MSN Explorer 8.5 Beta - exclusive screenshots

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So as we reported a few moments ago the Official MSN Explorer 8.5 beta has now begun. Testers have been given the opportunity to download and install the beta which includes an updated interface to both the Dashboard and MSN 8 itself as well as eye candy tweaks to MSN 8's email capabilities. MSN Messenger 5.0.0544 is included with this beta too. In the true style of neowin we wouldn't be neowin if we didn't give you an exclusive insight into how MSN 8 is changing so check out our exclusive screenshots below.

Screenshot: Installation Part 1

Screenshot: Installation Part 2

Screenshot: Sign-in screen

Screenshot: Minor interface changes

Screenshot: Minor e-mail changes (images now blocked in emails like in Outlook 2003)

Screenshot: MSN Messenger 5.0.0544

Screenshot: MSN Team being silly

Secret Weapons brings the total of playable vehicles in the game to 46. In addition to the 30 vehicles in the original game that includes jeeps, fighter planes, tanks and aircraft carriers, players can operate16 new vehicles including a Horton HO 229 fighter plane that is equipped with a 30 mm machine gun. Other vehicles include a US Sherman tank with a T-34 Calliope (rocket launcher), U.S. Super Heavy Tank, Sturmtiger, Goblin jetfighter, C-47 cargo plane, Armstrong Whitworth AW-52, the German Wasserfall guided anti-air missile and the German Natter rocket plane.

In addition to offering innovative weapons and vehicles, the game also improves on gameplay by adding an "objective based" mode. In this new mode, players will be tasked with a specific objective to win the battle (e.g. destroy a secret facility).

Key Features

Eight new battlefields that take players into combat in top secret locations in a variety of seasons and times of day.
Sixteen new vehicles to operate, seven of them prototypes which could have
changed the outcome of WWII.
Four new weapons including a one-shot kill knife that all Allied and Axis soldiers are issued.
Introduction of British Commando and German Elite troops
Top secret German prototype Rocket Pack which allows players to fly and
fight at the same time.
Wasserfall rockets will be launched, flown and directed by player in first person
The C-47 Cargo Plane will serve as a mobile spawn point
A new objective based gameplay mode

(3 replies) #1 XP-RTM on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:32

linky linkies?

#1.1 User on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:41

*removed*

#1.2 whYeNQue on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:46

i closed my eyes as soon as i saw http:// well anyways does any1 know what harm could come of installing this if we chanced to come across it?

#1.3 ThunderRiver on 03 Apr 2003 - 01:20

Yeah well, it is a public link.. but too bad.. I don't want to risk my name on NeoWin.. they might ban my ass over it.. and i am "Sooo" scared...

(1 reply) #2 User on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:35

when will the new MSN Messenger leak?

Last edited by 24191 on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:48

#2.1 ThunderRiver on 03 Apr 2003 - 01:21

It is leaked somewhere.. the newest version is 5.0.0544..and hopefully a simple crack will come out soon to remove the ads

(1 reply) #3 JnCoKiLLa on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:46

when will the new MSN Explorer

#3.1 Jason on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:47

Need to be a MSN subscriber to use it, ie pay a subscription or have it as your ISP.

(2 replies) #4 mustiy on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:52

The new IE is gonna be version 7.0 its gonen be,so i heard,the first microsoft stand alone browser.They said that integrating it into windows was a big security mistake,no duh!

#4.1 Jason on 03 Apr 2003 - 00:53

I have heard many things of whats in IE7, anyone know and have proof when its out, if at all ?

#4.2 Angel Blue01 on 05 Jun 2003 - 23:51

There will no IE 7!

IE 6 SP-1 is the last stand-alone release of IE!

Its official!

(2 replies) #5 apa1exakis on 03 Apr 2003 - 01:05

yeah, so no real changes to MSN.. i was hoping some different interface changes maybe.. i hope they put the background files for the dashboard back in. eh.. hopefully some changes will be made. Do you guys know if MSN 8.5 is just the mid point to making msn9 or is it the big next upgrade for MSN .. such as AOL 7.0 to 8.0 etc

#5.1 shockz on 03 Apr 2003 - 03:23

[neoquote=#5.0 by apa1exakis]yeah, so no real changes to MSN.. i was hoping some different interface changes maybe.. i hope they put the background files for the dashboard back in. eh.. hopefully some changes will be made. Do you guys know if MSN 8.5 is just the mid point to making msn9 or is it the big next upgrade for MSN .. such as AOL 7.0 to 8.0 etc[/neoquote] Its just a stepping stone. MSN 9.0 will be a big upgrade. 8.5 is just a small update to 8.0

#5.2 spartacus2 on 05 Jun 2003 - 13:19

MSN 8.5 is really just an upgrade to rid the software of the many bugs it had. The only reason any interface changes were made is so Tech Support can find out what version the EU has quickly. Basically any fix now is if the EU doesn't have 8.5, then TS forces an upgrade, hence most of their problems fixed.

