Photos: Internet Explorer 9's new features

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Walkthrough of IE9 - Microsoft's latest browser - in pictures...

Microsoft has released the latest version of its Windows Internet Explorer 9 browser. But IE9 is only available on Windows 7 and Vista, not Windows XP, even though XP is installed on an estimated 40 per cent of the world's desktops.

Microsoft said it could not support the browser on XP because of the way the operating system handles device drivers.

According to Microsoft, IE9 was the most downloaded browser beta of all time, with more than 40 million downloads.

In this picture walkthrough, silicon.com explores the features of IE9 - starting with the browser's ability to let Windows 7 users pin websites to the taskbar and run them as though they were native applications.

Here you can see the Film4 website, run by the broadcaster Channel 4, pinned to the taskbar.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
Sites are pinned to the taskbar by clicking on a tab and dragging it to the taskbar.

Users are able to pin multiple sites for quick access, as seen here.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
Another feature is the jump list, which allows websites to customise the menus that appear when the user right-clicks on the pinned website on the taskbar.

Here, Film4 has designed a jump list that allows users to jump to their account to view new movie releases or to play trailers.

Jump lists can be coded to perform advanced functions, such as integrated media player controls and displaying the number of unread email messages.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
The browser interface has been minimised to reduce clutter and maximise space for a website or app.

Stop and refresh buttons have been shrunk, notifications now pop up at the bottom of windows and commands such as Print and page controls have been collapsed into the Tools menu.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
IE9 differs from other browsers in that tabs are displayed alongside the website URL bar by default.

Tabs can be dragged onto the desktop to create a new window. Tab sandboxing will prevent a crash in a single tab from locking up the whole browser.

The New Tab page allows users to call up closed tabs and past browsing sessions, and provides icons of the user's most frequently visited websites for quick access.

IE9 will also monitor toolbars and add-ons to check whether they are unnecessarily slowing down the browser.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
The web address bar, or OneBox bar as Microsoft is calling it, doubles as a search box - and also allows users to look at their browsing history or favourites.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
Apart from the new features, one of the main improvements with IE9 is faster browsing - with silicon.com's sister site CNET News.com declaring that the browser "feels fast enough to keep up with Chrome".

Rendering is given a boost by IE9's GPU hardware acceleration, while JavaScript performance is much nippier thanks to the new Chakra engine.

Multimedia and other advanced features can run directly within the browser, courtesy of IE9's support for tags under the HTML5 web standard such as , and , and its semantic tags.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath
Security features in IE9 include a Download Manager that recognises installers from trusted sources and produces fewer pop-up warnings, a Do Not Track feature to prevent web advertisers from tracking browsing habits and the ability to block ActiveX content on individual sites.

Published: March 15, 2011 -- 17:15 GMT (10:15 PDT)
Photo by: Microsoft

Caption by: Nick Heath