Microsoft has launched the Windows 8.1 Preview today for those who are on Windows 8. On top of which, Microsoft has launched a new version of its Internet Explroer browser as part of the update to Windows 8. Users who install Windows 8.1 Preview will be treated to Internet Explorer 11 Preview.

So what’s new with Internet Explorer 11? Microsoft touts IE11 as the browser that offers better touch performance, faster page load times, continuous browsing experience across Windows devices, and a completely redesigned and reimagined F12 developer tools.

According to Microsoft, touch is the new fast. Internet Explorer 11 was built to be fast, responsive, and battery efficient when it comes to touch. “IE11 delivers a fast, fluid experience, using as many tabs as you want, and side-by-side browsing so you can use your favorite sites and Windows Store apps together. IE11 puts your sites first, delivering the best Web on Windows across the full range of Windows devices and screen sizes, that’s equally great for touch, mouse, and keyboard,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

IE11 now allows up to 100 tabs per window, with each tab being suspended when not in use to preserve resources and battery life. IE11 also has an option to always show the tabs and address bar for faster access. IE11’s touch optimized interface allows for better navigation, easier access to favorites, and the browser even supports the latest standards and frameworks actively used by Web developers.

Hit the source link to read more about IE11 or give it a whirl in the recently released Windows 8.1 Preview. No word on when Windows 8 or Windows 7 users will be able to snag IE11, but it only makes sense that we will see it on these two editions of Windows at some point.

Microsoft’s Build 2013 Developer Conference is finally upon us and the software giant is expected to showcase the Windows 8.1 update, along with releasing the update for all to download. On top of which, Microsoft is expected to go over other services and devices at the event.

Starting June 26th at 9AM Pacific Time, Microsoft will begin the conference and the event will be live streamed on the homepage of https://channel9.msdn.com/. We will also embed the live feed in this post when it becomes available for your viewing pleasure.

As Microsoft states, this event will give us a glimpse at what’s next. “At Build, we’ll share updates and talk about what’s next for Windows, Windows Server, Windows Azure, Visual Studio, and more. Build is the path to creating and implementing your great ideas, and then differentiating them in the market. Join us for three days of immersive presentations delivered by the engineers behind our products and services, while networking with thousands of other developers getting the first look at what’s next,” Microsoft explains.

Day 1 and Day 2 of the event is now over, but you can now watch the live stream of Day 3 below.

Microsoft have officially released the Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview to the public today, allowing anyone to test it out for free. Windows Sever 2012 R2 is similar to the Windows 8.1 Preview, meaning the Start Button, Boot-to-Desktop and more is included. We’ve made a short video demoing such features.

A word of warning before watching, this video does not go over actual server features. I am not a Server guru therefore I’m not someone to be talking about Server features, this video is strictly for the most obvious changes, like the Start Button. If you want to see Server specific features, this is not your video.

Check back at WinBeta tomorrow for full coverage of the BUILD 2013 conference, included a hands on with the new Windows 8.1 Preview!

In an official blog post, Microsoft is touting Internet Explorer 10 as the browser that was designed with security in mind. Microsoft also touts Internet Explorer 10’s ability to block over 99% of malware and has less vulnerabilities compared to rival browsers on the Windows operating system.

“Internet Explorer 10 includes significant advancements in security to help keep you safer as you browse the Internet. Backed by third-party evidence, Internet Explorer 10 not only blocks over 99% of malware, but also has fewer software vulnerabilities than other browsers on Windows,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Microsoft says Internet Explorer 10 keeps you protected from from socially-engineered attacks thanks to SmartScreen URL filtering and Application Reputation; attacks on websites thanks to the XSS Filter; and attacks on the browser or operating system by keeping your browser updated via Automatic Updates. Microsoft argues that Chrome, Firefox, and Safari all fail to offer the same level of protection as Internet Explorer 10 does.

“Your browser is the first line of defense in keeping you safe on the Web. Internet Explorer 10 was designed with security in mind, and third-party reports like those from NSS Labs and Secunia show that IE10 provides industry-leading security for Windows customers. If you’re looking for a web experience that is fast, fluid and safer, try Internet Explorer 10 for Windows,” Microsoft adds.

What browser do you feel safe using?

Microsoft has revealed that the software giant will be opening a Windows Store, roughly 1,500 square feet to 2,200 square feet, within 600 different Best Buy locations.

