Microsoft has released a third beta of the next version of its browser. Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3 for Windows XP contains some feature changes in addition to reliability, compatibility, and security improvements over the second beta version of the software.

IE 7 Beta 2 was "feature complete" when it was released in April, according to Redmond, so the latest beta contains essential feature tweaks alongside the necessary security updates Redmond has released over recent months.

The release adds an email button to IE's toolbar, allows users to reorder tabs, and contains improvements in handling RSS feeds. Compatibility tweaks and bug fixes make the software more compatible with various websites and web applications.

The release also contains security fixes up to and including security updates released by Microsoft on 13 June, as part of Redmond's regular Patch Tuesday update process.

The software, which runs on Windows XP 64-bit Edition and Windows Server 2003 SP1, as well as Windows XP SP2, can be downloaded for review here (http://www.microsoft.com/ie). A complete list of feature updates can be found here (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/winxp/IE7XPSP2FS.mspx), and there's more background on the software's development on Microsoft's official IE blog here (http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/).

IE7 Beta 3 is currently only available in English. German, Japanese, Finnish and Arabic versions are due in early July. ®

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