CES 2009: Windows 7 beta available tomorrow

The beta version of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7, will be available for public download tomorrow.

MSDN, TechBeta and TechNet customers can download the beta today, while the rest of the world must wait until 9 January. It can be downloaded here.

Click here to read our first look review of the beta.

Windows 7 was officially launched and released in pre-beta form at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference in October, and is expected to be finished by the end of this year or 2010.

Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer made the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show, which is being held in Las Vegas this week.

Microsoft had some other news too. In a new deal, all consumer computers sold by Dell will come preloaded with Windows Live Essentials and Live Search, the firm's suite of free software. The tech giant also announced that Facebook would soon be integrated with it's own Windows Live social networking site in the next few months, allowing users to share content across the two sites.