Windows 7 beta download: Windows 7 public beta download now!

Windows 7 is almost ready, the Windows 7 beta version, that is. Announced in Las Vegas recently, the Windows 7 beta download is finally available after months of speculation and leaks. Speaking at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer announced that the next version of their Windows operating system is almost ready. The CEO announced that a nearly final "beta" test version of Windows 7 will be available this Friday for regular PC users (ordinary mortals such as ourselves) to download and tinker with.. Expectations are high for Windows 7, and many have been looking forward to this day when downloading the beta version will be available to the public. According to reports, the new
operating system uses much of the same underlying technology as its predecessor, the much-maligned Vista. This author is one of the thousands disappointed with Vista and all its quirks. But Windows 7 aims to resolve many problems users had with Vista. For instance, Microsoft pledges to make it easier to install peripheral devices and to have the software pump out fewer of those irritating warnings and notifications - quirks that led me to ditch Vista months ago.

The Microsoft CEO also promises more speed for the their new operating system. Windows 7 will boot faster and drain laptop batteries more slowly. "I believe Windows will remain at the center of people's technological solar system," Ballmer said. "We're putting in all the right ingredients: simplicity, reliability and speed, and we're working hard to get it right and to get it ready."

Other features and innovations of Windows 7 include the following:

Windows 7 is designed to make everyday tasks faster and easier, and make new things possible for end users. When released to the market, Windows 7 delivers the fundamental performance, reliability and security features that people expect — and it is designed to be compatible with the same hardware, applications and device drivers as Windows Vista. Windows 7 will have improved navigation, a new taskbar and a streamlined user interface that puts commonly used resources within easy reach. Windows 7 will also make it easier to use home audio-video systems and other networked media devices to play music, watch videos and display photos that reside on Windows-based PCs. And Windows 7 will offer more options than ever to customize and personalize Windows-based PCs with styles that match the user’s personality.

let's hope they get it right this time. I'm still reeling from my disappointment with Windows Vista. Though I must confess that the Windows 7 beta download news is exciting, and its promised features and improvements sound great, something tells me I will have to let the experts try this one for now. I will read up on new developments about Window 7 as the weeks and months pass and will try it when it is really ready - after its beta stage.

For those of you eager to try the new Windows 7 and are looking forward to its beta download, the official word is this: "The beta version of Windows 7, Microsoft's next-generation PC operating system, can be downloaded today by MSDN, TechBeta and TechNet customers. Consumers who want to test-drive the beta will be able to download it beginning January 9 at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7."