Microsoft unveiled a release preview of Internet Explorer 10, found on Windows 8, for Windows 7 Tuesday, bringing the high browser functionality found on the new OS to an older generation.
"In Windows 8, we reimagined the browser with IE10," the company said in an MSDN blog post. "We designed and built IE10 to be the best way to experience the Web on Windows.
"With the IE10 release preview for Windows 7, consumers can now enjoy a fast and fluid Web with the updated IE10 engine on their Windows 7 devices."
The preview is available for download today.
Perks of IE10
More than just an incremental update, W7 users should notice a marked difference between their old IE and IE10 - a separation pegged by speed, fluidity and touch optimization.
IE10 brings with it a spunkier HTML5 engine, that enhances visual effects, shows off sophisticated page layouts and provides an enhanced web programming model while providing an overall boost to hardware performance.
A "Do Not Track" option is set to "on" from the get go, meaning IE10 on Windows 7 will send a "DNT" message to web sites by default.
In line with its Windows 8 genesis, IE10 features a new touch first browsing experience as well as full screen user interfaces for websites.
No word yet on when a final release will hit the streets, but this is a good sign it can't be too far off.
