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Although news of this release is already a couple of days old, new features in Service Pack 3 RC2 for Windows XP that users can expect from this package includes: stronger networking protocols with black hole router detection, and Network Access Protection, with Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) that was provided for in Windows Vista. But as this isn’t a final version, if your system has been stable and running fine, I would suggest you not to upgrade for a while and let the bugs and kinks be fully worked out. Take my word for it; it’ll definitely be worth the wait.
Service Pack 3 adds several networking and security improvements, and compatibility with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 security credential providers. It also incorporates features previously available individually as separate updates, such as Micorsoft Windows Imaging Component (WIC), Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 3.0, and Wi-Fi Protected Access 2. You can also download Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2 via Windows Update. Previous release candidates of SP3 must be removed before making the update.

Greetings from the Internet Explorer Team!
We are nearing the launch of Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 and we will be making it available for the general public to download and test. IE8 Beta 1 is focused on the developer community, with the goal of gaining valuable feedback to improve Internet Explorer 8 during the development process.
We have identified you as a qualified beta tester and we would like to offer an opportunity to join our limited technical beta program for Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1.
Participation in the Technical Beta will enable you to evaluate a common release of Windows Internet Explorer 8, the ability to submit feedback, post bug reports, download software answer surveys on product quality as well as vote on top bugs filed by others from the technical beta program. This is a very exclusive program, by invitation only. The only way to submit feedback is to enroll in the Windows Internet Explorer 8 Technical Beta program. As such, we would be happy to have your participation.
To accept this invitation and to apply to become a member of this program, follow this link:
http://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse…?ProgramID=2038
(If this link does not work for you, copy the full link and paste it into the Web browser address bar.)
Follow the steps shown to you by that program to apply to become an active participant. You may be asked to take a survey, or submit other preliminary information. To report a problem or to ask a question, visit the Contact Us page (found at the bottom of every page).
We hope to see you in the technical beta!
Best regards.
The Internet Explorer Team
https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/content/co…?ContentID=7737

This morning Microsoft announced another noteworthy change to its flagship Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program - an update to be rolled out later this month to all Vista users that will display a WGA warning dialog box when it detects either of two common Vista activation cracks. In the same announcement, they also for the first time showed screen shots of how WGA changes debuting in SP1 will take some of the bite out of a longstanding Windows product activation rule as well.
Now-departed Microsoft marketing chief Michael Sievert announced last December that Service Pack 1 would drop Vista’s “reduced functionality mode” (the notorious “kill switch”) in favor of a series of notifications and nag screens. WGA senior product manager Alex Kochis posted the details of today’s changes, with screen shots, on Microsoft’s Windows Genuine Advantage blog today.
The new WGA code in SP1 is designed to detect two of the most common activation cracks: one tries to fool Vista into thinking that it’s an OEM; the other fools the activation timer into waiting until some far-off date in the future. Later this month, before SP1 begins rolling out, Microsoft plans to deliver a Vista update that checks for the presence of those two specific cracks. Unlike XP’s WGA add-in, which was designed to confirm that the system’s activation was valid and wound up failing too often, this one looks only for the details of those two hacks.
It’s worth noting that this first release of the crack-detecting update won’t try to remove the crack or shut down the computer; Kochis says the detection and removal functions will be combined in the next release, with no date announced for that. In the upcoming version of this update, links on the informational dialog box will lead to webpages with repair details, but you can dismiss the dialog box immediately - and permanently, if you choose. Anyone who sought out and used one of these two hacks to avoid paying for a legitimate copy of Windows will probably not be surprised.
(They can also use a different activation hack that Microsoft hasn’t yet written detection code for.) In addition to those unrepentant pirates, however, Microsoft believes there are a significant number of technically unsophisticated customers who had their system upgraded by a friend or a shady repair shop and have no idea that it’s been hacked. For them, the new update is designed to serve as an early warning that they’ll have to deal with product activation sooner or later.

View: Full Article @ ZDNet Blogs

Microsoft has increased storage on Windows Live Skydrive to 5GB, up by a multiple of five from its previous limit of 1GB (the 1GB having doubled the original 500mb in October).

Erick compared Skydrive to Gmail in an apples and oranges comparison last time; my Gmail account sits at 6.4gb today so Skydrive is still behind, having said that I’m not sure how many (average) people would use Gmail for online storage, so the comparison doesn’t make a lot of sense.

The more notable point is that Microsoft continues to grow its online storage offering when Google simply hasn’t launched the fabled Platypus online storage solution despite years of speculation and rumors. This is one space where Microsoft has the upper hand, and a 4gb storage jump will further increase the appeal of the product.

On top of the extra storage, Windows Live Skydrive has dropped the beta tag, and is now available in the following additional countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkey.