Microsoft Student Partner !!!

Coming back after a really long time to my blog ! Got my official letter from Microsoft on being selected as a " Microsoft Student Partner " just a week ago.
There was a selection process held the last month. Initially we had to send in our interest of participation by registering and then the selections were held in two rounds. The first round was a written exam. It had fields like verbal ability, quantitative ability and some computer science stuff. Then we had a round of group discussions. The topic was all about possible computer markets, didn't expect such a topic so had to gather thoughts for a minute or so. But then it went about nicely. We were told that the results would take two weeks time to come. I didn't expect much at that moment.
For all you folks who want to know what benefits a Microsoft Student Partner gets :
First and foremost, would get to interact with tech enthusiasts around the world.
Would get a chance to test softwares, have the beta versions.
Chance to get trained from Microsoft.
Yeah and a MSDN premium subscription(I can't use one as I am still on a 3 month probation :( )
And the charm of being associated with Microsoft :)
Cheers

Internet Explorer 7

Microsoft Corp has released Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7) for Windows XP, which comes with significant security enhancements, making everyday tasks easier. Talking about IE 7, Dean Hachamovitch, general manager - Internet Explorer team, Microsoft, said, "We listened carefully to our customers, and are delivering a safer browser that makes the tasks they do every day much easier." To tackle the changing nature of online security threats, IE 7 provides protection against malicious software and phishing attacks. It helps reduce exposure to these attacks by fortifying the browser itself, and providing the user with better information and assisting him/her in making more informed decisions. IE 7 delivers a new look and enhanced capabilities such as tabbed browsing. With tabs, users are able to view multiple sites in a single browser window, and switch from one site to another. IE 7 also sports 'Quick Tabs' that provide an "at a glance" snapshot of all open tabs on a single screen, enabling easier and faster site selection and navigation. According to Microsoft, financial institutions and security vendors such as PayPal and VeriSign are supporting the newest generation of the browser IE 7, and also encouraging their customers to upgrade to it. Microsoft also says that the new version is designed keeping in mind developers and IT managers, and that it has been engineered for compatibility with existing Web sites by adhering to some of the most important standards for Web site development. IE 7 for Windows XP is available in English, and runs on Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP 64-bit Edition, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. And, it will be made available in other Windows-supported languages over the coming weeks.
Windows IE 7 is available for free download at http://www.microsoft.com/ie for genuine Windows users. Microsoft will begin distributing IE 7 as a high-priority update via automatic updates in November 2006.