Back in March Redmond-based software giant released the first IE9 (Internet Explorer 9) Platform Preview. Then in May the company rolled out the second Platform Preview of IE9. The other day Microsoft has rolled out the third IE9 platform preview.

“Keeping up with our commitment to developers to release updates to the Internet Explorer Platform Preview approximately every 8 weeks, today we released Internet Explorer Platform Preview 3 at an event in San Francisco. Together with representatives from top web sites, OEMs and silicon companies we showed what it looks like when you marry powerful hardware with top web site developers on a browser architected for the next generation of web experiences,” announced Microsoft’s James Pratt.

Here is what you can expect to get from IE9 Platform Preview 3:
- Better hardware acceleration
- Better SunSpider and Acid3 results
- Better support for Web fonts
- Added support for the HTML5 Canvas element

That’ about it – all the changes are under the hood. IE9 Platform Preview 3, just like the other two Platform Previews before it, does not come with a UI, meaning you will not get to see things like a Back or Forward button. It is for this reason that the regular user should stay away from IE9 Platform Preview and stick with IE8, the latest stable version of the Microsoft developed web browser.

Who should get the application? IE9 Platform Preview 3 is meant for web designers. "These Platform Previews for Internet Explorer 9 are designed specifically for web designers in mind and focused primarily around same markup and what that means for developers. These Platform Previews for Internet Explorer 9 are not betas. There is intentionally no UI – not even a back button or an address bar – and they’re designed to be able to run side by side with your regular browser,” explained Brandon LeBlanc, Windows Communications Manager.

If you would like to get the IE9 Platform Preview 3, you can do so straight from Microsoft’s IE9 Test Drive site here.