Microsoft unveils IE9 test version

September 16, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

SEATTLE

Microsoft Corp. unveiled the “beta” test version of Internet Explorer 9 on Wednesday, the first of a new generation of Web-browser programs that tap into the powerful processors on board newer computers to make websites load and run faster.

IE9, which is free, also arrives with a more- minimalist look and a few new tricks that start to blur the distinction between a website and a traditional desktop application.

Following the lead of Google Inc.’s stripped-down Chrome browser, Microsoft’s IE9 comes with far fewer buttons, icons and toolbars cluttering up the top of the screen. Its frame is translucent, and as people browse the Web, IE9 can be adorned subtly with small icons and signature colors of the websites being viewed.

The new browser also takes cues from Windows 7, Microsoft’s most-recent operating-system software for personal computers. In Windows 7, people can “pin” favorite programs to the task bar at the bottom of the screen, creating a one-click shortcut. They also can customize a menu of options for each program, such as opening a frequently used file in Microsoft Word.