Apple Safari 4 Beta a Major Step Forward, eWEEK Labs Finds

The iTunes-like Cover Flow feature in Safari 4 provides a unique and intuitive interface for searching through Web sites in the browser history.

The new Cover Flow feature in the Safari 4 beta greatly enhances browsing through bookmarks in the browser.

The new top site feature in the beta of Safari 4 provides a very good launch page for browser windows or new tabs, letting users view favorite sites and also see at a glance which sites have added new content.

Users can customize and edit the Top Sites feature in Safari 4 by changing the size and number of sites, as well as pinning specific sites to always appear in a certain spot.

Like most modern browsers, the Safari 4 beta now adds a smart address bar that shows multiple choices when typing in the field.

A major shortcoming in the Safari browser was its lack of search suggestions, something the beta of Safari 4 finally addresses.

Following in the footsteps of Google Chrome, the Safari 4 beta now displays open tabs at the very top of the browser.

While the previous version of Safari on Windows felt like a ported Mac application, Safari 4 has the look and feel of a true Windows application.

The lack of full-page zoom capabilities is remedied in the beta of Safari 4.

The beta of Safari 4 scores a 100 on the Acid3 standards test.

A very nice set of developer tools in the Safari 4 beta helps Web developers analyze Web pages and applications.