New Microsoft Security Essentials v2 Beta Now Available

Microsoft has announced the beta for the next version of Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0.0375.0. Microsoft Security Essentials was first released in September 2009 and is a award-winning no-cost light weight anti-malware service. Its designed to help address the ongoing security needs of PCs running genuine Windows. Microsoft Security Essentials helping keep people protected from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
What's New in beta of Microsoft Security Essentials:
Windows Firewall integration: During setup, Microsoft Security Essentials will now ask if you would like to turn the Windows Firewall on or off.
Enhanced Protection from Web-based Threats: Microsoft Security Essentials now integrates with Internet Explorer to provide protection against web-based threats.
New and Improved Protection Engine: The updated anti-malware engine offers enhanced detection and cleanup capabilities with better performance.
Network inspection system: Protection against network-based exploits is now built in to Microsoft Security Essentials. The network inspection system feature will not be enabled on Windows XP. This is because the network inspection system requires the Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) in order to run, and WFP is only available in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Microsoft Security Essentials version 2.0.0375.0 is available for 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (amd64) systems. To download the beta you need to register for the beta, visit the Microsoft Connect page. It is 32-bit version and 7.78 MB in size and 64-bit version is 9.82 MB in size.
Please note that this is a limited beta available in English (U.S.), Israel, and Brazilian Portuguese (the beta will also be available in China in Simplified Chinese later this year) and is available to genuine Windows users on a first come, first serve basis until the allotted spots for the beta have been reached.