5 ways Internet Explorer 7 helps you get more done
Internet Explorer 7 makes surfing the Net easier and more secure.
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I used Internet Explorer 6.0 (IE6) all day long, every day. I had arranged all the settings how I liked them, and I don't like change. I'm the kind of girl that just wants technology to work when I need it; I'm not into installing all the latest gadgets and upgrades so I can one-up my friends. So when I heard there was a new version of Internet Explorer on the way, my first reaction was, "I don't need that."
Then I tried Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). It's cool to look at, simple to use, and helps takes away some of the security issues I'm always worried about. You can, and I suggest you do, download and install IE 7, too. Here are the top five new features that you will appreciate from a productivity standpoint.
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1. Find what you need more quickly with tabbed browsing
When you've buried something in a file cabinet, tabbed files are a life saver. A quick glance at each tab lets you know what lies beneath it so you don't have to open every file. When I'm doing research online, I'm sort of insane with how many Web windows I'll have open. Nothing is more irritating that having a half dozen windows open and not knowing which one has the information I need. I waste a lot of time opening and closing windows.
IE7 eliminates this problem with a feature called Tabbed Browsing. It allows people like me to manage multiple Web sites from within one browsing window. Just like opening a paper file drawer to see a row of titled files, now I just glance at the tabs across the top of my IE7 window to see which window I need and I select it.
Tabbed browsing lets you manage multiple Web sites within one browser window.
Two sub-features in tabbed browsing are worth mentioning. The first is Quick Tabs, which gives you a thumbnail view of up to 20 open tabs at a single glance. If your comprehension is better with visuals, this is the tab feature you'll like best.
Quick Tabs let you view thumbnails of up to 20 open tabs at once.
The second is Tab Groups, which lets you organize multiple tabs into a single group and then save that group as a Favorite. This is basically an updated twist to the standard Favorites menu. Let's say you have saved all of your vendor Web sites into a vendor Tab Group in your Favorites menu. In the new Favorites Center (an addition to the old Favorites menu), a single click will open all the sites in the Tab group.
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. A default will shrink a Web page's 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 me time. But it saves me money, too: no more wasted paper!
You can adjust margins, change the page layout, and more in IE7 Print Preview.
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.
The new Toolbar Search Box makes searching the Web faster and easier.
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.
Earlier versions of Internet Explorer didn't make it easy to use RSS feeds, but IE7 improvements let even mere mortals like me 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
.
RSS feeds are integrated into IE7.
Come back to the page later by opening your Favorites Center. Now you can read news when it arrives and click headline links to get the complete Web page.
Have a quick view of all of your RSS feeds.
Personally, I can see using RSS feeds now a lot more as I get used to them—and as more Web sites offer them. It's going to be a good way for those sites to push their information out to the masses, so don't say I didn't warn you that these feeds will become more and more prevalent. And hey, if it saves me time, I'm all for it.
Note to tech support If you're part of the technical team supporting a business, the Windows RSS Platform will be included as part of IE7 for Windows Vista and Windows XP. Once a feed is subscribed to in one application, that subscription and associated content will be made available for applications across the operating system.
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. If you upgrade to IE7 for no other reason, let this be the one.
If IE7 sounds like something you would like, download and install IE7.
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S.E. Slack |
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