If you're turned off by Windows 8 / 8.1 but want the latest version of Internet Explorer, Microsoft has good news for you. Today, the software giant is releasing Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7. Already available in Windows 8.1, the updated browser features improved performance, security and support for more web standards, bringing speedier and more app-like websites to your Windows 7 machine. This final release will be available as an automatic update for Windows 7 users, or as a download on Microsoft's site for those who can't wait or have updates disabled.
The software giant says Internet Explorer 11 has the fastest JavaScript engine around, meaning feature-intensive pages should render much faster than on other browsers. According to Microsoft, the browser loads websites 30 percent faster (based on browser JavaScript benchmark SunSpider) on your device while reducing CPU usage and improving battery life.
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This release brings features such as side-by-side sites and apps, live tile support, one-click Skype calling and reading view to Windows 7 devices. Internet Explorer 11 also allows websites to access your device's accelerometer and gyroscope thanks to WebGL support, letting developers create app-like experiences such as an Etch-a-Sketch in your browser.
Browsers are battling it out to support more and more web standards to let you do more with your mobile device. Firefox announced just two weeks ago that its Android browser will support a Web Audio API, letting designers create music for web-based games so you can get richer sound environments within your browser. Internet Explorer 11 brings support for an additional 25 web standards so you can make the most of what the Internet has to offer.
