Posts Tagged Microsoft

15 days until IE9 Launch

Aug 31

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Uncategorized | No Comments

We’re just week’s away from the launch of IE9 and the team here are very excited about the impact this will have on how millions view the web.  IE9 is almost unrecognisable from previous incarnations of our browser – the step up is equivalent to upgrading from an old 14 inch TV to a bright, clean HD plasma screen. We can’t wait to get it out there.

The new browser is incredibly fast. Our current speed tests prove it is 11 times faster than IE8 alone! For web developers this is truly revolutionary. It means that webpages can become even more graphically rich and advanced websites (like Radian6) will feel like normal applications on your start menu in Windows.

If you really can’t wait for the launch then you might want to take the developer trial version of IE9 for a test drive. We’ve already had over 2.5 million downloads of the Platform Preview alone on the IE Test Drive site and love getting feedback we can take on board to make sure IE9 meets your needs better than ever.

http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/

This week we’re counting down to the IE9 launch and giving you more of an idea of what the browser includes to make the web feel more beautiful than ever!

It’s 15 days until IE9’s launch on 15th September. Get ready for a whole new way to experience the web…

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Hidden Gems of the Internet: Video Sites

Aug 25

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Uncategorized | No Comments

We’ve all heard of YouTube but there are a number of other video sites out there that offer a great variety of entertainment and advice.

A favourite from the team here is Videojug. Launched back in 2006, Videojug is a free factual video guide website. The site offers advice on everything from ‘How to chat someone up on the tube’ to ‘making egg fried rice’.  In fact the site features over 60,000 professionally made videos!

Another great video site we can’t get enough of is Daily Motion. This website not only allows you to upload and share your own video content, including our very own Life Academy but also showcases full length movies, art movies, celeb gossip and even animations

And lastly who could forget the recently re-launched MSN Video . The channel boasts full TV episodes including Little Britain and Skins. The website also has all the latest trailers, pop videos and news.

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Internet Explorer 9: The future has arrived

Aug 20

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

With Internet Explorer 6 nearly a decade old, now really is the time to upgrade if you’re stuck on the old browser. Looking forward we wanted to showcase the new Internet Explorer 9 and highlight some of the key features of the soon to be launched browser.

Internet Explorer 9 is a significant milestone in internet and computing history and is launching in beta on September 15. Internet Explorer 9 uses the power of your PC’s hardware and Windows 7 to transmit the optimum speed, clarity and depth of vision for world’s best, most beautiful web content.  It is a new category of browser, different and better to any other in the market right now.

Internet Explorer 9 Test Drive Site

 

Key features include:

1. Unlike any other browser, IE9 takes better advantage of hardware advancements like the  full capabilities of graphics processing units

2. IE9 uses the whole PC to unlock the next class of experiences on the Web

3. IE9 is the first browser to take standard Web patterns that developers use and run them better on modern hardware

4. IE9 creates a richer, more colourful and powerful browsing experience

5. For enthusiasts, now is the time to start taking IE9 for a spin to see how it lights up your PC Web experience. Ahead of the launch on the 15th September why not try out Product  Preview 4  

Internet Explorer 9 is a gateway to an exciting and visually rich web experience which will give consumers and brands a new way of connecting. If you cannot wait until the 15th September why not try out the test drive here http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/

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The Death of Internet Explorer 6

Aug 18

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Announcements | No Comments

This week at Internet Explorer HQ we’ve been reminiscing over the granddaddy of browsers, Internet Explorer 6.

Despite the browser being over nine-years-old it is still used by around 20% of internet users however with modern threats such as malware the browser does not protect as sufficiently as newer browsers such as Internet Explorer 8. We would recommend anyone who uses Internet Explorer 6 to update their browser as soon as possible so that they are not leaving themselves vulnerable.

Numerous sites from the BBC to YouTube recommend moving away from Internet Explorer 6 and now with its great grandson Internet Explorer 9 about to be born, IE6’s time has come to an end. With the threat of new viruses and the many innovations in the Internet it is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of Internet Explorer 6.

This Friday we will take you through some of the key features of Internet Explorer 9, the great grandson of IE6.

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Internet Explorer 6

Aug 17

Posted by Blue E Blogger in In the news | No Comments

We’re all counting down the days until the launch of Internet Explorer 9 but the team here at IE HQ wanted to do a quick look back at the granddaddy of browsers who was loved and hated (almost in equal measures); Internet Explorer 6.

Launched in 2001 the 6th browser by Microsoft was the default browser for Windows XP and despite its age is still used by many businesses today. IE6 was the most widely used web browser during its tenure, surpassing Internet Explorer 5. At its peak in 2002 and 2003, IE6 achieved a total market share of nearly 90%, with all versions of IE combined reaching 95%.

However despite its popularity IE 6 did have its problems and in 2006 was voted one of the worst tech products of all time by PC World. Luckily for all its brother IE7 and the current IE8 were far superior products. 

In Wednesdays post we will continue to look at Internet Explorer 6 before finishing off the week with a post on Friday discussing the next instalment of IE, Internet Explorer 9.

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Smart Screen: Top Tips

Aug 13

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Tips & Tricks | No Comments

This week the team at Internet Explorer have been taking you through the SmartScreen Filter feature from IE8 that has blocked over one billion attacks since its launch last year. In our final post of the week we wanted to offer some quick tips to protect your PC against virus attacks.

