Internet Explorer 9 Beta to hit the web in September

Microsoft revealed that the first public beta version of Internet Explorer 9 will be released in September, one month later than expected.

[Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin] Turner shared the beta date during his morning keynote at the annual Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) on July 29.

According to several recent leaks, Microsoft had been targeting August as its beta delivery target for IE 9. This beta is expected to be public (as the test previews have been), and to feature more of the user interface elements.

Additionally, some details and screenshots of Internet Explorer 9 were leaked this week, you can check it out at NeoWin. The screenshots show off a new download manager, a new icon for IE9 and what appears to be new security features for add-ons.

Microsoft originally unveiled Internet Explorer 9 at PDC 2009. IE 9 will take advantage of the power of the GPU for all page rendering and developers can exploit this using CSS, DHTML and javascript. A new JS engine (codenamed Chakra) will also be built into Internet Explorer 9 with greater interoperability and standards support all round. Features such as rounded corner CSS support will be built in. In January, Neowin revealed that Microsoft is planning to enhance tabbed browsing in IE9. According to a software patent, the Quick Tabs feature in Internet Explorer is likely to be enhanced with better functionality and greater tab management options.

Here's a screenshot of IE9's new download manager: