Touting document portability, Corel announced it has shipped version 11 of its WordPerfect Office suite. The new suite, which was unveiled last month, includes new file sharing features and a conversion utility for migrating WordPerfect files to a variety of formats.

Flexibility is key in WordPerfect Office 11 says Corel, and the suite contains new document map and collaborative review functions. Corel has also returned to its roots for version 11, bringing back the blue interface found in WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS.

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Testers of Microsoft's upcoming MSN 8.5 release received an updated beta version this week containing small tweaks and minor interface adjustments. As reported by BetaNews, Microsoft opened the MSN 8.5 beta program last month, inviting current subscribers to join the test.

MSN 8.5 will serve as an interim upgrade before the full release of MSN 9 debuts this Fall. AOL also recently issued a fresh version of its client software dubbed AOL 8.0 Plus, and is beta testing an additional update code-named "Blue Hawaii."

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Due for a final release this June, Novell NetWare 6.5 has entered open beta testing, complete with support for popular open source applications such as Apache and MySQL.

Novell began beta testing MySQL under NetWare last year as part of the company's efforts to position the network operating system as a viable platform for Web development. The software package, collectively dubbed NetWare AMP, features PHP and Perl language support.

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Normally available only to subscribers, three CD images comprising the April 2003 MSDN Library have been posted by Microsoft for public download. The MSDN Library contains documentation, code samples, technical articles and reference guides designed for Microsoft developers.

The posting follows last week's release of the final version of Visual Studio .NET 2003 to MSDN subscribers. Formerly code-named Everett, Visual Studio .NET 2003 includes the .NET Framework version 1.1, which adds improved performance and scalability. For mobile developers, the Visual Studio update now supports the .NET Compact Framework and includes integrated ASP.NET Web forms.

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Taking its Shared Source Initiative one step further, Microsoft announced it has launched a new program designed to allow Windows CE developers to distribute modifications to the embedded operating system's source code. Although the company previously allowed such changes for non-commercial use, it is the first time Microsoft will enable partners to ship modified code in commercial products.

Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program (CEP) members will be provided complete access to CE source code, more than that available under previous programs, according to Microsoft.

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The next generation release of Windows Messenger, branded version 5.0, is set to enter beta testing according to an e-mail sent to prospective testers.

Windows Messenger is designed to work with Microsoft's upcoming "Greenwich" Real Time Communications Server, which runs on Windows Server 2003. The release will catch the instant messaging client up to its consumer counterpart, MSN Messenger, which reached 5.0 late last year.

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Following the recent release to manufacturing of Windows XP designed for Intel's Itanium 2 processor, Microsoft has announced it will release both desktop and server editions of Windows for AMD's upcoming 64-bit processors, the Athlon 64 and Opteron.

The AMD Opteron is designed for servers and workstations, while the Athlon 64 will be featured in desktop and notebook systems.

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As part of the company's ongoing efforts to expand the reach of Windows Media, Microsoft has tapped InterVideo to port the audio and video technology to Linux platforms. InterVideo is best known for its multi-media software including WinDVD and WinProducer.

Microsoft plans to bring Windows Media codecs, streaming protocols and DRM support to Linux, but the ports will only be available to manufacturers building consumer devices. Linux desktop users and other software vendors will not be able to make use of the ported Windows Media components.

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As leaked copies of Windows Server 2003 begin to surface before its launch, Microsoft says not to expect many changes to product activation in the new operating system - indicating the anti-piracy technology has met expectations.

The company has yielded any drastic changes for its next generation Windows client, code-named Longhorn. Windows Server 2003 will have no more of the controversial activation technology than was seen in the first Windows XP service pack, along with a few tweaks.

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TiVo Series2 units will soon automatically upgrade to a new software revision that adds improved features to the DVR and enables the long-awaited Home Media Option. TiVo staffers announced the rollout of version 4.0, which will be sent to Series2 subscribers over the next several weeks.

The Home Media Option, first demoed at CES in January, allows TiVo to function as a home entertainment center, playing audio and photos over a home network. Using a desktop client in Windows or Mac OS X, TiVo reads shared files and displays them directly on a TV. Along with scheduling recordings anytime using a Web browser, the upgrade also allows users with multiple TiVos to access shows recorded on different units.

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McAfee has begun beta testing a new product named PortalShield, designed to protect Microsoft's SharePoint servers from viruses and other malicious content.

PortalShield integrates with SharePoint Portal Server 2001, as well as the upcoming version 2.0 and Windows SharePoint Services, currently shipping with Office Beta 2. It can scan all file types stored in SharePoint.

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Philips is seeking 50 volunteers to beta test its first hard drive based portable audio player, a device the company calls a "recording audio jukebox." The HDD100 will pit Philips against Apple's iPod and the NOMAD Zen from Creative. Unlike its competitors however, Philips HDD100 is able to encode new MP3 files on the fly using a built-in microphone.

The sleek HDD100 sports a 15GB hard drive and USB 2.0 for quickly copying songs from a PC. It can play both MP3 and WMA audio files, and has a 5-band equalizer with four settings that can be assigned to each song. For quick access, Philips has included a remote control, along with a scroll wheel for speedy navigation.

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Establishing the largest digital cinema circuit, Microsoft and Landmark Theatres announced that 177 screens in 53 theaters will be equipped with digital playback systems running Windows Media 9 Series. The move attempts to spur the release of low-cost independent movies using Microsoft's video format.

"Moviegoers get the high-quality theatrical experience of Windows Media 9 Series, while producers and distributors benefit from the cost savings associated with mastering and releasing films digitally," said Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft.

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In a new development roadmap published to its Web site, the Mozilla Organization outlined its future plans, which include a migration away from the current Mozilla suite to a leaner offshoot dubbed Phoenix.

Phoenix is a redesign of the Mozilla Web browser solely using the cross-platform XUL user interface language without Mozilla's bulky XPFE toolkit. Rather than integrating all functionality into a single suite, Phoenix supports extensions that enable developers to tack on features as needed without bloating the core code base.

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Six editions of Office 2003 will ship this summer, Microsoft has revealed. Four of the suites will be sold at retail, including Office 2003 Small Business, which was unveiled last month.

Consumers wishing to try Microsoft's newest Office System components, OneNote and InfoPath, must purchase them separately. Microsoft will bundle InfoPath with Office 2003 Professional Enterprise Edition, but that product is only available to business customers through its volume licensing program.

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