Last week we reported that Microsoft has sent out invitations to select enthusiasts for the first beta testing of Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8).

Now at the ongoing MIX08, Microsoft's Web designer and developer conference, the software giant has shown the first IE 8 beta and announced its availability for download by developers.

IE 8 beta 1 is a developer preview for Web designers and developers to help prepare their Web sites for the new version. Some of the features designed for developers include a developer toolbar and improved interoperability and compatibility. The integrated developer tools will help quickly debug HTML, CSS, and scripts in a visual environment.

Two days ago, Microsoft also announced that IE 8 will be set to render content using methods that give top priority to Web standards interoperability -- and this will be the default. The new version includes two new features, Activities and WebSlices.

"Activities" are contextual services that will provide quick access to external services from any Web page. The feature will look up information related to data on the current page and send content from the current page to another application.

"WebSlices", as the name suggests, will enable Web sites to expose portions of their page that users can subscribe to, and bring that content with them on their links bar wherever they are on the Web. Users will be able to receive update notifications when the content changes.

Developers interested in trying out their hands on IE 8 Beta 1 can visit this Microsoft page.