Yep, I took the bait from Microsoft’s “Get the Facts” campaign and upgraded to Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8). The compelling campaign touts significant updates from IE 7 including better phishing and malware protection, InPrivate browsing and InPrivate filtering.  

Features like Accelerators, Web Slices and Visual Search Suggestions make IE 8 even more enticing. 

Accelerators help in the retrieval and manipulation of data on websites. It usually involves selected content on a website first and the accelerator to process the content afterwards. This can range from translation services to drawing a map of the location of a restaurant you just discovered or checking the price of an item on a shopping site. 

A Web Slice enables users to subscribe to content directly within a web page - a separate feed file is not required. Users monitor content changes and view the updated portion of the web page directly from the Favorites bar (the improved Links toolbar) of Internet Explorer. 

IE 8 is partnering with top search providers like Live Search, Wikipedia, Yahoo!, Amazon, and more to deliver Visual Search Suggestions that provide you with immediate answers. For example, typing "Isaac Newt" with Wikipedia visual suggestions will instantly show you a preview of the results directly in the Search Box drop-down. 

Go ahead – take the plunge and get the install here. If it doesn’t work out, you can uninstall IE 8 and get your old IE 7 back!

Great visual metaphor by CNET on YouTube: Internet Explorer 8 Review

Best

Denice MacDonald