Microsoft aims to enable the use of the Internet, e-mail, location services, and e-commerce over mobile phones with hopes of Mobile Explorer becoming the stepping-stone for developing applications for new wireless technologies. Current services such as Microsoft Exchange Server, the BackOffice family, and MSN Mobile Services, will also be integrated into Mobile Explorer. In a press release issued today, Harel Kodesh, vice president of the Productivity Appliance Division at Microsoft said, "Microsoft's goal is to enable secure information access any time, anywhere, from the device of the users' choice."

Mobile Explorer will come in two versions, one for "smart phones" and the other for Web-ready "feature phones." Mobile Explorer for feature phones will include an operating-independent, browser based system. It will be the first dual-mode microbrowser that can display both HTML- and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) 1.1-authored Internet content. Mobile Explorer for smart phones will include a full suite of personal management and Internet tools in addition to features offered on feature phones.

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After over two months of effort, Stardock's WindowBlinds team is about to make WindowBlinds 1.1 Beta available to Object Desktop Network users. WindowBlinds is a program that gives users complete control over the Windows GUI allowing them to customize virtually every aspect of the look and functionality of Windows.

WindowBlinds 1.1 will have over the currently available public version such features as:

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Microsoft has refuted weekend news reports claiming Microsoft was selling off Visual J++ to Rational, a third party vendor. Many assumed Microsoft wanted the company to continue development of the product since Rational has no agreements with Sun Microsystems. Tony Goodhew, a Visual Studio Product Manager blames the confusion on an announcement pertaining to the Visual Studio Integration Program (VISP), of which Rational is a member. However, Goodhew also noted that the future of J++ and java will be uncertain until a final ruling is handed down from the courts.

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Unfortunate for those on slower connections, Internet Explorer 5.5 is much larger than previous releases because it will eventually add many user interface enhancements to Windows, as well as browser updates. This Platform Preview will be the first public beta of the upcoming browser.

Technology wise, version 5.5 features an enhanced HTML component that supports custom DHTML tags and ViewLink, a way to create custom controls in HTML documents without the use of ActiveX. It also supports more cascading style sheets (CSS) and HTML+TIME, which adds timing and media synchronization to HTML pages. A new print preview feature allows users to preview HTML documents before printing, directly in Internet Explorer. This release also gives users more control over scroll bars, frames, pop-up windows, menus, and adds an interesting new feature - vertical text.

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Internet Explorer 5.5 Platform Preview was released on December 1st to MSDN subscribers, although rumors about an eventual public release have been circling for weeks. A few BetaNews readers have not only discovered the Active Setup file on Microsoft's public download servers, but have also figured out a way to download the bits.

The following instructions were not created or verified by BetaNews, so perform them at your own risk. Many users have reported back successfully, but it is possible these are not the final release bits and may contain bugs. We at BetaNews recommend you wait until notification of the release is sent by Microsoft, whereupon no tweaking of the setup files will be required.

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Microsoft will launch a Platform Preview of Internet Explorer version 5.5 early tomorrow. IE 5.5 entered beta earlier this Fall to a group of private testers and was previously downloadable via Microsoft's WindowsUpdate Beta Site (login required). The Platform Preview will initially only be available to MSDN Subscribers, although Microsoft has not specified whether MSDN Online members will receive access. Microsoft released a beta of IE 5.0 earlier this year though MSDN and those who registered free online gained access to download. Stay tuned for futher updates.

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Tomorrow, Microsoft will release Beta 1 of Microsoft JScript and VBScript version 5.5. Information on this new release will be avilable at the MSDN Online Scripting Clinic at around the same time. To download, visit Microsoft's Windows Scripting Technologies Web site.

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Microsoft has updated their Web site with two patches for Windows. The first eliminates a networking security in Windows 95 and 98 caused by the OS caching network security credentials. The second eliminates a privilege elevation vulnerability in Internet Explorer 5, which could potentially allow a user to gain additional access on a Windows NT machine. These latest updates can be found on Microsoft's Security Advisor Web site.

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     It was a rough crossover to the new site to say the least, especially with early MySQL problems, then cookie errors, but we are working to iron out all of the bugs as quickly as possible so we can work on new features. We have been spending a lot of time with the site itself rather than content at the moment, but in a couple of days we should be back and running at full steam. First off, we at eFront would like to thank everyone for their great feedback (positive and negative), and also clarify a few misconceptions people are having about the site.

The first major issue is that some people do not like the layout of the new site. This was bound to happen and not only do we accept it, but agree it is an extremely valid point. However, the way the site looks now was done for a distinct purpose. With BetaNews becoming too large and hard to follow, filled with news articles and downloads, a change was needed. Many visitors wanted only downloads while others wanted only news. Logically, the site was broken up to separate the two. The content however will not change. Let's first take a look at FileForum.

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eFront, Inc., an extension of betanews.com, today launched a new online network in a step to provide more specialized software and technology news. The same people behind BetaNews engineered this expansion, but eFront.com now stands as the front door to the network. It provides a customizable homepage for users featuring headlines from multiple sources on the Internet and also includes a showcase on notable product releases.

betanews.com, a site that has operated since June 1998 covering beta version software developments, underwent a complete redesign and features, among other things, improved usability. One of the main improvements visitors will notice is the ability to track beta releases with greater ease. Additionally, in accordance with software developer requests, companies will have free access to a pool of qualified beta testers to aid in the completion of their programs.

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