Yes, you’ve heard it! The Internet Explorer 8 beta is well under way and some Mozilla users are seeing a rise in the new features that IE8 Beta has to offer over Firefox. Could this be the battle that wins it for IE against FF? I guess we’ll find out soon enough! You can download the BETA here.
Internet Explorer 8 Beta – New Features
Add-ons
With IE8 you can now get Add-ons to attach to the browser. You can access the add-on gallery here.
Accelerators

Accelerators let you complete your everyday browsing activities more quickly and even discover new services. Start mapping, translating, emailing, and more in just a few mouse clicks.
InPrivate Browsing

Keep Internet Explorer 8 from adding any sites you visit to Browsing History with InPrivate Browsing. Now you can shop for that special gift with confidence knowing your family won’t accidentally find out.
Web Slices

Keep up with changes to the sites you care about most. Add a Web Slice and you won’t have to go back to the same website again and again for updates on news, stock quotes, online auctions, weather, or even sports scores.
Search Suggestions

Search smarter with detailed suggestions from your favorite search providers and browsing history. See visual previews and get suggested content topics while you type in the enhanced Instant Search Box.
SmartScreen Filter

New security features help to protect you against deceptive and malicious websites which can compromise your data, privacy, and identity.
Compatibility View

Internet Explorer 8’s built-in Compatibility View button enables you to display websites that were designed for older browsers. Simply press the Compatibility View button if you see display problems on a website like misaligned text, images, or text boxes. It’s located next to the Refresh button on the Address Bar.