“Microsoft Corp and Best Buy Co. Inc. today announced a strategic partnership to create the Windows Store only at Best Buy. The comprehensive store-within-a-store will be in 500 Best Buy locations across the United States and in more than 100 Best Buy and Future Shop locations in Canada,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

These Windows Stores within Best Buy will allow consumers to browse, try, compare, and purchase a wide variety of Microsoft’s products including Windows-based PCs and tablets, Windows Phones, Office, Xbox, and much more.

“The Windows Store offers a large-scale, hands-on customer experience that will show customers how Windows and Microsoft devices and services can make it easier for them to work and play. We’re pleased to partner with Best Buy in bringing the latest technologies to consumers at scale in a unique environment where they can explore how Microsoft products fit together across entertainment, travel, music and other scenarios.” Microsoft’s Tami Reller stated. She’s the chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of the Windows Division.

These new Windows Store locations within Best Buy (FutureShop in Canada) will roll out from late June through September, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft has put together a new video advertisement highlight all of its modern services, including Skype, Bing, SkyDrive, and Xbox Live. The video advertisement also highlights Windows 8, Windows Store, and Internet Explorer 10.

As Microsoft points out, Windows 8 brings all of Microsoft’s modern products and services to life. The software giant is touting Windows 8 as bringing together all these services onto your PC, tablet, or phone. Microsoft even uses the tagline, “One experience. On every device. For everything in your life.”

The video advertisement is thirty seconds long and we have embedded it below for your viewing pleasure. Sit back and hit play!

Over this past weekend, Microsoft has rolled out three updates to three of its popular gaming apps in the Windows Store. The Microsoft Solitaire Collection app, along with the Microsoft Minesweeper and Microsoft Mahjong apps have all received minor updates.

These three apps received minor updates this past Sunday, featuring bug fixes and optimizations, according to their respective change logs. No further details were revealed by Microsoft as to what was fixed. If you have these apps installed, head over to the Windows Store and download the updates. Let us know in the comments below if you notice any new changes or improvements.

As of June 9th, there are 85,953 apps in the Windows Store. Microsoft is expected to release a public preview version of Windows 8.1, the next big update to Windows 8, which also features a redesign of the Windows Store. The new design makes the Windows Store much more organized and simplistic.

Michael Niehaus, senior product marketing manager at Microsoft held a keynote today at TechEd 2013 where he spoke about Windows RT in the Enterprise and how RT is good for businesses. During the keynote, he demoed a pre-release build of Windows RT 8.1. The build was 9410, which means its compilation date was before the Start Button was re-added to the taskbar.

The demo shows off the Start Screen, Desktop and IE11, however the IE11 demo seems to crash before they can get it going. Of course, this is pre-release software so it is expected.

The keynote was around an hour long, and the Windows RT demo’s are fairly short. We’ve done the hard work for you and cut the keynote down to just the Windows RT parts, which means some of the things being talked about in the video might not make much sense. Don’t worry, if you want to check out the full keynote, check out the Source Link below.

Microsoft recently put up a video as well as a blog post highlighting why using Google Apps is similar to taking a gamble. Microsoft touts Google Apps as a platform that compromises an organization’s security and privacy. In a new video featuring actor Rob Schneider, Microsoft points out how unproductive Google Docs really is.

In the video, Google Docs is represented by actor Rob Schneider and Office is represented by someone who is great at basketball. While at the basketball court, Google Docs begins to bring the team down. “Google Docs! You’re making everybody out here less productive, even your own team has to work harder!” the video mentions. It’s a pretty funny and entertaining video. Take a look at the video below.

Just recently, the city of Boston, Massachusetts, as well as other organizations, have dropped Microsoft’s Exchange platform for Google Apps. More than 20,000 city employees including the Major will be shifted over to Google Apps. According to Microsoft, Google cant compare to Microsoft when it comes to Exchange. In fact, Google “lacks the proper protections most organizations require.”

Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2013 is almost upon us, taking place July 7th to the 11th in Houston, Texas. We will see a global gathering of top Microsoft partners who will focus on the “modern life” of technology.

“With more than 16,000 attendees from over 160 countries, it’s no secret that there’s no better way for Microsoft partners to make contacts and connections that matter to their business. It’s happening now. The time to commit to the future of your business is now,” Microsoft stated.

