Over the weekend, Microsoft released a new build of its Windows Vista to a handful of testers. Unlike beta 1, build 5472 is not intended for the general public. Besides numerous internal bug fixes, this build sports tighter integration of design elements throughout the app. For example, gone is the hourglass for active processes, replaced with an arrow chasing itself in a circle, mirroring the new circular Start button for Vista. Also enhanced is the Media Center, featuring AJAX-like graphics that take you to a specific song or television show without using a Windows Explorer-like listing. The next code release should be the Windows Vista RC1, a release candidate that will appear toward the time of the final release, sometime in early 2007.

• Read also: Security, Software, Living with Windows Vista beta 2
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