Microsoft has released a patch for Windows 7 Beta that will allow the Internet Explorer 8 browser to perform more reliably on the new operating system.

The fix is available on Microsoft’s automated Windows Update service and also through the Microsoft Update download center.

Microsoft in a support bulletin did not specify the problems with IE8 on Windows 7, but said about 10% of Windows 7 users were reporting problems with the browser. It added that about 1.5% of users were encountering full-on crashes of IE8, currently available only in trial form, on Windows 7 Beta.

“This is relatively good for a pre-release version of Internet Explorer running on a beta operating system,” Microsoft said. “We were also pleased to see that the new IE8 Crash Recovery feature was successfully helping customers recover from these crash situations 94% of the time.”

Microsoft has said it would ship the final version of IE8 sometime this year, but has not provided a specific release date for Windows 7.

Microsoft has added a number of new features in IE 8, most noticeably in the privacy arena.

InPrivate Browsing lets users control whether IE8 saves their browsing history, cookies, and other Internet data. InPrivate Blocking informs users about sites that can track their browsing history and will allow them to block such activity. InPrivate Subscriptions lets users choose which Web sites to subscribe to or block.

A fourth feature, Delete Browsing History, gives users control over their browsing history after visiting a Web site.

Along with IE8, Microsoft needs Windows 7 — expected by most observers to be released in late 2009 or early 2010 — to be a hit. Vista, the company’s current OS, has failed to catch on with mainstream computer users while businesses have shunned it outright. Many users have complained about Vista’s hardware requirements, intrusive security measures, and lack of compatibility with older applications.

Dell has announced its 12.1-inch (1,280 x 800 pixel) Latitude XT2, the industry’s first tablet PC with multi-touch technology.

Multi-touch, of course, as in “pinch to zoom” and two-finger gestures. In addition, the XT2 sports 11 hours of battery (6-cell plus battery slice) and DDR3 memory (5GB max) in a chassis just 2.5-cm (0.98 inches) thick.

Specs are as follows:

• up to 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU9400 processor with Montevina chipset
• Intel integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics
• Windows Vista Ultimate on down
• 12.1-inch LED backlit capacitive touch-screen with EM Digitizer pen
• up to 5GB of DDR3 1066MHz (1×1GB, 1×4GB DIMM)
• up to 120GB 5400RPM SATA disk or 128GB SSD
• 802.11a/g/n WiFi and gigabit Ethernet
• SATA ODD
• 3.78-pounds (1.72-kg) with 6-cell battery
• eSATA, 2x USB 2.0, firewire, and ExpressCard 54 slot

Full specs can be found here (PDF).

The Latitude XT2 will start in the U.S. at $2,399 (a fully-loaded version will set you back more than $3,000).

Since its inception, YouMail, a visual voicemail service for mobile phones, has had one big problem. You could view and play your mobile phone’s voicemail messages online, or–beginning lat June–by pointing the mobile browser to YouMail.com, but messages weren’t stored on the device itself.

Starting Wednesday, YouMail has begun to change that with a native YouMail in-box for BlackBerry phones. Visual Voicemail Plus is a free downloadable app that stores your incoming voice messages along with the caller’s name, number, and time of call.

In addition to viewing and playing messages in any order you’d like, those who have signed up for the free or premium transcription service will be able to read the message content.

Other online features have carried over as well, including interacting with the voice files by downloading, saving, and forwarding them, or posting them to social networks.

The latter has always been the creepiest application, and in my opinion, a misguided attempt to tap into social networking trends. It’s true that replaying calls for amusement, blackmail, or punitive action has been a common fate of cell phone messages for much longer than actor Alec Baldwin’s damning outburst back in 2007, but why make it so easy to push a private call to the public domain? Let’s just hope I’m the only Debbie Downer here envisioning embarrassing abuses of an innocent call.

But back to the app at hand.

While I’ll certainly be the first to welcome this native app with open arms, I will point out that it’s a bit basic in the design department. We’re sure to see more style come to the download in future releases.

The opening of YouMail’s API, now in limited beta, means we’re sure to see a proliferation of development, including YouMail’s porting to other mobile platforms, and to other apps and widgets as a plug-in.

For now YouMail’s Visual Voicemail Plus application will work on the BlackBerry Pearl, Curve, Bold, and Storm running version 4.3 or higher of the operating system, and only if you’re with Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile carriers. New users can sign up for a free account from the Visual Voicemail Plus interface or online.

Google Mars 3D offers a unique look at the Red Planet of Mars; NASA has delayed the launch of shuttle Discovery at least one week; and researchers use a Sony PlayStation 3 Gravity Grid to avoid renting supercomputer time.

Although Google has gotten lots of publicity now that Google Earth is able to offer a unique view of the ocean, it also offers a unique 3D view of Mars.  Google Mars 3D offers a high-resolution view of the Red Planet, and allows users to view large canyons and mountain ranges that are much larger than any found on Earth.

In addition, Google Mars 3D offers images from the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and other satellites that are circling the Red Planet.  NASA Ames and Google are joined by Carnegie Mellon University, SETI, and other partners to help collect data and make it available to the public.

The first NASA shuttle launch of 2009 has been delayed at least one week so engineers have time to evaluate a potential problem related to valves responsible for keeping the shuttle’s fuel tank pressurized.  The U.S. space agency originally planned to launch shuttle Discovery towards the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, February 12, but wants to make sure there are no mechanical problems prior to launch.

Assuming the valve problem is fixed, the next shuttle launch date is set for February 19, with the shuttle docking at the ISS two days later.  NASA has four scheduled spacewalks on the docket for the Discovery crew, as NASA hastily tries to finish construction of the ISS before the current generation of shuttles must be retired next year.

The Sony PlayStation 3 Gravity Grid — a group of PS3 consoles wired together — is helping astronomers understand at what rotation speed black holes vibrate.  Instead of paying up to $5,000 per simulation to use a supercomputer, Lior Burko and other researchers from the University of Alabama used the Gravity Grid design created by UMass, Dartmouth professor Gaurav Khanna.

The grid cost about $6,000 to set up, and it can be used for multiple simulations at little cost, which will help Burko and his team save thousands of dollars in the future.