(3 replies) #6 Michael Lerner on 03 Apr 2003 - 01:37

MSN sucks.

#6.1 shockz on 03 Apr 2003 - 03:32

[neoquote=#6.0 by Michael Lerner]MSN sucks.[/neoquote] Thank you for that extremely enlightining and informative comment.

#6.2 NeoMayhem on 03 May 2003 - 23:26

AOL sucks more, but at least they improved the interface a little

#6.3 kal-ky on 05 Jun 2003 - 09:25

It's true, MSN does suck.

#7 CUBBYJR25 on 03 Apr 2003 - 01:58

yeah I agree it does but hey who cares you get to beta test it for free

(1 reply) #8 Xab on 03 Apr 2003 - 02:18

Disappointing, I have yet to notice a single difference

#8.1 shockz on 03 Apr 2003 - 03:25

[neoquote=#8.0 by Xab]Disappointing, I have yet to notice a single difference[/neoquote] I see several differences. In the e-mail it has a sorting option like Hotmail.com has. Little gui enchancements can also be seen in the e-mail and browser. Look at the top left of the browser in the screenshot of 8.5, and then look at 8.0. You will see a difference. The sidebar also has a >> icon instead of an "X" button to close it.

#9 Serpentuk on 03 Apr 2003 - 02:19

what a time to bring this out i just unsubscribed for msn 8.0 being a poor program and subscribed for yahoo plus cheaper and more email space

#10 Opio on 03 Apr 2003 - 03:25

http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail.php3?fid=972636205

(2 replies) #11 shockz on 03 Apr 2003 - 04:51

Screenshot - Set your homepage: [img]http://www.neowin.net/forum/uploads/post-8-1049344638.jpg[/img]

#11.1 pctuk on 03 Apr 2003 - 06:49

Excellent. I do find it amazing that they show adverts on the My MSN page when people are paying money to use the service.

#11.2 Knight' on 09 May 2003 - 16:44

OMG, this feature finally arrives. !!!

#12 andrewfee on 03 Apr 2003 - 07:49

wow, looks like the perfect msn release, they've changed everything about it that bugged me before

(3 replies) #13 nacs on 03 Apr 2003 - 08:18

Looks bad as ever to me. And what's with the sidebars? They've had one on the left and now they added another one on the [i]right[/i] now? So if you run this program with the sidebars open under Longhorn (which has a fat sidebar on the right in the beta screenhots), you'd get around 100 pixels to view the actual webpage.

It also looks like the designers over at MS love the blue shades. A ton of blue in the MSN interface and even more blue in the Longhorn beta screenshots. Hopefully by the time the two are released, it won't be so blue/make me want to puke. (And yes, I realize the two sidebars in MSN and the one in longhorn can be hidden)

#13.1 andrewfee on 03 Apr 2003 - 09:03

MSN8 has always had a sidebar, and longhorn's sidebar/start menu are planned to integrate with MSN9's sidebar when it is released.

#13.2 Trade Wind on 03 Apr 2003 - 09:39

MSN 10 is the Longhorn Wave release actually.

#13.3 shockz on 03 Apr 2003 - 12:29

[neoquote=#13.0 by nacs]Looks bad as ever to me. And what's with the sidebars? They've had one on the left and now they added another one on the [i]right[/i] now? So if you run this program with the sidebars open under Longhorn (which has a fat sidebar on the right in the beta screenhots), you'd get around 100 pixels to view the actual webpage.

#14 nathanintu on 03 Apr 2003 - 08:44

They better bring a version out of Australia... I wanna use it!!!

#15 nFHQ|MaTrIx on 03 Apr 2003 - 11:17

who uses this ish anyway?

