CORP TALK: Microsoft has finally made available the Release Candidate (RC) of Windows 7 operating system in downloadable form to MSDN and TechNet subscribers yesterday. The public will have access to it by May 5 from the Microsoft Download Center. The RC download, interestingly set with an expiry date for June, 2010, indicates that the Windows 7 operating system is entering its final phases of development and will be ready for partners to develop new apps, device drivers and services.

According to Microsoft, Windows 7 has garnered strong industry support. The beta of Windows 7 showed significant promise but Forrester Research released an independent report in April 2009 recommending that IT professionals within the enterprise deploy Windows Vista first in order to prepare for a smoother transition into Windows 7.

According to an online report by The National Business Review, Windows 7 official launch date is still set on January 2010 but a separate report today indicates that Acer might release their notebooks with Windows 7 earlier in October 2009. The buzz on everyone’s lips seem to steer towards an October 23, 2009 launch date, if the early release of the RC download yesterday was any indication that Windows 7 is on track and done. (Editor opinions: 1)

Windows 7 will support Windows Touch, but only if your monitor supports touch-screen capabilities. Whether that would spur new monitor upgrades and convince manufacturers remain to be seen.

Windows 7 RC will feature advancements like Remote Media Streaming, Windows XP Mode (beta) and the beta of Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Here’s a quick list of the features you can expect from the RC download come May 5:

• Remote Media Streaming: Enables highly secure, remote Internet access to home-based digital media libraries from another Windows 7-based PC outside the home.
• Windows XP Mode: Utilizing Windows Virtual PC, Windows XP Mode allows Windows 7 users to run many Windows XP productivity applications, launched right from the Windows 7 desktop. Windows XP Mode will be available to Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate customers via download or, for the best experience, pre-installed directly on new PCs.
• Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor: To help enable a smooth transition, Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will help people analyze their PCs in preparation for a Windows 7 upgrade. Available soon, Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will be a downloadable tool that will help people determine their ability to upgrade from their Windows XP-based or Windows Vista-based PC to Windows 7.

The RC will also feature a number of enhancements based on feedback from beta testers, such as:

• Refined navigation: Several enhancements to the Windows taskbar, JumpLists and search make navigation and finding exactly what you want much easier.
• Internet Explorer 8: InPrivate browsing in Internet Explorer 8 prevents browsing history, temporary Internet files, form data, cookies, and usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser. With Windows 7, you can start an InPrivate session straight from the JumpList. You can also open a new tab from the JumpList.
• Windows Touch: Controlling the computer by touching a touch-enabled screen or monitor is a core Windows 7 user experience. Improvements in the RC include several Windows Touch updates, including the ability to drag, drop and select items with touch, even inside Web sites that scroll both horizontally and vertically.

System requirements-wise, the RC list is a good indicator of what the final system requirements for Windows 7 would be. This list indicates that Windows 7 will work on a broader array of hardware than any other release of Windows at launch:

• 1GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of RAM (32-bit)/2 GB of RAM (64-bit)
• 16GB of available disk space (32-bit)/20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or higher driver

For enterprises, Windows 7 is designed to empower users to work from anywhere while providing enterprise IT the tools to manage security, compliance and data protection through an infrastructure that will drive down the cost of operations.

Key features include:

Direct Access: This feature enables IT managers to provide mobile users with reliable and security-enhanced access to corporate network resources when they are on the Internet, without having to initiate a VPN connection. It also allows servicing and updating of remote PCs, even when they are on the road. This helps ensure that all mobile PCs are always up to date, and Windows Powershell means IT pros can automate many standard tasks to help reduce helpdesk costs, minimize user disruption and ease PC management. Direct Access is delivered by Windows 7 with Windows Server 2008 R2.

BranchCache: Delivered jointly by Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, this feature enables IT pros to decrease the time branch office users spend waiting to download files from remote servers by caching the previously accessed content locally in a branch’s network.

BitLocker and BitLocker To Go: This helps ensure that sensitive data is protected across PCs and removable storage devices.

Vijay Anand, Editor, HardwareZone.com

Vijay (HardwareZone.com): Reports from users around the world have been positive with even the Beta version of Windows 7 and it goes without saying that the RC version too should go down well with the masses.

We’ve noted that driver issues existed with certain system configurations on the Beta edition, so for those who didn’t have a smooth ride previously to have a personal hands-on, the RC version is a must try. In fact, the team at HardwareZone.com narrowed down the vast number of fixes and updates done to the RC edition and have published a 15-pointer list on the most obvious enhancements and features improved or added in Windows 7 this time round here.

While we’ve also proven over here that Windows 7 is going to be a very forgiving system with regards to the PC hardware requirements, we feel that its fancy features like touch-screen support isn’t going to spur any monitor upgrade frenzy yet. At least not without any related software that’s going to be genuinely more useful via touch-screen inputs than your mouse.