Experience the web, Apple style, with Safari: the fastest, easiest-to-use web browser in the world. With its simple, elegant interface, Safari gets out of your way and lets you enjoy the web, up to 2 times faster than Internet Explorer.

The fastest web browser on any platform, Safari loads pages up to 2 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. And it executes JavaScript up to 2.8 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. What does all that mean for you? Less time loading pages and more time enjoying them.

Changelog:

- Latest security updates
- Improved stability
- Fixes for text display, non-English systems, and start-up times

Download: Safari 3.0.2 Beta
View: Safari Homepage
Source: MSFN

I just received an update for WLM 8.5 Beta, I reviewed the update history and it shows the following:

This update is being used to test how microsoft Updates are distributed for Windows Live Messenger. While there are no actual changes to Messenger at this time, it's important for Messenger Beta testers to receive this update. Thanks for helping test Messenger!

IE7Pro is a must have add-on for Internet Explorer, which includes a lot of features and tweaks to make your IE friendlier, more useful, secure and customizable. IE7Pro includes Tabbed Browsing Management, AD Blocker, Flash Block, Super Drag Drop, Crash Recovery, Proxy Switcher, Mouse Gesture, Tab History Browser, Web Accelerator, User Agent Switcher, Webpage Capturer, Greasemonkey like User Scripts platform, User Plug-ins, Spell Check and many more power packed features. You can customize not just Internet Explorer, but even your favorite website according to your need and taste using IE7Pro.

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Mozilla programmers are rewriting a lot of the Firefox code for the upcoming version release of the open-source browser, according to the head of product security at Mozilla. Most of the components in the current version of Firefox are being touched, said Window Snyder, "chief security something-or-other" at Mozilla. She added that programmers are replacing a lot of older code to increase performance, make the code base more modular and handle new security threats, like phishing and malicious Web sites.

"As we're doing this, we're considering security features and trying to minimize security issues," said Snyder in an interview with InformationWeek. "The Web browser has always been an entry point into the system, so it's been considered a critical application. The environment changes so we need to adapt."

Snyder noted that some components that are written in native code are being rewritten in managed code to reduce memory management flaws, like buffer overflow vulnerabilities. Managed code executes in a virtual machine, so there is less space for memory management issues to occur.

View: Full Story
Source: InformationWeek via MSFN

With Vista Codec Package installed, you won't need to install any other codec or filter. Many user suggested default settings are implemented. It does not contain a media player. It does not associates filetypes. With this package installed you will be able to use any media player (limited only by the players capabilities) to play DVD's, movies and video clips of any format. Streaming video (real and quicktime) is supported in web browsers. Visit the homepage to get a 64bitAddon which enables xvid, divx and DVD playback in Vista's MediaCenter.

Download: Vista Codec Package v4.4.6 (Freeware)
View: More Information | Changelog
Source: MSFN

Microsoft has been quick to explain why the holographic image on the face of the Windows Vista DVD includes a microscopic picture of three men who just so happen to be members of the team who worked on the Windows Vista DVD hologram design. Microsoft's Anti-Piracy Team designed a counterfeit-resistant digital "watermark" for the non-encoded surface of Windows Vista DVDs. Multiple images are contained in the hologram design, all of whose inclusion serves to make it more difficult to replicate a Windows Vista DVD. The other images are of old master works of art that are in the public domain.

The images are less than 1mm in size and are not visible to the naked eye, so must be viewed using optical magnification. Their presence does not affect the contents of the DVD and these security measures were never intended to be impossible to find, but rather difficult to reproduce. While it's extremely difficult to replicate a holographic design in general, the inclusion of original images makes it that much more so.

View: How to Tell | Forum Discussion (Neowin)
Source: Neowin via Windows Vista Team Blog

DivX is offering Divx Pro for free just today. Head over to here to download and request your free serial.

View: DivX Homepage
Source: Flexbeta

TiVo, the time-shifting digital video recorder that became a household name in the US, will come to Australia in 2008.

For a small subscription fee plus the price of the hardware, Australians will be able to pause live high definition TV, fast-forward ads, record shows and series from any of the free-to-air digital TV channels, and access broadband content such as video-on-demand.

The company today announced a partnership with the Seven Network, which will build the digital platform behind the service.

Seven CEO David Leckie said the move would "vastly extend" the overall viewing experience of television viewing.

View: Full Story
Source: SMH

Paint.NET is free image editing and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows XP SP2, Vista and Server 2003. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

Changelog:

- Fixed: Pasting an image from Office 2003 applications now works (e.g. Excel 2003 graphs).
- Fixed: Some dialogs were not indicating which command button was the default. These buttons now have a highlight to indicate which one will be activated if the user presses Enter or Space.
- Fixed: Some minor keyboard navigation issues with task dialogs
- Fixed: Performance issue with the File->Acquire submenu taking a long time to appear
- Fixed: Window activation issue when the Print wizard was finished / closed
- Fixed: Crash when there was 1 image open and the user pressed Ctrl+Q and then Ctrl+W
- Fixed: Minor performance issue if the user had 1 modified image open and then canceled the "Save changes?" dialog
- Fixed: Misbehaving filetype factory implementations (plugins) will no longer cause a crash

Download: Paint.NET 3.08
Source: Flexbeta

With MSN Messenger you can chat online instantly in real time with friends, family and colleagues. It's faster than e-mail, more discreet than a phone call. Chat using a webcam, send text messages to mobile phones, and express yourself instantly online in real time with new, cool emoticons.

MSN Messenger looks like you! Sign in with your own picture, create your own emoticons, and represent yourself with new, cool backgrounds!

Download: Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1235
Source: MSFN