Microsoft is one step closer to the final version of IE 7 due this fall with the release of Internet Explorer Beta 3, launched one month in advance of the initially announced date which was August. This last Beta comes in no less than four versions: Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 for Windows Server 2003 Itanium Edition, Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 for Windows Server 2003 SP1, Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 for Windows XP SP2, Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 (Windows x64 Editions).

IE Beta 3 has all the security updates released prior for Explorer built in offering a more comprehensive security package than its predecessors. Users will be able to manage and customize a dynamic and streamlined interface and to build according to personal preferences the tabbed-browsing bar through drag-and-drop. The flexibility of this new and last Beta adds advanced search and print features to customization options and instant Real Simple Syndication feeds with settings dialog and refresh function. All these put aside, IE 7 Beta 3 fails to deliver extra speed, and such browsing performances will only be optimized when the application will enter Release Candidate stage later this summer.

IE 7 Beta 3 is designed for Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1. It will not run on the recently released Windows Vista, as the operating system is shipped with its own version of the browser: Internet Explorer 7+.

Internet Explorer 7.0 Beta 3 was tested by Softpedia as 100% FREE and is available for download here.