Microsoft is expecting to discuss and possibly showcase the big areas of being modern, which includes the cloud, big data, mobility, and social. Microsoft is said to be changing the landscape of businesses as we know it, and this event will be the company’s way to showcasing just how they are making that impact.

A WPC 2013 Partner all access conference pass will run you for $1,995, or you can hope for a streaming video of the event just like Microsoft did for WPC 2012. Head over to the source link for more information on the event.

If you think the Worldwide Partner Conference 2013 will be uneventful, just remember that during the event in 2012, Microsoft announced the exact timeframe of when Windows 8 would reach RTM and when it could be generally available. Let’s see what big announcement Microsoft has for this years event.

Office 2013 has been available for a little while now and Microsoft has showcased a feature called ‘Read Mode’ in Word 2013 in the past. Microsoft has put up another blog post over the weekend highlighting this cool feature yet again.

For those that don’t know, Read Mode is a feature in Word 2013 that pretty much turns your Word documents into an interactive digital magazine and offers you a view without toolbars and menus. “Crafting the right content takes time and attention. To help you minimize the distractions, we created a Read Mode layout in Word. Read Mode is an option in the View menu that hides toolbars and menus to leave more room for the pages themselves,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Microsoft created this new layout to allow users to work optimally, even when the window is resized or viewed on a different device. Navigating through a document in Read Mode is simple, just pan right or left or use your keyboard up/down or left/right buttons. Read Mode is great because it remembers where you left off, so if you turn off your computer, you can eventually open up the document at the exact same place you left off when you turn your computer on again.

If you haven’t given Read Mode a try yet, simply head over to View > Read Mode to enter Read Mode. To get out of Read Mode, simply click or tap View > Edit Document.

A Qualcomm executive has revealed that the company is ‘very optimistic’ with Microsoft’s Windows RT platform, which has seen negative criticism about its sales as of late. Qualcomm is even committed to a long term investment with the platform.

“Windows RT launched on devices from major manufacturers last October and used Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Qualcomm is working with many more OEM’s to launch on Win RT in the future and has a long-term investment in it,” Luis Pineda stated. He’s the senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm.

Qualcomm is also reportedly “very excited about Microsoft’s strategy around Windows RT.” Qualcomm apparently has a close partnership with Microsoft, but refused to detail any upcoming changes to Windows RT in the coming year.

Windows RT is expected to receive the Windows Blue update in the near future, which is rumored to merge Windows 8 with Windows RT. Qualcomm’s Pineda had no comment about this speculation, referring to Windows RT as “true for work and play.”

As for the negative criticisms, Pineda stated that Qualcomm is not discouraged by it. “Whenever you launch a brand new ecosystem like Windows RT it would be nice to have a home run from day one. But there’s lots of excitement about what’s coming,” Pineda adds.

According to an IDC analyst, Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet device is an “interesting product, but its just not there yet.” Tom Mainelli, IDC’s research director for tablets, continues to slam the Surface Pro by adding that it is “too heavy.”

“The battery life’s not there. It’s too heavy,” Mainelli slams the Surface Pro’s battery life by stating that its just “not there.” “While it performs like a notebook, Surface Pro is always going to be compared to other tablets, and tablets really need to run 8 to 10 hours. [Surface Pro’s] four hours is a nonstarter,” Mainelli adds.

Mainelli also argues that Microsoft needs to decide on Windows 8 or Windows RT as its operating system for tablets. “I think ultimately Microsoft needs to decide on one operating system for tablets. I don’t think they can successfully do Windows RT and Windows 8 and support Windows 8 phone. You end up pitting your own operating systems against each other,” he adds.

IDC was in the news recently with another piece attacking Windows 8, claiming that Windows 8 “sucks” because of its apps. In fact, IDC believes that the upcoming Windows 8.1 (Windows Blue) update will not fix the problem. This piece gathered a lot of reaction from the Windows community, even mentioning that IDC should stick to facts and not opinions.

According to new data from IDC, Microsoft has sold nearly 900,000 Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets during the first quarter of 2013. The Surface Pro has been available since February of 2013.

According to a new report, Microsoft is expected to announce its next-generation Surface devices during Build 2013 in June. On top of which, these new Surface 2.0 devices will only feature a 7inch to 9inch display to battle against the current demand for small screen touch devices.

Microsoft is set to hold the Build 2013 developer conference on June 26th to the 28th, and thats when Microsoft will introduce its Surface 2.0 product line. This information comes from sources within the upstream supply chain.

