Equip For Any Situation (MSN Explorer)

Member Name:

Product:	MSN Explorer
Date:	18/07/02 (382 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, Interface Is User Friendly, Features

Disadvantages: Stability

What Is It

MSN Explorer is the new and fully featured Internet explorer from MSN the mega e-company behind the success of Hotmail. In MSN Explorer, MSN have managed to incorporate the efficiency of the email phenomena with smooth and slick browsing. Apart from being a breath of fresh air from Internet Explorer and Netscape, MSN Explorer is innovative.

Features - Email button

MSN have incorporated the same technical prowess behind Microsoft's Outlook into a browser, which offers similar functionality. The Email button allows users to quickly and efficiently access their mail without having to go through the trouble of re-signing into their account. In addition rather than having to wait for all emails to load which is a slow process for dial-up users, MSN Explorer stores old emails in your hard drive (which isn't a problem because they are usually just a couple of kilo-bites) and only looks for new emails and downloads them quickly and conveniently.

Features - Online Contacts

This is just a small button, which is closely related with the MSN Messenger phenomenon that you undoubtedly have heard of. Anyway, this button tells the user how many contacts are online at the same time that they are surfing the net. Using this button the user will we alerted when contacts arrive or leave, one also has all the options available on the MSN Messenger platform to them here such as blocking contacts etc.

Features-The Radio Button

You have probably got the idea that MSN Explorer is all about the buttons and this is especially evident in the Radio Button, which is my personal favourite. Traditionally, in order to listen to an avi file; one would have to wait for the huge, memory consuming Real Player to load, but the Radio Button is a nifty little button which produces the same functionality when it comes to radio.

Trivial Features

Apart from the specialised buttons, the user will find nice litt
le touches such as the customisable email alerting feature or the welcome note, which alternates during the day. All these features although small make MSN more welcoming and user friendly that the rude bed side manners of Internet Explorer.

Features-Conclusion

MSN Explorer's features are all about creating a more organised and user-friendly experience when one is surfing the net. This makes for a highly functional browser, which shall cancel out other programs from eating memory unnecessarily. Apart from these new modernised features, traditional users of Internet Explorer will also find the essential buttons such as back, favourites etc.

Interface

The interface of the browser is very welcoming and reassuring. Rather than the harsh and monotonous colours of Internet Explorer, MSN boosts a range of colours and high quality graphics. For instance, you may all be familiar with the MSN Messenger buddy logo, or the Outlook Email Logo, all of these are smartly incorporated into the browser. The result is the feeling that you are somehow much more organised and prepared for any website, you don't feel that you will have open numerous programs just to access the full functionality of a website, quite reassuring. (I know I find myself often opening Outlook & Real Player just to access the features of a website such as Amazon).

How Much?

Basically like many software products now on the Internet, MSN Explorer is free; but please don't be disheartened by this fact or you're past experiences of free software such as the Spy ware Gator. This is a sincere piece of software of high quality and simply is produced to compliment the Hotmail/MSN dream.

Installation

The product is downloadable from the Internet; the file size is also relatively small. I can't give the website URL due to Dooyoo regulations but CNET's download website has it and so of course does MSN's. Once downloaded, in
stall; the installation program will tell you to close any other browsers running and then MSN Explorer will be ready for use. I didn't even have to restart my PC.

Speed Issues

Similar to the brilliant Opera, which I strongly recommend, MSN Explorer is somewhat faster than Internet Explorer although I cannot compare it to Netscape since I do not regularly use it. It seems as though when it comes to speed issues, Internet Explorer is being left behind by the new cats, a fact that shall drive away their customers.

Now although the speed difference isn't truly noticeable if you are using broadband, dial up modem users will indefinitely note the difference.


Stability

Now, here I must say that I favour Internet Explorer over MSN because a lot of windows can be opened with Internet Explorer without the system crashing whereas MSN Explorer can only manage a couple of windows. This is the same problem that Opera has and I will now explain why!

Imagine Internet Explorer as a window, there is no house, just a window, you can have as many windows as you want because they are cheaper than buying a house. Now imagine MSN Explorer as a house with windows inside it. There are only so many windows you can fit in the house. Although the house will be more powerful, the Internet Explorer windows will be much more. Inevitably the cost of running the house and windows is paid by your PC's memory. If too many windows are used, the cost becomes too high and you PC can't afford all the memory, it crashes.

Conclusion

MSN Explorer is a brilliant piece of kit, but I am not just going to sing is praises but rather say who I recommend it for and I recommend it for those who are light surfers, regularly use their hotmail account and have a dial up modem. On the flip side for those who require over 8 pages open at anyone time then this is not the browser for you unless your PC is especially high tech.
However, even broadband users and heavy users will find that this piece of software is innovative and exciting.

Summary: