Microsoft is readying a beta of its Internet Explorer (IE) 9 browser that it will roll out in September, according to Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner.

Turner shared the beta date during his morning keynote at the annual Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting (FAM) on July 29.

According to several recent leaks, Microsoft had been targeting August as its beta delivery target for IE 9. This beta is expected to be public (as the test previews have been), and to feature more of the user interface elements.

On July 29, Neowin.net reposted some screen shots from what they believe to be a newly leaked test build of IE 9. That build includes a new download manager, but doesn’t yet feature the new user interface.

Microsoft has been making good on its promise to deliver new technology preview builds of IE 9 every eight weeks. The first IE 9 developer preview went live in mid-March. The latest IE 9 test build was released in June.

The IE 9 builds Microsoft has released so far have been developer-targeted. They include the plumbing, specifically the new Microsoft JavaScript engine (which is codenamed “Chakra”) and the new graphics subsystem, coupled with a home page full of test sites. There’s no back button and no built-in security. It’s basically the IE 9 rendering engine and early tools.

Microsoft officials have not shared a target release-to-Web date for the final version of IE9, but it is expected by many Microsoft watchers in 2011.

A Chinese website, which goes by the name of cnBeta has managed to get its hands on some leaked screenshots which shows off the new Download Manager, and Google Chrome like “Popular Sites” page in action. While most of the UI is currently same as its predecessor, according to Tom Warren of Neowin, IE 9 will get a much needed facelift before it is released to public.

Most Popular Sites page in Internet Explorer 9

New Download Manager in Internet Explorer 9


[via All About Microsoft | The Next Web]