft actually brought in representatives from the outside advertising organizations to weigh in, and the end result is of course plain to see: IE8's InPrivate Filtering isn't on by default, and even if you turn it on it doesn't stay on; you have to turn it on each browsing session. Of course, we'd be much more up in arms about this whole "users vs. advertisers" decision making process if InPrivate Filtering wasn't such a wild proposal to begin with. As some ad organizations argued, it would block some legitimate functionality and ads in addition to the more nefarious tracking beacons, and then there's the fact that even knowledgeable, competent users don't typically enact this sort of privacy, despite extensions that make it possible. In a way we all make the sort of decision that Microsoft made in 2008: do we value the functionality and content enabled and funded by invasive marketing techniques over our privacy? Of course, most Engadget readers are also familiar with another decision that makes most of this article's hand wringing moot: we don't use Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer 9 Beta expected in September, screenshots leak now
If for whatever reason the holy trifecta of Chrome, Firefox and Safari just can't satisfy your browsing needs, you'll be relieved to hear that Microsoft is on track to release a public Beta version of its latest browser as soon as a month from now. A great many hopes and enhancements are folded into this next Internet Explorer, but for the moment all we've got are pictures of its download manager and a familiar "most popular sites" starting page. You won't find many shocks in either, they're pretty much par for the modern browser course, with the former allowing you to search your download library and the latter sorting your favorite web addresses by the number of times you've visited them. Microsoft's clearly keeping up with the Chromeses here, but what we really want to see is some more innovation and adventure in its designs -- let's hope the Beta lets us play with more fresh stuff than just an ever so slightly different IE icon (don't worry, it's still cornflower blue).
