14 DAY TRIAL // Following the release of the Beta development milestone of Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft has focused on fine-tuning the browser for the Release Candidate Build. Leaked screenshots of Internet Explorer 9 Build 9.00.8073.6010 (WIN7_IE9_Partner.110113-2300) confirm the fact that the Redmond company has been hard at work softening the rough edges of the browser, which continues to cook at this point in time.
The software giant already confirmed that IE9 RC is due in early 2011, and Build 9.00.8073.6010 (WIN7_IE9_Partner.110113-2300) is an RC Escrow release according to Winreview.
This means that the company has all but frozen the development process, focusing instead on testing the RC Escrow build to make sure that it is ready for the general public.
The leaked screenshots reveal changes to the graphical user interface of IE9. In this regard, end users should expect IE9 RC to feature a tweaked UI, with Microsoft having focused on perfecting the design in comparison to the Beta release.
IE9 Build 9.00.8073.6010 RC-Escrow features refined elements of the Beta UI. There are changes to the Back and Forward buttons, and to the opened Tabs.
The interface certainly feels more polished, but as far as UI tweaks are concerned, the modifications are cosmetic, but they do serve to improve the overall interface of IE9 and give the feeling of a finalized product rather than of one that’s still under development.
Microsoft has even introduced a small redesign to the New Tab screen displayed to users whenever they open a fresh tab, including a new background. New options have been added, allowing customers to hide the tabs altogether or to discover sites similar to the ones they visited.
Similarly, the InPrivate page has suffered an UI tweak, which also involves elements in the Address bar to indicate that users are leveraging the consumer-side privacy feature of the browser.
IE9 Build 9.00.8073.6010 RC-Escrow also sports a range of additional options including the rate of downloads for items in the Download Manager, as well as the Quick Tab feature, which allows users to access a screen with all the opened Tabs side by side, streamlining access to a specific site.
Build 9.00.8073.6010 however doesn’t feature the option to reposition tabs under the Address Bar instead of to its right, which was introduced via leaked details, but not confirmed in any way by the software giant.
Microsoft announced only a single new feature for IE9 RC, namely Tracking Protection, a mechanism designed to help users block third-party tracking of their online activities.
