Beta Test Services sends word of an exclusive beta for owners of the Handspring Visor. The product being tested is an innovative new modem for the Handspring product line. Testers will need to spend at least 10-15 hours a week using the product and be willing to report on daily progress. Applicants must have at least one phone line, access to dial-up V.90 Internet (with Web, FTP and e-mail access), a Visor Handspring, live in the United States or Canada, and be fluent in English. Test participants will of course be required to sign an NDA. Those interested may apply for the test at Beta test Services. Good luck!

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We here at BetaNews wanted to thank you for the outstanding last year and wish all of you a happy holidays. In appreciation for everything, we will be holding a big giveaway next week with tons of prizes, along with announcements regarding some big changes which are in store from the site - all good, trust me. We will be adding more staff starting January 1, along with a new (and much improved) log-in system a week or so after that. Obviously BetaNews is on an abbreviated schedule for the holidays and will to return to full news updates and downloads starting Wednesday - even our editors need a break to be with their families. Once again, thank you for your support and have a safe and happy holidays!

- Nate

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Microsoft has sent invites to many Office 10 testers, offering them a spot in the MapPoint 2002 beta test. MapPoint works together with Office, enabling users to track trends, embed maps, pinpoint customers, generate directions, and more. According to the software giant, this beta will feature "territories, new map views, expanded charting options, custom Pushpin symbols, multiple-field Pushpins, automatic integration with Microsoft Office, drivetime zones, Save as Web page enhancements, an expanded object model and an ActiveX control." For more information, visit the MapPoint Web site.

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UPDATE - Microsoft has pulled the Service Pack, sorry! Microsoft has seemingly posted a beta of Service Pack 2 for Windows 2000. Expected to ship Q1 2001, the second service pack offers many important hot fixes and updates into a 99.5MB bundle. BetaNews suggests waiting until the final release of the service pack, as past betas have been extremely problematic. Those brave enough however, may grab the upgrade from Microsoft's Premier download site and tell us the results below. The download is quite large, so be prepared to wait.

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Microsoft has released a patch for testers of Office 10 Beta 2, correcting problems in the initial relese. Beta officials wrote, "The Office 10 Beta 2 Patch fixes a number of bugs in Outlook and Word including problems with Active Sync for CE devices. The patch is also expected to improve the general stability of Word and Outlook by up to 40%." Testers can download the 6.4MB patch from the Office Beta Web site, although those running an Admin Image should hold off. Microsoft is expected to release Office 10 in the second half of next year.

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The second and much anticipated version of K-Meleon, the Gecko-based browser with the look and feel of IE, has been released. Major additions include multiple mouse button support, right-click context menus, more toolbar buttons, Windows scrollbars, and a much smaller install. K-Meleon offers a great alternative to those looking for the speed of the Gecko rendering engine without sacrificing usability. Author Christophe Thibault classifies this release as "much more usable."

K-Meleon v0.2 is based on a recent Mozilla M18 nightly build, providing a simple UI as a frontend, something many feel Netscape6 lacks. However, K-Meleon is not cross-platform and does not plan to offer the features found in the new AOL release. The goal of K-Meleon is to be fast, simple, and usable. Even in early beta stages, it could be used as a useful tool for Web development to quickly see how a Web site is rendered within Gecko.

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Live From COMDEX - AOL today announced the release of Netscape 6, the much anticipated next version of the browser suite. Netscape 6 is based on the Mozilla M18 core, also adding mail, news, and instant messenger components. Early reports indicate this release is much faster than the previews, and much less buggy. Although, some users have reported problems with rendering and the AIM component. We at BetaNews would like to hear your thoughts - will Netscape 6 prove to be a winner, or simply fall flat? Download the install for Windows or Linux and tell us what you think.

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Live From COMDEX - Corel Monday gave the press at COMDEX a special preview of WordPerfect Office 2002, in addition to announcing the release of Corel Draw 10. The office suite features Corel WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, Presentations, CorelCENTRAL, and Paradox. "Today's preview demonstrates early evidence of our continued commitment to develop a suite that addresses our customers priorities," said executive vice president Graham Brown. WordPerfect Office 2002 is currently beta and slated for release in the first half of next year.

