One of my favorite things about Windows 7 is how you can customize it and make it your own. Our personalization features give Windows 7 the ability to be as individual and to reflect who you are! Adding to this is a new Personalization Gallery on Windows.com, launched on Oct 22nd. With Windows 7, we’ve made it easy for people to customize their PC with different themes. Each theme has a custom background (or a series of backgrounds that shuffle), different Aero Glass colors, and sounds. Not only will you find Windows 7 themes on the Personalization Gallery, you’ll also find desktop backgrounds and desktop gadgets to download as well.

For the first time ever, Microsoft is working with other companies to enable them to offer their customers a branded experience on the desktop through Windows 7. The effort is part of a pilot program running until October 2010 by Microsoft Advertising. As of today, you will find themes from 7 global advertisers with well-known brands such as Coca Cola, Ducati, Ferrari, Infiniti, Pepsi, Porsche and Twentieth Century Fox on the Personalization Gallery for download. So if you are a fan of one of these brands, check them out! For more on this effort from Microsoft Advertising, see this blog post.

We’re also offering new Microsoft branded themes too – including the Xbox game Gears of War, Zune, and Bing!

So what if you want to make your own theme? No problem – it’s very easy. Click here for a step-by-step outline (and video) on how to customize and create your own themes. Once you’ve created your own theme, you can share it with you friends and family on Windows Live SkyDrive.

For you geeks out there wanting to know more about how we went about designing the ability to use themes in Windows 7, see this blog post on the Engineering Windows 7 Blog.

As we previously announced, today the Windows 7 RC is now available for anyone interested in giving it a spin! Typically, a release candidate is the last development milestone before release to manufacturing (RTM), signifying that engineering and development have made significant advancements and that the code is entering the final phases of testing. Essentially, the Windows 7 RC is the result of a lot of the great feedback we received during the Windows 7 Beta. That’s why I’m so excited to use it and excited for YOU to use it!

So do you want to put the Windows 7 RC through its paces? Just like with the Windows 7 Beta, you can register to download the Windows 7 RC at the Windows 7 page on Windows.com.

You will be required to register in order to download the RC. This is where you will also be provided with a Product Key to activate your copy. Previously issued Product Keys for the Windows 7 Beta are not intended for continued use, we are recommending that you register and get a new Product Key for the Windows 7 RC.

The Windows 7 RC will be available for download as an ISO image which will need to be burned onto a DVD. Additionally, consistent with the Windows 7 Beta, the Windows 7 RC will be available in one edition – Windows 7 Ultimate.

The Windows 7 RC will be available in English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish and each language will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Current Windows 7 Beta users please take note: we encourage you to NOT upgrade directly from the Windows 7 Beta to the Windows 7 RC. We are asking (and recommending) people either do a clean install or upgrade from Windows Vista SP1 – as these are the officially supported upgrade paths for Windows 7. For more information on the upgrade experience for the Windows 7 RC – see this post from the E7 Blog. On my PCs, I will be doing clean installs of the Windows 7 RC. While there is a workaround for doing a Beta-to-RC upgrade, I would like to ask you to join me in helping the Windows engineering team by using only the supported installation and upgrade paths for the Windows 7 RC.

Please remember: both the Windows 7 Beta AND Windows 7 RC will expire.

• For Beta, bi-hourly shutdowns will begin July 1st, 2009. You will be alerted to install a released version of Windows and your PC will shut down automatically every 2 hours. On August 1st, 2009 if you are still on the Windows 7 Beta your license for the Windows 7 Beta will expire and the non-genuine experience is triggered where your wallpaper is removed and “This copy of Windows is not genuine” will be displayed in the lower right corner above the taskbar.
• For the RC, bi-hourly shutdowns will begin on March 1st, 2010. You will be alerted to install a released version of Windows and your PC will shut down automatically every 2 hours. On June 1st, 2010 if you are still on the Windows 7 RC your license for the Windows 7 RC will expire and the non-genuine experience is triggered where your wallpaper is removed and “This copy of Windows is not genuine” will be displayed in the lower right corner above the taskbar.

I suggest making plans to move to a released version of Windows well before the automatic shutdowns start to occur to prevent data loss. Remember, pre-release versions of Windows are unsupported.

As with any pre-release version of Windows – I recommend backing up your important data before installing it (see backup methods for Windows Vista, which also apply to Windows 7).

For more information on the Windows 7 RC, I suggest checking out the Windows 7 RC FAQ on Windows.com.

Be sure to spread the word - let your friends know to give the Windows 7 RC a spin! The Windows 7 RC will be available to people for download through July.

