Internet Explorer 9 due tonight

IE logo

Microsoft is hours away from launching Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

The browser is set to be available from 9pm Pacific Time, making it downloadable in the UK from 4am on Tuesday.

The full release comes to users a month after the release candidate, which added a number of new features including tracking protection and the ability to pin sites to the taskbar.

There are also rumours new features will arrive with the full blown release.

Microsoft still holds the largest market share when it comes to internet browsing, with IE accounting for 63.2 per cent. according to NetMarketShare's latest figures.

However, Mozilla's Firefox remained a strong contender with a 21.74 per cent share, and Google's Chrome passed the 10 per cent share mark for the first time in January of this year.

At Mobile World Congress in February, Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer confirmed a mobile-optimised version of IE9 would be coming to Windows Phone 7 handsets when it gets updated later this month.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.