“The sources also noted that the second-generation Surface devices reportedly will only feature a 7- to 9-inch displays to meet the rising demand for smaller tablet devices,” the report adds. Back in January of this year, during a Microsoft’s earnings call, Microsoft’s chief financial officer Peter Klein mentioned, “We’re working closely with chip partners and OEMs to bring the right mix of devices” and added that Microsoft is looking to “expand the product lineup” and provide “a greater variety of devices at a bigger variety of price points.”

Microsoft is looking to jump on board the small screen touch device bandwagon as quickly as possible. This market is currently dominated by devices such as the Google 7-inch Nexus tablet and the iPad mini.

According to new data from IDC, Microsoft has sold nearly 900,000 Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets during the first quarter of 2013. Microsoft’s Surface RT has been available since October of 2012 while the Surface Pro has been available since February of 2013.

Microsoft has confirmed that they have taken a new route to promoting Office 365: WiFi hotspots in select Forbes magazines! These T-Mobile connected routers offer the recipient 15 days of wireless access and can accommodate up to 5 devices. Before use, they require 3 hours of charging via a Micro-USB cable

The device was first noticed by a user on Slickdeals and then later confirmed on Mashable by a Microsoft spokesperson. Each device is being sent via the May 6th 2013 issue of Forbes Magazine to a “limited number of technology and business professionals.”

The intent is to drive more users to the cloud and in turn, the Office 365 experience as well as just make the cloud seem cool and inspiring. The always on, always available and always connected ideal is at the core of Office 365 and having multiple users interfacing with Office via one always on device further promotes the collaborative space offered by Office 365.

Though I am not certain how many will buy into Office 365 because of this, I can say for certain this router would look nice next to my stack of AOL CDs.

If you, like me, are using Windows 7 in your work environment but often find that you must use Remote Desktop to get to a Windows 8 or 2012 box, then you often are likely slowly dragging the mouse to find the Start button or the Charms menu so that you can reach the Modern UI. No longer. Here’s a solution to help fix this problem.

Or maybe you are just not willing to wait for Windows 8.1 and the possible return of the Start button? Do this on the Windows 8 or 2012 machines to help ease your troubles now:

1. Open Notepad by doing a Charms search
2. Copy this text:

• set shell=createobject(“wscript.shell”)
• shell.sendkeys “^{Esc}”

3. Now Save as windowskey.vbs to somewhere accessible by you or all users on the machine, such as the root of C (C:\) or if you will be the only one needing this, the root of your profile (C:\users\%username%\)
4. Right click on your desktop and choose New->Shortcut
5. The path for this shortcut will be “C:\Windows\system32\wscript.exe” and name it something like Windows Key or Start Button
6. Now, alter the icon by right clicking the icon and choosing Properties from the menu and then Change Icon
7. To find different icons already available in Windows, alter the path to “C:\windows\system32\shell32.dll”
8. I chose a Star
9. Press OK or double click the icon in the list of icons and then Apply once your icon is chosen. Leave the Properties window open
10. Now alter the path of the Target in the Properties dialog box:

• For the root of C: c:\windows\system32\wscript.exe c:\users\%username%\windowskey.vbs
• For the root of your profile: c:\windows\system32\wscript.exe c:\users\%username%\windowskey.vbs

11. The shortcut now appears on your desktop and if you press it, it will function as a Start button to get you to the Modern UI/Start screen
12. Now drag the shortcut to the taskbar to pin it

Now when you press the icon on the Taskbar it will emulate a Windows key press and function as a Start button! Wowza!

Microsoft’s Open Technologies subsidiary is celebrating its one year anniversary and Microsoft is dedicated in the company’s investment in openness including interoperability, open standards, and open source.

“At MS Open Tech, we work fast, we work openly with others, bridging the interaction between Microsoft’s proprietary development processes and the company’s open innovation efforts and relationships with the open source and open standards communities,” Microsoft stated. MS Open Tech was created on the 12th of April, 2012.

As MS Open Tech celebrates its first anniversary, Microsoft explains that there are more than 70 individuals at the Open Tech organization, each of the individuals being diverse in their skills and background. The team members consist of engineers, standards professionals, and technical evangelists looking to build relationships with the open source/standard communities.

