THE FOLKS OVER at Redmond have released the second beta version of its upcoming IE8 web browser.

The browser contains many new features, including the previously mentioned inPrivate mode that leaves no trace of what the user was up to from the browser and allows users to set which third-party sites have access to any of the data transmitted during the session.

Affectionately dubbed 'porn mode' this new feature could play merry havoc with analytics engines that many people use to track visitor numbers and other stats if users decide to block these sites.

The new beta version also includes a 'Smart Address Bar' and an 'Enhanced Find On Page' feature, remarkably similar to the ones Firefox and Safari have had for ages already.

There is also something called 'Web Slices', which allows site developers to mark parts of their web pages, enabling users to monitor information from the site an be informed when it is updated.

Apparently the new browser is also attempting to become more standards compliant, but includes a 'compatibility mode' just in case.

On the very off chance that the super stable code does come undone thanks to interference from cosmic rays, there is also a new crash recovery feature which automatically restores and reloads the tab, and any information the user may have already entered on the page. [No security issues there then - Sub Ed].

Those brave enough to give it a go can download the new beta here, otherwise you could always download the full release version of Firefox 3 here – just a thought. µ