Windows Vista Mobility CenterAs promised at the PDC, Microsoft is releasing the first of its monthly Community Technology Previews (CTP) of Windows Vista. The strategy is to get more frequent and relevant feedback.
The highlights of the release are a first look at Windows Media Player 11, and a variety of new features for IE7, including improved printing from within the browser.
There will also be a new Mobility Center (see image), bringing together a number of laptop capabilities and new power management parameters.
CNET News lists these features :
• 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.
• New network and PC diagnostic tools that can, for example, detect when a disk is likely to fail, warn users and prompt them with ways to back up their data.
Mike Burk, a Microsoft product manager for Windows Vista, said.”There are a lot of changes. What we are trying to do is make sure that we are steadily progressing.”
But caution was the watchword. “Many of the features included in the October CTP are still being developed and do not yet represent their final functionality or design.”