MSN 8, Messenger 5 Enter Beta
Firing its latest assault on AOL's Internet stronghold, Microsoft today unveiled MSN 8, the new version of MSN offering improved browsing, productivity software and new parental controls. A limited beta of version 8 will ship to testers this week with a final release expected this fall, right in time for the holiday season.
According to Yusuf Mehdi, vice president of MSN, "MSN 8 will be the most significant version of MSN we have ever released due to the thousands of hours of feedback we are gathering from people about their everyday problems using the Internet. Armed with this feedback, we are building MSN 8 to make the Web a more useful place."
MSN 8 will include new e-mail management tools, along with advanced junk mail filters to reduce the amount of spam users receive. Numerous user interface tweaks have been made based on feedback Microsoft has compiled from families using MSN.
Parents will find new content filtering in MSN 8 that can keep their children away from certain content categories and limit downloads. In response, children will be able to request access to blocked sites via the new "kid request line." Microsoft hopes the new filters will attract current customers of AOL, which can only filter based on age.
Going beyond standard ISP offerings, MSN 8 will include applications such as Money Plus for managing personal finance and MSN Photo Plus for editing and sharing digital pictures. MSN 8 users will additionally have access to a limited version of Encarta, Microsoft's online encyclopedia, and other learning tools.
"Our goal is to deliver a service that consumers will want to graduate to, and with the first beta of MSN 8, we're on track to surpass this goal by delivering excellent services that leapfrog other competitive offerings," said Mehdi.
MSN Messenger 5, the next-generation release of Microsoft's instant messaging client, is also set to debut with MSN 8. Version 5 includes a slightly revamped user interface and "MSN Today," a feature akin to AOL's AIM Today that offers news and a centralized meeting place for Messenger users.