Although Microsoft is keeping quiet on what features version 7 of Internet Explorer will have when questioned by the public, it appears that key partners have been clued in on several features of the next generation browser.

First, the partners say, there will be native tabbed browsing support. Not shocking, I say, since it’s one of the easiest features to implement (although with Microsoft’s track record, we may be in store for cross-tab security issues galore). More from the Microsoft Watch article:

IE 7.0 will feature international domain name (IDN) support; transparent Portable Network Graphics (PNG) support, which will allow for the display of overlayed images in the browser; and new functionality that will simplify printing from inside IE 7.0, partner sources said. The new browser also will likely include a built-in news aggregator.

The article also says that Microsoft is unsure of the level of CSS2 support in the new browser. They may implement some features but not the entire standard. Big thumbs down on that one.