Thank you for testing out the Windows 7 Beta! Your feedback with the Windows 7 Beta has been essential in making Windows 7 a great Windows release! And we also appreciate your help with trying out the Windows 7 RC.

And of course as we’ve been saying for some time now, we are committed to making Windows 7 available within three years of the General Availability of Windows Vista.

I would like to take a moment and share some exciting Windows news being announced tonight by Steve Ballmer during his keynote address in Las Vegas – kicking off the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show.

In October, we revealed the next version of our Windows operating system – Windows 7 - to software developers at PDC2008. And at WinHEC 2008 in early November, we showed Windows 7 to hardware developers. This week at CES marks the first unveiling of Windows 7 to the broad public. Windows 7 is designed with improved navigation and a streamlined UI (including the new enhanced Windows Taskbar) that puts commonly used resources within easy reach. People using Windows 7 will find everyday tasks on their PC are easier and faster. That includes sharing data to all your PCs and devices whether you’re at home or in the office. Windows 7 also builds on the substantial investments we’ve made in the fundamentals in Windows Vista to improve security, reliability and performance.

Tonight we are specifically announcing that Windows 7 has reached a very important milestone in its development cycle: the beta milestone. And starting this week, the Windows 7 Beta will be made available to Windows enthusiasts interested in beta testing – giving people a chance to check out Windows 7 for themselves.

As of tonight, MSDN and TechNet Subscribers will have access to the Windows 7 Beta. Starting January 9th – everyone else will be able to go to the Windows 7 page on Windows.com and download the Windows 7 Beta. The Windows 7 Beta will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. The Windows 7 Beta will be download-only – we will not be sending physical media out.

More details about downloading and installing the Windows 7 Beta are coming but for now you should check all the resources here – including screenshots, an interactive guide and the press release: www.microsoft.com/CES.

We are very excited for enthusiasts to get their hands on Windows 7 - we can’t wait for people to starting using Windows 7 and letting us know what they think!

And in completing the Windows experience with Windows Live – we are announcing tonight the final release of Windows Live Essentials – which will be available for download at download.live.com. We are also announcing two key partnerships tonight for Windows Live: Facebook and Dell. In the next few months, Facebook users will be able to share activities and updates from Facebook with their Windows Live network. And Dell will be pre-installing Windows Live Essentials on their consumer and small business PCs. Brian Hall, General Manager for Windows Live, has all the details over on the Windows Live Team Blog.

The Live Search Team is also announcing a partnership with Dell where they will distribute Live Search on a majority of consumer and small business PCs beginning in February. Click here for more from the Live Search Team.

In the meantime, if you want to see Windows 7 in action – check out these videos on Windows.com!

Need help finding the perfect laptop just for you or someone in the family for the holidays? We’ve got the perfect tool for you. We’ve launched Windows Laptop Scout to help you find the right PC. Windows Laptop Scout helps you search for a laptop starting with how you or someone in your family will use the laptop. You can choose from 4 selections to get results on laptops that will meet your needs (you can choose all that apply to your needs).

Once you click “Show laptops” – you’re given results based on your needs. I took Windows Laptop Scout for a spin myself. I chose “Work on the go” and “Music, movies, and more” and as you can see in the below screenshot, I got 18 out of 31 laptops that meet my needs (more laptops will continue to be added).

I was able to refine my search by adjusting the settings on the bottom such as Price, Screen Size, Speed, Storage and Weight. The results update automatically. Windows Laptop Scout is a tool I strongly recommend checking out if you are looking for a new laptop.

I’ve also got some deals I think you’ll be interested in especially as we officially head into the holidays.

Over on Windows.com we have a list of a few special deals folks can take advantage of…

• Sony: Buy any eligible VAIO CS or SR series notebook with a VAIO DPF-D80 digital photo frame and save $180. Click here for details.
• Dell: Save now when you buy the Dell XPS M1530 together with a Linksys by Cisco Router and Media Center Extender. Click here for details.
• Blockbuster: Buy a qualifying laptop from participating retailers and get 6 months of Blockbuster movies. Choose from more than a dozen models from 5 great companies. Click here to pick a qualifying laptop.
• Best Buy: Buy a Windows Mobile Smartphone and 2-year activation, and Geek Squad will set up your phone, including e-mail, right in the store. Click here for details.

Hopefully along with Windows Laptop Scout, you will find these offerings useful!

Oh and don’t forget the recent updates to Windows Live too! You can check out all the offerings of Windows Live at WindowsLive.com.