In just one year, MS Open Tech has shipped 51 important open source devices and services projects. There are also 25 active open source projects on CodePlex and GitHub. Microsoft is also an ongoing contributor to several other open source and open standards initiatives.

To give you an idea of the organization’s that MS Open Tech deals with, here is a quick rundown: jQuery, MongoDB, Apache Cordova, Redis, Apache Qpid, Apache Solr, Outercurve, Eclipse, Node.js, Cocos2D, Ogre3D, Web Platform Docs, Symfony, Doctrine, WebKit, GitHub, CodePlex and more.

Hit the source link to see a timeline of events from the day MS Open Tech was created to the organizations’ first anniversary.

In an official blog post, Microsoft is showcasing Internet Explorer 10’s support for the new SDP-US video captioning spec. This spec was created after input was given by companies such as Adobe, MovieLabs, NBC, Cox, Apple, Netflix, and even Microsoft.

For those that don’t know, Internet Explorer 10 was one of the first browsers to include early support for HTML5 based video captioning (via theelement) using the TTML and WebVTT file formats. Microsoft has now gained valuable feedback from content authors and a new spec called SDP-US was formed. This new spec provides interoperability and a fully featured captioning solution for modern browsers.

“SDP-US will meet this need by defining a streamlined set of captioning capabilities for the HTML5element. Developers will be able to add captioning to an HTML5 video by providing a caption file that contains a styled text representation of the video dialog or actions and by using theelement to render and display the contents of that file,” Microsoft explained.

Timed Text Markup Language (TTML), which is a framework that has been used in the video industry for years, is still the basis for SDP-US. However, the new spec will have better features that lets you control the layout, style, timing, and requirements for captions. SDP-US will streamline the creation of closed captions to deliver media content to a wide variety of platforms, such as Internet Explorer on a desktop computer to the Xbox entertainment console and even via apps that are built using the Microsoft Media Player Framework.

This new spec allows for professional-quality online video, including the ability to color your captions and even apply a background color to those captions. From the screenshot above, you can see how Internet Explorer 10 showcases a colored caption, via this new spec. You can review the new spec’s profile here.

Microsoft is kicking its Recycle for Rewards program into full gear by offering retail store credit if you turn in your old gadget or device. Of course, your device will have to be appraised based on its condition and current market value.

“To get started, simply bring your computer, phone, or other device to the Answer Desk at the Microsoft retail store. We will appraise its value based on condition and current market value. If it’s determined to have value, we will provide you with a Microsoft retail store credit. If it doesn’t have value, we will wipe it of all data and safely recycle it for you. The process is fast, easy, and free of charge,” Microsoft stated on its website.

Microsoft will be accepting qualified laptops and tablets, cell phones, digital audio players, and video game consoles as well as video games. If you turn in a console or PC, you must also turn in the power cord and the device must not be password protected. Microsoft will then offer a gift card that may equal trade-in value.

Microsoft would also like to remind everyone that the software giant ‘supports the responsible disposal and recycling of electronic products.’ In case you had any doubts. Head over to your local Microsoft Store to check out this program.

While many of us enjoy sharing data with others online, some of the data should never make it online for all to see. Microsoft has launched a new campaign focused on online privacy. Microsoft also revealed that 85% of Americans are concerned about their online privacy, but less than that take any action about it.

Microsoft aims to help raise awareness on how users can have greater choice and control as they browse the internet. Microsoft, of course, recommends Internet Explorer 10 as the browser of choice for enhanced security and privacy.

“We want to help people learn more about the tools and technologies Microsoft provides that give them have greater control over personal information as they browse the web and use their favorite Microsoft devices. As part of this, we’re also launching an advertising campaign to kick start awareness and conversation,” Microsoft stated in an official blog post.

Microsoft has created a new page on its website that offers you a quiz and identifies your privacy tendencies and preferences. After the quiz, you are presented with tips on how to turn your new awareness into action. Head over to www.microsoft.com/YourPrivacy to check it out and take the quiz at yourprivacytype.com

Twitter has announced that they are killing support for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7 starting May 13th. Twitter’s Tweet button was first introduced in 2010 and was built around Internet Explorer 6.

“When the Tweet button was introduced in 2010, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 was our baseline. Now, most users have upgraded and we see IE6 usage dwindled. On May 13th 2013, we’re going to prune our support for that browser and its successor, IE7,” Twitter stated in an official blog post.

