Microsoft Ships Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2

Gary Schare, Microsoft's director of Windows product management, told me in a recent briefing that IE 7 Beta 2 was fit for public consumption. "The target audience is technology enthusiasts," he said. "But it can be broadly used. We feel very good about it." Microsoft is feeling so good, in fact, that it's offering IE 7 Beta 2 users free phone support and a seamless upgrade path from beta 2 to the final release, now expected in the second half of 2006.

IE 7 updates IE 6 by offering several improvements to security and functionality, including support for tabbed browsing; a completely revamped UI; a fully configurable, toolbar-based search box; enhanced printing; and RSS support. Microsoft expects to ship a few more interim builds of IE 7 before the final release. "We should be out 60 days ahead of Windows Vista at least," Schare said, placing the release in late 2006.