Friday, January 19, 2007

ways Internet Explorer 7 helps you get more done

Here is a summary of an article found on Microsoft's site (original link). It explains the benefits of IE7 over its predecessors, not over other browsers like you may think. Anyway, my personal tip to you: whatever browser you use, make sure you use the latest version and you always apply the released patches...

1. Find what you need more quickly with tabbed browsing - allows people to manage multiple Web sites from within one browsing window
2. Eliminate printing mishaps with advanced printing features - Remember the last time you tried to print a Web site page? Remember how annoying it was to see that half the information was cut off on the right or left margin? That problem is gone with IE7. Pages will shrink text just enough to ensure the entire page prints properly. Plus, from within Print Preview, you can now adjust Web page margins, change the page layout, remove headers and footers, and increase or decrease the print space as desired. Sure, this one saves time, but it saves me money, too: no more wasted paper!
3. Search the Web directly from the IE7 toolbar - In IE7, if you look for the little Windows flag icon in the upper-right corner that sometimes waves endlessly as IE6 works away, you will never find it. That's because it's been removed to make room for the Instant Search Box. This handy new feature will save time, trust me. It allows you to choose a search provider from a drop-down list (MSN is the default search engine) and lets you add new providers to the list. No more opening new windows or sites when one search engine doesn't return a satisfactory search. Instead, you just select another provider from the menu and IE7 remembers the search term and transfers it to the new search engine you've chosen.
4. Save time with improved RSS Feed support - If you like to surf the Web for news or other changing information, this next IE7 enhancement will also save you a lot of time. Chances are that you've seen the little buttons such as, "Get your RSS feed now!" on your favorite news or sports Web site. If you don't use one of these feeds yet, you probably will at some point because it's becoming popular. RSS feeds allow you to have personalized news, sports or shopping links, headlines, and summaries delivered directly to your desktop. You can subscribe to as many feeds as you wish, and then read them at your leisure all in one place without visiting individual Web sites. IE7 improvements let even mere people read the RSS feed directly in the browser. Instead of surfing individual Web sites for information, just scan the feed for stories that interest you. When you're on a site in IE7, if the RSS Feed icon is illuminated, it means the site offers a feed. Click on the icon, and you can subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking the Add/Subscribe button.
5. Stop being bait with the new Phishing Filter - One of the latest buzzwords on the Internet is "phishing." Anyone who has e-mail and uses the Internet is a potential victim, so listen up. Phishing occurs when an e-mail is sent falsely claiming to be an established, legitimate enterprise. You've probably gotten one of those e-mail messages already: It directs you to visit a Web site, often has an official logo, and asks you to update credit and other personal information. The motive behind it? To trick you into visiting a bogus Web site that you think is authentic and scam you into releasing personal information that will be stolen and used for illegitimate purposes. The sender is sending bait to thousands, hoping a few fish take it. Hence, the term "phishing," a variation on the leisure sport. In IE7, a new Phishing Filter consolidates the latest industry information about fraudulent Web sites several times an hour and warns you when you attempt to visit a potentially untrustworthy site. A security status bar at the top of the IE window pops up in yellow for potential problems, and in red if the Web site is a confirmed phishing destination. If the threat level is red, you will be automatically navigated away from that site. Phishing Filter helps limit security problems. This is primarily a good thing for individuals but businesses will benefit as well: Employees will be less likely to accidentally share business financial information with nefarious sources in the course of their job. With so many of us doing business online these days, it's a good bet that businesses are at high risk for phishing attacks. Busy employees could easily see one of these e-mail messages as a quick request from a vendor, for example, and poof! There goes your business information.