1. Make sure the SmartScreen Filter is turned on. To activate it:

  – In Internet Explorer, click the Safety button. Point to SmartScreen Filter, and then click Turn On SmartScreen Filter.

  – In the Microsoft SmartScreen Filter dialog box, click OK.

2. Can’t find SmartScreen? Are you sure you have Internet Explorer 8? Get the latest IE to offer the best protection against malware attacks http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/internet-explorer/browse-with-confidence.aspx

3. Get Security Essentials for your PC. It’s free, yes free and offers additional protection http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/default.aspx?mkt=en-gb#dlbutton

4. If you think your PC may already have a virus give it a quick virus scan http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

5. Make sure your machine always has the latest updates http://www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/vistadefault.aspx?ln=en-us

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SmartScreen: One Billion Blocked Attacks

Aug 11

Posted by Blue E Blogger in In the news | No Comments

We’re thrilled that since we’ve launched SmartScreen the web has become a much safer environment, with the system already blocking over a Billion attacks since its launch in March 2009. Our very own James Pratt, Product Manager at Microsoft, revealed this impressive milestone on his personal blog.

Within his post James highlighted some key facts including:

NSS Labs have recognized the Internet Explorer 8 SmartScreen Filter as a leader in protection against Socially Engineered Malware in their August 2009 and March 2010 reports which compared Internet Explorer 8 to Chrome, Firefox and others.

Our malware block rates continue to improve because we continue to improve the SmartScreen service back-end. For example, in August 2009 we had blocked about 70 million attempts to download malware or about 18 million blocks per month. At the time, according to Net Applications, about 15% of the internet population used Internet Explorer 8. In the last two months, we’ve blocked 100 million attempts to download malware. Last month, according to Net Applications, nearly 26% of the internet population uses Internet Explorer 8. There are 1.7 times more users on Internet Explorer 8 than August 2009 but we’re blocking 5 times more malware month on month.

 

This fantastic achievement was covered across the web including Softpedia and IT Pro and showcases another example of how Internet Explorer 8 continues to protect its customers.

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The Power of SmartScreen

Aug 9

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Uncategorized | No Comments

Last week the team discussed how Internet Explorer 8 has kept itself as the number 1 internet browser , this week we wanted to continue this by showcasing one of the most powerful elements of IE8; SmartScreen.

SmartScreen Filter is a feature in Internet Explorer 8 that helps you avoid socially engineered malware phishing websites and online fraud when you browse the web. Since its launch in 2009 SmartScreen has blocked over one billion malware attacks.

But how does it work? When you have the SmartScreen Filter turned on, if you attempt to visit a Web site that has been reported, the screen below appears and advises you not to continue to the unsafe Web site.

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IE8: Now Optimised for Guardian.co.uk

Aug 6

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Uncategorized | No Comments

This week we’ve been looking at how IE8 has kept its spot as the world’s most popular browser and grown its audience over the past few months (stats from Netmarketshare )

One way more and more people are discovering IE is through special versions our team have been working hard to create that follow your interests more closely. We’ve recently tied up with The Guardian newspaper to bring an even faster experience of the newspaper via IE.

The new browser really integrates with guardian.co.uk and offers some great new features:

  • Latest News webslice –  Ever feel like you’re out of the loop of what’s going on in the country? With the Guardian’s Latest News feed important headlines will be subtlety  alerted to you as you surf and kept in a webslice so you don’t lose your page
  • Comment is Free webslice – The Guardian’s comment section, one of the most popular areas of Guardian.co.uk, is now accessible from your Favourites bar
  • Bing Search – Search guardian.co.uk from your IE search box directly 
  • Guardian Multimedia – Take a look at the Guardian’s award-winning photography and latest videos without leaving your page

 

To download Internet Explorer 8 optimised for guardian.co.uk take a look at the ieaddons. The Guardian also has their own article on the advantages of webslices at http://www.guardian.co.uk/internet-explorer-8/optimised-for-the-guardian

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8 Reasons to try Internet Explorer 8

Aug 4

Posted by Blue E Blogger in Tips & Tricks | No Comments

This week IE is celebrating gaining market share on all other browsers, following monthly research by Net Applications. Their research also shows that more and more people are choosing to upgrade to our latest version, Internet Explorer 8 – it is now the most popular browser in the world.

If you’re considering upgrading then take a look at 8 great reasons to try IE8:

1. Make the web work faster for you – IE8 is faster than previous versions of Internet Explorer, loading up even data heavy flash sites quicker

2. Navigate your favourite sites quicker with Webslices – see relevant pieces of your favourite sites so you don’t have open another tab or leave the page you’re on

3. Less clicks – Accelerators in IE8 give you instant access to your favourite sites, cutting down searches that took 7 or 8 clicks of the mouse into just 2 clicks

4. Search Amazon, eBay and Wikipedia right from the search box

5. Ever close a tab by mistake and want to bring it back up? IE lets you restore old tabs so you don’t lose your last web page

6. More stable browsing – IE8 isolates actions in each tab so if one page crashes your browser remains stable and your other tabs stay open

7. Safer browsing – IE8’s SmartScreen filter helps you stay safe from malicious websites which can compromise your data, privacy, and identity

8. View all websites with ease – IE8 makes it easy to view old websites designed for older browsers thanks to its Compatibility View button – perfect for web developers or people looking to refresh their old website

To read our full whitepaper on ‘Improving  Consumer Use of the Web’, take a look here.

On Friday we’ll be looking at the special Guardian version of IE8.

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