Microsoft is rolling out the latest beta version of the Windows Vista SP2 update to testers part of the Microsoft Development Network, giving us a peek at the fixes and features coming to the operating system. The company's service packs for Windows are usually collections of new features and improvements too major for incremental Windows Update patches, normally used for security fixes and updates that can't wait for the next service pack release.

The full version of SP2 is scheduled for an April release, so you don't have to have to be concerned quite yet with the upgrade, but a look through some of the new features now can give you something to look forward to over the winter. If you've got a Blu-ray burner, Microsoft will be adding support for writing discs to the operating system. The Feature Pack for Wireless improves Bluetooth support for the latest devices using version 2.1 of the wireless protocol and is supposed to make pairing devices with your computer easier. Windows Connect Now will be a configuration utility that will help you manage connections over your computer's WiFi card.

Other little fixes and improvements include a speeded-up Windows Search function, a higher-performance RSS feed reader, and general stability improvements, hopefully leading to fewer system crashes. Some of the fixes are available now as separate downloads from Microsoft, but for the full package, you'll still have to wait until April.
 

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