Microsoft is offering for download not only the plain vanilla version of Internet Explorer 8, but also a customized variant tailored to its MSN web properties. In this regard, the Redmond company is advertising a copy of Internet Explorer 8 RTW (released to web) that is optimized for MSN. At the same time, the software giant has tailored IE8 optimized for MSN to a variety of countries around the world, offering a multitude of localized versions for download on top of the English releases. The optimization the Redmond company introduced to the browser effectively ties Internet Explorer 8 to the MSN brand.

“Internet Explorer 8 makes your Web experience even better – faster, easier, safer!” Microsoft promises. “Helps you surf the Web faster; quick access to your favorite sites; protects you against viruses and spyware; includes MSN Homepage, MSN Toolbar, Microsoft Silverlight, and Search.”

Effectively, users of IE8 optimized for MSN will notice that Microsoft has tweaked the browser in order to enable queries and offer results through its search engine. At the same time, the optimized flavor of IE8 comes with Silverlight by default, and with the MSN Toolbar preinstalled. Microsoft is of course attempting to offer a branded experience of Internet Explorer 8, pointing the users to MSN.

The Redmond company is by no means the only organization providing a branded Internet Explorer 8 experience. Following the release to web of IE8 on March 19, 2009, Yahoo and eBay were also among the companies to tailor the browser to their services. At this point in time copies of Internet Explorer 8 optimized for Yahoo and eBay are up for grabs. Google continues to offer a customized version of Internet Explorer 7, but has failed to do the same with IE8, considering that it is now offering Google Chrome as a competitor to IE.

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) RTW is available for download here (for 32-bit and 64-bit flavors of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008).