Internet Explorer 8: Does the Dominant Browser Have the Goods to Continue Its Reign? Let's Have Some Pricacy Here, Please Adam Stone
Let's Have Some Pricacy Here, Please
Internet Explorer 8 also promises to get you where you are going faster and easier. Once you get there, Microsoft adds one more piece to the package: The ability to do what you do in private.
"When checking e-mail at an Internet café or shopping for a gift on a family PC, you don't want to leave any trace of specific Web browsing activity," the promotional literature declares. (Read: Porn.)
Whatever the reason a user might seek confidentially, InPrivate Browsing promises to keep browsing history, temporary Internet files, form data, cookies, usernames, and passwords under lock and key. The browser forgets where you have been, erasing browser and search histories.
To launch InPrivate Browsing, the user launches a new tab and selects the Browse With InPrivate option. This option can also be reached through a Safety button in the top right corner of the browser window.
The resulting browser session will run without recording any activity. A clever touch short-circuits any attempt at an end-run by curious teens. When parental blocks are on, InPrivate Browsing is disabled.
InPrivate also offers a filtering function meant to limit the sharing of information with third-party Websites that might be tracking browsing activities. It isn't foolproof, as filtering only kicks in when it sees a repeated pattern of third-party activity across sites.
Internet Explorer 8 definitely delivers in terms of offering a faster browser with fresh new features. But is it as good as the next guy's browser, especially Mozilla's? In today's highly competitive browser world, it will be interesting to see how many will be drawn to this contender's promises of simplicity, speed, and privacy.
