Internet Explorer 10 Released For Windows 7 With Do Not Track Feature
Internet Explorer 10 was recently released for Windows 7. Internet Explorer 10, or IE 10, was first integrated into Windows 8 and is required for Windows mobile phones.
Similar to Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 10 now has a built-in player for Adobe Flash content. Microsoft claims this Flash support doesn’t effect battery life or performance, although obviously videos that use full-screen video playback will work the processor and thus consume more energy. In contrast, Adobe stopped offering the Flash plug-in for the Android platform several months ago. The new Internet Explorer 10 browser adds full support for HTML 5, where IE9 had only partially supported the open standard.
Internet Explorer 10 is primarily designed to be used by touch, like with Windows mobile phones or with the Microsoft Surface tablet. Microsoft has told PC Advisor that “Internet Explorer 10 is also perfectly useable with mouse and keyboard.” But Microsoft’s most controversial move is to enable a feature called “Do Not Track.”
“IE10 continues our focus on helping consumers protect their privacy, which started in IE9 with features such as Tracking Protection. In Windows 8, ‘Do Not Track’ (DNT) is ‘on’ in the Express Settings at time of set-up, and IE10 in Windows 7 also sends a ‘Do Not Track’ signal to web sites by default. Microsoft’s customers have been clear that they want more control over how their personal information is used online,” Microsoft said in a press release.
The DNT option is a boon for consumer because it blocks websites from collecting information about the current browsing session. Unfortunately, this kind of information is necessary for all all online advertisers and several companies have already requested from Microsoft that they disable the Do Not Track feature.
“While ‘Do Not Track’ is a technology solution that’s still in its formative stages, it holds the promise of giving people greater choice and control of their privacy as they browse the Web,” Microsoft said. “IE10 Windows 7 customers are notified of the ‘Do Not Track’ setting via IE10’s first run welcome page, including instructions for how they can turn off ‘Do Not Track’ should they wish.”
I’ve been using Internet Explorer 10 with a mouse and keyboard for a while now, but I have not had a chance to try it with touchscreens. What has your experience with Internet Explorer 10 been like?