Corel expects this to be the biggest upgrade since WordPerfect 5.1. The engine powering the software has been redesigned and the suite now includes utilities to recover damage files. Standards compatibility has been increased and Corel touts continued Microsoft Office support.

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Live From COMDEX - Bill Gates' Sunday night keynote marked the beginning of COMDEX festivities here in Las Vegas. Speaking to over 11,000 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Gates detailed a new model which is based upon software-to-software interaction. In his almost two hour presentation, he also announced the availability of Visual Studio .Net Beta 1, showcased new office features, debuted the Tablet PC, and continuously emphasized the importance of XML. The Microsoft Chairman showed his lighter side during a ten-minute video, riding a Razor scooter and greeting fellow executive Steve Ballmer with an enthusiastic "Wazzup!".

After numerous election jokes and an introduction by Key3Media CEO, Fredric Rosen, Gates began his speech describing this year's progress as "very impressive." He called XML the key to where we want go, and raised problems with the peer-to-peer infrastructure found in Gnutella. "We can't just swing back and be totally oriented to the client," Gates stated. The new model, dubbed software-to-software, focuses on both the client and the server.

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Groove Networks has released a preview edition of Groove, which they are detailing as "Internet communications software that allows people with shared interests to make direct connections for real-time interaction." Groove is handy for the individual, allowing one to chat, share files and photos, collaborate on projects, and more. Groove also seems like a great concept for business, allowing companies to interact with customers and create their own custom interaction solution. Groove is currently available as a preview and may be downloaded here. Groove may also be skinned to change its appearance. Groove was first announced during Internet World last week, so try it out and tell us what you think.

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If you are experiencing problems with your computing hanging while running programs needing 3D AGP functions, you may be in luck. A BetaNews reader has sent word about a patch which corrects the problem of Windows 2000 not fully supporting the VIA AGP chipset. If you are not severely affected by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows 2000 service pack that contains this fix. The patch has not been fully tested and should be considered beta, however results thus far have been extremely positive. For more information and to download the fix, visit Microsoft's Support Center.

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Final version 7.2 of the popular Linux-Mandrake distribution has begun to show up on FTP mirrors and ISOs are available for download. Version 7.2 adds KDE 2, and numerous bug fixes. Linux-Mandrake is a pre-configured version of Linux which aims to provide simplicity through graphical interfaces. It is fully compatible with Red Hat Linux and the RPM package system. Those interested in trying out this latest release, visit the FTP mirror list.

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Athlonmb.com is holding a Halloween contest to give away some great AMD gear, including the newest processors. Athlonmb.com will send out the hardware they have been reviewing over the last few weeks. Wondering how to enter? It's easy, just head on over to www.athlonmb.com and fill out the form. You can enter once every hour until Halloween night at midnight. Prizes include a Duron 800 complete with motherboard and fan, a Thunderbird 800 processor, two Duron 650 processors, and five sets of AMD goodies, including a t-shirt, mousepad, poster, and pen.

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Live From IW2000: Press is swarming around the Microsoft booth this last day of Internet World, as reports surfaced stating source code to Windows and Office may have been stolen. The Wall Steet Journal was the first to report that hackers may have obtained access to sensitive data via Microsoft's internal network using hijacked passwords. The software giant contacted the FBI yesterday after learning of the security breach, but has not commented further on the status of the investigation. Microsoft President and CEO, Steve Ballmer, told Reuters this morning that hackers had not obtained access to any programs, but the FBI was called in "to make sure it doesn't get that way." It is known at this point that passwords were being sent via e-mail to St. Petersburg, Russia, and those involved have had access for three months.

Windows source code represents billions of dollars in intellectual property, something which competitors and other software developers would love to get their hands on. Microsoft has been very protective of the code, only sharing pieces with select business partners. More on this story to follow.

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Microsoft has sent the official word announcing the launch of the second beta phase for Office 10. In an e-mail to testers, Microsoft wrote "You should be receiving your Office Beta 2 kit in the mail during the next couple of weeks." Beta 2 follows a four month initial beta period. A welcome chat will be held next Wednesday for all Beta 2 testers on the office beta Web site, located at beta.office.microsoft.com. The chat will focus mainly on the setup of Beta 2 for those who have received their kits. Keep checking back for further information regarding Office 10.

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