I've been looking around on the web and have seen loads of people criticize Microsoft for announcing that they were "moving quickly" with the Internet Explorer 7 announcement.  Don't be too quick to knock Microsoft - they sat back on the IE front after they totally killed Netscape and concentrated on other areas.  Now that Google and FireFox showed Microsoft that there are still growth areas out there on the internet where consumers are concerned, expect to see lots of action on that front.  We've recently had mention of a new version of IE (the focus will be security - think phishing), a new search tool, a new version of their mapping software which kicks MapQuest's butt, and more.  Microsoft is a big company but it's competing on a hundred fronts at once.  Even the US Army prefers fewer battlefronts!

-- Matt Ranlett