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Microsoft on Monday issued an update to the test version of Windows Vista, the next edition of its flagship operating system.

The release is intended to be the first in a series of monthly updates to the Community Technology Preview (CTP), which Microsoft uses to gather feedback instead of using a traditional beta program. The update includes a number of new features, including improved printing and other changes in Internet Explorer 7, the browser revamp that will ship as part of Vista.

Monday's release also includes, for the first time:

• a "Network Center," that acts as a central spot for managing network connections, replacing the "My Network Places" and "Network Neighborhood" from Windows XP

• tools for authoring and digitally signing documents in the new XML Paper Specification (XPS) format, code-named Metro

• an early version of Windows Media Player 11

Microsoft cautioned that "many of the features included in the October CTP are still being developed and do not yet represent their final functionality or design."

In particular, the company called out several features that "will undergo significant changes before the final version of Windows Vista ships," including a new migration wizard, the Power Management Center, Windows AntiSpyware, Windows Calendar and Windows Media Player 11.
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Read More / Source: News.com