In essence, the Tweet button, Follow button, embedded Tweets, and Twitter timelines will no longer work in Internet Explorer 6. “The script will detect the unsupported browser and silently exit. The content from the embed codes will remain in place,” Twitter adds. The framework that allows developers to respond to user interactions with Twitter widgets will no longer work in IE6 and IE7.

In Internet Explorer 7, however, widgets will still be rendered but only for the time being as the browser is now given “limited support” and future features may not be implemented. Although support for IE6 and IE7 is dead, “Tweet” links will still share your page, “Follow” links will still point to a users’ profiles, and embeddable timeline codes will link to the main timeline on the Twitter website.

Again, this does not take affect until May 13th.

Along with the announcement of enabling two-step verification for your entire Microsoft Account, Microsoft has revealed that Outlook.com will now allow sign-ins using an alias. Microsoft is also offering 32 new email address domains for Outlook.com.

For those of you who signed up on Outlook.com with an email alias, Microsoft is now allowing you to sign into Outlook.com using that alias. Microsoft is finally allowing this feature based on consumer feedback. Microsoft has also made it easier to manage your aliases.

“We’ve heard from a lot of you that you love using Outlook.com but you wish you had more flexibility signing in. Many of you have added an email alias to your account, but you can’t use the alias to sign in to your account. Previously the only option was to permanently rename your account, which is a hassle and requires you to reset certain devices,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft has also added 32 new email address domains, so you can rock an @outlook.com email address specific to the country of your choice. “But we also heard from some of you that you’d like to be able to have an @outlook address that is unique to your country (e.g. @outlook.de),” Microsoft stated in an official blog post. Take a look at the list of domains below:

Microsoft is set to release these new features for Outlook.com over the course of the next few days.

The guys over at AV-Test have concluded an 18 month study, in which they were able to determine that Google is safer than its primary competitor Bing, when it comes to keeping malware out of search results. In other words, Bing delivers five times as many malicious malware results than Google does.

The results are from nearly 40 million websites provided by seven different search engines, including Bing and Google. 10 million of those results were from Bing and another 10 million from Google. Of the 40 million sites, AV-Test found 5,000 total pieces of malware, with Bing having the most compared to Google. (see chart below).

“The infected websites mostly use malware that exploits existing security vulnerabilities in users’ software. These vulnerabilities normally involve outdated browsers, old add-ons or extensions and out-of-date versions of PDF readers. Users can drastically reduce the likelihood of infection by keeping the software on their systems up to date. They can also guarantee that they have the best possible protection by additionally using high-quality security software that is constantly updated,” AV-Test stated.

While these results don’t mean you should stop using Bing in favor of Google, it just shows that Google places a stronger effort in keeping its users safe online. Which search engine do you use?

Back in January, we learned about Office 2010 Service Pack 2 entering private beta testing. Microsoft sent out invites to select testers to get their hands on the new Office 2010 SP2, which is the sequel to SP1, released nearly a year and a half ago.

Microsoft is now allowing a public beta test for the service pack. The Beta build of Service Pack 2 is dated April 8th of 2013 and comes in a 32bit flavor for Office 2010 (1,759.51 MB) as well as a 64bit flavor for Office 2010 (1,954.7 MB).

Microsoft has not revealed exactly what is new with Office 2010 Service Pack 2, but stated that there were improvements in stability and performance and compatibility with Windows 8 and IE10. Service Pack 2 is valid for Office 2010, Project 2010, Visio 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010, Office 2010 Language Pack, and Office 2010 Filter Pack.

“This service pack beta includes previously unreleased fixes that were made specifically for this service pack. In addition to general product fixes, these fixes include improvements in stability, performance, and security as well as compatibility with Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, and Internet Explorer 10. The service pack beta also includes all the public updates and cumulative updates (hotfixes) that have been released since Service Pack 1. A full list of fixes will be available at the time of final release,” Microsoft stated.

Office 2010 has been available since June of 2010 and according to recent reports, Office 2010 was discontinued by Microsoft. In fact, some retailers were reported to have jacked up the price of Office 2010’s cheapest multi-license package as a result.

The Public Beta of Service Pack 2 is valid until December 31st of 2013, or until Microsoft releases the final version of Service Pack 2, and is available in either English or Japanese. Hit the source link to read the EULA and download SP2!

Thanks for the tip, Krst1! Much appreciated!