Microsoft has announced that its Vista-bundled browser will be renamed to ‘Internet Explorer 7+’. IEBlog writes that all versions of IE7 are built from the same code base, but there are some important differences in IE7+, most significantly the addition of Windows Vista-only features like Protected Mode, Parental Controls, and improved Network Diagnostics…

As you can see, the IE logo will also reflect the new naming.

IEBlog writes: Internet Explorer (IE) build 5335.5 is now available for download at microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/. This build is for Windows XP Service Pack 2 and shows the current state of IE7!

The IE 7 Beta 2 browser is from now on available for download from the Internet Explorer section of Microsoft’s corporate Web site! Go here so you can “explore the improvements in security, user interface, and development platform”.

I think IE7 is the most important part of the new OS. Some say IE is legacy and MS should leave it but it seems like they’re doing a good job with the tabbed browsing, RSS features and so on. There’s also this feature called ‘Delete Browsing History’ that gives users an easy way to control the data stored by the browser. As you might know, this function takes forever to complete and takes away all your processing capacity. Well, the IE7 team added a bonus, because if cleaning up takes a while, a cancellable progress dialog is shown. You can ignore the dialog and go back to the browser (or even close it) and the process will continue in the background until it’s done. No more sitting around waiting for your 200MB cache to be emptied, finally!

The IEBlog has posted more info; Clear my Tracks: yes please!!!!

Bill had a keynote speach at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. You should check out the video because there is some really neat stuff he’s talking about. Bill shows how the modern office will look like (big screen with three desktops), touchscreens, the connection with your mobile, real-time news, etc. Windows Vista was shown with all new features like task switching, the Aero Glass interface, the sidebar with gadgets, IE7 (thumbnailed tabs and parental controls).

Engadget also has a great summary of Bill’s keynote at the CES, and be sure to check out this article at yahoo.com (via microsoftweblog.com).

A happy and prosperous New Year to all our readers.

2006 is the year of delivery for Microsoft, with a tsunami of new product releases slated. b5media will do its utmost to keep you informed. Stay tuned.

December’s Community Technical Preview (CTP), Build 5270, of Windows Vista is due for release imminently.

ActiveWin has a rundown of enhancements and new features expected in the build. They are grouped under three headings:

1. Advanced Security
Windows Defender. Improved detection and removal. A redesigned and simplified user interface. Protection for all users. BitLocker Drive Encryption. Control over installation of device drivers. International Domain Names support in Internet Explorer 7. Parental controls. Enhanced firewall. Inbound and outbound filtering. Advanced security.

2. Enhanced Performance and Power State Transitions
Single-button on and off control. Fast off. Expandable storage devices for Windows SuperFetch.

3. Progress on User Interface and Design Elements
Aero. Windows Media Center. Windows Media Player 11.

All in all, a lot to look forward to. Merry Christmas Microsoft.

If you’re having trouble with the recent patch for Internet Explorer 6, here’s the official prognosis:

“We have received scattered reports of users experiencing odd browser behavior after installing our most recent security update. Some of you have reported opening a browser window that promptly hangs IE, others have reported opening links that render blank, and finally we have reports of multiple windows opening when initiating a browser session. After investigating several of these reports, we have traced these issues to a common source.

“If a user has ever attempted to run IE7 Beta1 in an unsupported side-by-side configuration with a version of IE6, IE7 Beta1 puts a registry key on the machine the first time a user executes the IE7 version of IEXPLORE.EXE. This key is part of an normal IE7 installation on XP, and will not be configured correctly if an unsupported side-by-side install is used. When IE7 is installed using the installer, the key should be removed properly upon uninstall. A machine can also load this registry key and not remove it during a failed IE7 installation.

“To address this issue on a machine running IE 6 SP1 with our most recent security update, locate and delete this entire key from the registry of the affected machine: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{c90250f3-4d7d-4991-9b69-a5c5bc1c2ae6}. If you are running IE7 Beta1 in a side-by-side scenario with another version of IE, this is not a supported scenario. Please uninstall and reinstall IE7 Beta1 in the recommended manner.

“Thank you all for your blog comments reporting this incident. Your valuable feedback allowed us to locate this issue in IE7 Beta1 and investigate how to prevent the problem in future. - Jeremy Dallman”

The man who breaks the news about Microsoft, Paul Thurrott, says his sources tell him that the release of December’s Community Technology Preview (CTP) of Windows Vista will be on Monday.

Thurrott writes, “In various meetings with the Windows Vista team last week, I was told that the December CTP would be build 5276 give or take one build. … The company had originally planned to ship a public preview version of Windows Vista Beta 2 by the end of 2005, but that preview will likely be based on a future CTP build and will arrive in the first half of 2006.”

Rumors that Beta 2 had been scrapped in favor of monthly CTPs, appear to be discounted. Mud would be clearer.

In late December, Microsoft will test a feature-complete build of Windows Vista internally. That build will form the basis for the next CTP, due in January or February 2006. After that, the company will focus solely on bug fixes and fit-and-finish concerns, and won’t add any major new features to the product.

New RSS Button.

Well there it is. Get used to it, because it’s the face of RSS feeds to come. Internet Explorer will adopt the Firefox icon as the smartest click in town.

The IE blog tells us that the team building IE7 actually visited Mozilla to get some consensus on the issue. Wow, the new MS sure is cuddly. How long can this last?

The IE blog says:

I’m excited to announce that we’re adopting the icon used in Firefox. John and Chris [Mozilla] were very enthusiastic about allowing us (and anyone in the community) to use their icon. This isn’t the first time that we’ve worked with the Mozilla team to exchange ideas and encourage consistency between browsers, and we’re sure it won’t be the last.

We’ll be using the icon in the IE7 command bar whenever a page has a feed associated with it, and we’ll also use it in other places in the browser whenever we need a visual to represent RSS and feeds. Look for more details on the look and feel of IE7 when we post the public pre-release build next year.