• Financial Times, USA Today , Thursday, January 8, 2009 10:50 AM

Microsoft released a test version of Windows 7, the next version of its operating system, to developers yesterday and any interested users can give it a beta whirl starting tomorrow. It will be formally launched "within a year," says CEO Steve Ballmer -- hopefully, unlike Vista, in time for the Christmas season.

Ballmer also says that Verizon Wireless handsets in the U.S. will use Microsoft's mobile search software, a victory over Google. But he is under no illusions. "Distribution is important, but it doesn't flip the market quickly at all," he says. "It's going to take a while -- Google's a great company with decent market share, and certainly a great product."

Ballmer tells USA Today's Edward C. Baig that techies and corporate IT people will no doubt want to try out Windows 7 immediately (it will be available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows7). But Baig cautions that trying out the software this soon is risky for all but the most tech-savvy. Plus, the program will expire in about six months, so testers will have to revert to earlier versions of Windows until it goes on sale.

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