Yes, Microsoft is willing to pay you to use their browser. That’s all there is to it. Of course you could say that IE 8 isn’t necessarily as bad as the previous versions; it’s just that the browser’s reputation is so tarnished that people have to be given a little encouragement to try the latest spawn. Also, the ad that The Gadget Blog took a shot of must be an earlier version, as it is slightly more specific in terms of identifying who the IE 8’s archenemy is:

So how about it? Are you willing to join the hunt? Start here if you’re game. What? You want some tips? Let’s see: the instructions say that the prize in hidden is “a cleverly concealed webpage that only Internet Explorer 8 can view.” Hmmm. Well then I bet the prize is hidden in something like this. Either that or a page within the Windows Update site.

One more thing: wouldn’t it be funny though if someone using the IE Tab extension on Firefox found the hidden webpage? Or if we find out that Windows 7 will be sold for $10,001? Or…nah I’m all out.