#16 ernicoats on 03 Apr 2003 - 15:01

i Want msn messenger 6 for my tablet

#17 arnaudnl on 03 Apr 2003 - 15:31

I installed it, but i cant sign in, dont wanna pay for this. So i uninstalled it, and guess what. My Msn Messenger is now 5.0.0544

#18 DJ Prem on 03 Apr 2003 - 17:00

how do i join?

#19 KaiSerSoze on 03 Apr 2003 - 18:18

MSN is just another gay browser...

(1 reply) #20 Grechie on 04 Apr 2003 - 08:44

how do u join? without paying maybe?

#20.1 spartacus2 on 05 Jun 2003 - 13:22

There's no way. When you sign in, MSN8 verifies your subscription with the Passport service.

#21 prashidi on 05 Apr 2003 - 10:20

fsfdasfsa

(1 reply) #22 prashidi on 05 Apr 2003 - 10:21

sdfdsafas

#22.1 Semental on 04 May 2003 - 13:27

[neoquote=#22.0 by prashidi]sdfdsafas[/neoquote] Hmmm, looks like someone is trying to increase their post count.

I use MSN Explorer because it is cheaper than AOL; It looks better than AOL; it doesn't take over your computer like AOL; and it allows you to make custom filters to block spam, unlike AOL.

#23 Bizzard on 05 Apr 2003 - 14:25

MSN 8 looks cool

#24 fdiaz2day on 05 Apr 2003 - 18:15

I like the look of msn 8...I used it for a while and went back to IE...as always.

#25 alanzeino2002 on 15 Apr 2003 - 01:55

Where can you get msn messenger 6?

(1 reply) #26 rezza_is_back on 03 May 2003 - 23:34

i honestly have no idea what msn is... is it a browser? an isp? just a fancy gui to use on top of seperate programs like ie and messenger? please could somebody tell me exactly what it is and why would you use it? (because to be honest to me it looks like "internet explorer for under-5s" )

#26.1 spartacus2 on 05 Jun 2003 - 13:27

It's a web browser. It's an email client with very good Junk Mail filtering (Just use the Junk, Not Junk buttons) It offers access to the MSN Portals (Calendar, Pictures, Entertainment, Money Plus, Encarta, Photos Plus...). If you are happy with using IE to go to websites like neowin.net etc..., Then IE is for you. If you like to take advantage of what is in Encarta Online (for example) then MSN8 is for you. PS, that sidebar on the right (it's called the dashboard) can go away and every time you sign in, it will still be gone.

#27 010110 on 04 May 2003 - 00:24

man this is cool but you can see it without even buying the service which totally sucks...hmm

#28 apa1exakis on 04 May 2003 - 01:12

Okay Im not really one to post unless I can help another member out with my knowledge or if I have a question but im just getting sick of this. You know yeah I use MSN8, MSN Explorer was a bad program but MSN8 is an amazing ISP for those who like ISP software and services. IMO its better than what AOL offers which is really the only other ISP out there with besides these companies that just offer a website and a connection. You dont like MSN, AOL, MS.. whatever.. just shut up. No one cares that you hate it. I love neowin and what it brings to the Windows and Computer world but these users are pushing me and Im sure other users further away. If you dont like these programs then dont read it, or read it and move on your stupid comments arent helping anyone. So shut up and go find somethin u like and comment well on that. Isnt this damn world full of enough a$$holes? Damn!

#29 nathanintu on 09 May 2003 - 03:07

I hope some of you were listening to apa1exakis. its about time some get over it.

#30 sherpard on 09 May 2003 - 16:07

yes i agree like hell with him, all u guys, stop your comments like, oh this is gay that is gay. pple make the effort to create software and stuff so even though u might not like it others do, and pls WHO CARES what u guys think. pple are happy with what their doing u give your stupid bad childish comments. stop it yah?

(1 reply) #31 DarkLordSouron on 05 Jun 2003 - 09:49

i cant use it cause i'm not a subscriber

#31.1 spartacus2 on 05 Jun 2003 - 13:31

As it is with all MS products. U can't use IE without buying a copy if Windows (though some people have found a way around this). U can't use MSN8 without buying a subscription of it. If it weren't for this theory MS would not be able to make commission off of it's products. I do believe that $9.95 a month is a little steep for msn8 though.

#32 dougkinzinger on 05 Jun 2003 - 15:25

better than AOL......

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