A news summary for Windows 7 RC1:
- available for the public to download on May 5 without a limit on the number of copies. If you want it, it's yours!
- will run for over a year
- Microsoft expects this to be the only release candidate
- Final release no later than January 2010
You can read more at ZDNet in the article Windows RC1 made available for download.
According to the article, new features include "multitouch interaction, a redesigned taskbar at the bottom of the desktop and an integrated search feature that allows the user to search across the client PC and corporate network at once. Power management has also been improved, as Microsoft has been keen to focus Windows 7 on portable computing."