The next generation of the Internet Explorer is now available as release candidate 1. Microsoft officially made the IE8 RC1 available for download now.
The new IE8 promises to be faster, easier, more private, and more secure.
Microsoft promises that the faster Internet Explorer 8 is more responsive with new pages and tabs, opening up fast and reliably. The UI is supposed to be streamlined to reduce the number of steps needed to accomplish many common tasks, and automate your access to real time information updates. You can keep track of your favorite sports team, news, weather with a single click.

IE 8 protects and stops malicious software from reaching your PC, and makes it easier to detect when a website is an imposter. A release candidate should be good enough to be tested in everyday use. So I am downloading IE 8 RC1 now to see if Microsoft tells the truth about a faster browsing experience with IE 8.
The new Internet Explorer 8 release candidate is available for download here. As reported IE8 RC 1 is not available yet for Windows 7 beta. Update: IE8 RC1 first Impressions.