Download Internet Explorer 9.0

Softworld editor's review - 2011-06-23

Improved but certainly not perfect Internet browser

Internet Explorer 9 represents the new version of Microsoft's well known browser. The first thing that you notice after you download this web application and you install it is how long this process takes. On top of that, after the installation, to be able to run IE9 you have to restart your computer.

Even when you restart your PC you will not be able to do it instantly because the operating system will make various updates. When eventually you have installed this Internet browser and you start it a window will appear in which you have to choose between "Use recommended security and compatibility settings" and "Don't use recommended settings".  Beside that you will also be able to make this application as your default browser.

The new interface of Internet Explorer 9 looks pretty good. However my first good impression was totally changed when i noticed that by closing the last tab bar the browser shuts down automatically. Believe me that it will take a while until you will get used with this.

In this new version they have introduced a system similar to Opera's Speed Dial, entitled "Your most popular sites". If in Opera you are able to make various changes in the Speed Dial field like adding sites or deleting them, in IE9 you can just delete them. Basically in this section will be added the sites that you visit the most or the ones that you have recently opened. The thing that simply annoys me is that you can not add manually a site in this particular section.

On top of that to access "Your most popular sites" field you need to have open at least 2 tabs. However there are a couple of functions that i really liked. At the bottom of this page there is a section named "Discover other sites you might like". What this basically does is that it shows you sites similar to the one that you have previously opened. Here you also have very useful functions such as "Reopen closed tabs, Reopen last session and InPrivate Browsing".

Compared with IE8 this new version is faster. Despite this, in my opinion this is still a slow browser. Regarding this aspect it can not be compared with Opera or Mozilla Firefox.
A very interesting feature is the Pin Site. Basically you can add all of your favorite websites on your Windows taskbar. To pin a site you just need to drag its icon on the taskbar.

This new version of Internet Explorer also allows you to manage addons and to make various safety settings such as Delete browsing history, Tracking protection, ActiveX filtering etc. Definitely that IE9 represents a improvement over the previous version. It is pretty light on your system resources and the interface looks good. However this doesn't mean that it can compete with the best Internet browsers.

I don't like the fact that is still pretty slow, to complete the installation process you need to restart the PC, you can't add sites manually in the "Your most popular sites" field, the browser shuts down when you close the last tab. Overall this is a decent browser however there is plenty of room for improvement. 

Good:

-good looking interface
-light on system resources
-pin site feature

Bad:

-still slow when compared with the competition
-long installation process
-requires restart after install
-by closing the last tab you shut down the browser
-you can't add sites manually in the "Your most popular sites" field

Version 9.0 reviewed on: 23 Jun 2011

Publisher's description

Internet Explorer 9 provides the best web experience for Windows.

Internet Explorer 9 features:

It's all-around fast — hardware-accelerated text, video, and graphics speed up performance and make websites perform like programs that are installed on your computer.

Streamlined and simplified design — gives you the basic controls you need and puts the focus on your websites.

One-click access to your favorite sites — with Pinned Sites, you can get to your favorite sites directly from the Windows taskbar without having to open your browser first.

A combined search and Address bar — one place to either navigate to a website or start a search.

Redesigned New Tab page — now you have quick access to the sites you visit most often, and you can also reopen closed tabs or your last browsing session, or start an InPrivate Browsing session.

Integration with Windows 7 — with Snap, Pinned Sites, Jump Lists, and thumbnail preview controls, Internet Explorer 9 and Windows 7 bring you the best web experience for Windows.

Improved add-on management — Add-on Performance Advisor tells you if an add-on is slowing down your browser and allows you to disable or remove it, helping ensure that your browser stays fast over time.

Helps control your privacy — Tracking Protection enables you to limit the browser's communication with certain websites to help keep your information private.

Keeps your downloads in order — Download Manager keeps a running list of the files you download from the Internet, notifies you if a file could be malicious, and allows you to pause and restart a download.

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