Full Review

On the surface, IE 8 seems much like IE 7, but Microsoft has made a number of changes under the hood. For basic browsing, the biggest improvement in IE is its tab handling – for example, all related tabs are automatically grouped and color-coded and also the ability to reopen closed tabs more conveniently.

Perhaps the most noticeable new features in IE8 are Accelerators and Web Slices. Accelerator delivers information from another Web site directly to your current browser page. Web Slices offer an easy way of getting information. They deliver changing information from a Web page you're not actively visiting directly to IE8.

The most noticeable features in IE8 are Accelerators and Web Slices.

Microsoft touts IE 8 as its most secure browser to date, and Microsoft has indeed added a good number of security features to the mix, ranging from phishing detection to private browsing. IE 8 offers better support for W3 Web.

Though it probably won't convince many Firefox users to jump ship, Internet Explorer 8 may be worth considering for people who have not yet solidified their browser loyalties.