Hotbed of Betas

Microsoft has been very open this year with its projects.  It seems like every week, a new beta mysteriously appears.  Of course, I've finally gotten my RSS feeds under control - and since the great majority of them are from big blue (no longer IBM, eh?), it stands to reason that I would read about a new beta fairly early. 

Either way, I've become a beta geek.  A few that I am actively using daily:

• Windows Live Writer - A blogging tool that is EXTREMELY easy to use.  Do I need to mention that it comes with an API?  ;o)
• Outlook 2007 - The next generation of the popular Outlook client.  One of the big features it has (of which there are many) is a pretty slick RSS reader built into the client. 
• MS Office 2007 - Another new version of the staple for most offices - appropriately named:  MS Office 2007.
• Internet Explorer 7 - Technically not a beta anymore (they just released the RC1 - Release Candidate 1) - it is still a bit experimental and I have been an adopter for a while.  A lot of great features here - including tabs and a built in RSS reader to name a few.

I'm eagerly awaiting the XNA Games Studio Express.  A Beta just released today that makes creating games for your PC or XBOX 360 must simpler.  It uses the .net framework and is being targeted to students and hobbyists more than professionals (as they have their own ultra-expensive environments).  I think this is a perfect example of Microsoft's commitment to making development available to the masses - which could only benefit them more in the future. 

Current Mood:    nerdy