Microsoft puts IE 7 to the test

Microsoft wants you to put Internet Explorer 7 through its paces. And if you have any problems, just call the company.

The software giant is set to release an updated test version of IE 7 for Windows XP and is hoping to convince the masses to try out the still-in-the-works software. To help spur downloads of IE 7 Beta 2, the company is offering free telephone support for customers in Germany, Japan and North America.

Dean Hachamovitch, Internet Explorer general manager, said in a telephone interview: "Our goal is to encourage everyone to try the product. We think that free phone support is a good way to encourage a lot of people who might otherwise shy away from trying beta software."

A prior test version, released in January, had been publicly available but Microsoft was only encouraging developers to use it. An even earlier beta, last July, was not released publicly and was made available only to select testers.

The company is planning a third beta for later this year, before releasing a final version of IE 7 to Windows XP users in the second half of this year. Microsoft is also building IE 7 into Windows Vista, with several test versions of that software also having been issued.

After years of leaving Internet Explorer relatively unchanged, Microsoft now sees continued innovation coming in both the browser and related add-ins. The company has also faced increased competition in recent years, largely from Mozilla's Firefox, which has grabbed a significant share of the market, though IE still dominates.

With the latest version of the browser, IE 7, Microsoft is hoping to identify more compatibility issues with it before they become widespread problems. Hachamovitch said most websites are displaying fine in the new browser, though there have been some bugs, particularly with sites and software that have taken advantage of certain IE 6-specific tweaks. With IE 7, the company is attempting to be more standards-compliant. But Hachamovitch said that "because we do the right thing now" [by being standards-compliant], there may be some problems with IE 6-specific code.

He added: "Sites in general should work great. There are a small number of sites that have gone through and tried to take advantage of old peculiarities in IE 6 rendering."

The free phone support will run at least until the Beta 3 release but Hachamovitch said Microsoft has not decided its plans from that point on. IE 6 users who got the browser through a new PC can get support from their PC maker if it is under warranty. Those who got their copy of Windows via an upgrade can get two free support calls from Microsoft; additional calls cost $35.

The test version launching this week is in American English, with an early May launch planned for Arabic, Finnish, German and Japanese versions.

In addition to serving up the new test browser, Microsoft is adding a new website, IEaddons.com, where users can go to download add-on software for both IE 6 and IE 7.

Ina Fried writes for CNET News.com