We’re certainly not the only ones poking around at the Windows 7 build that arrived late last month. Craig Pringle has spent a fair amount of time kicking the tires and has a series of posts highlighting his findings too. One of the first bits I noticed after Windows 7 was installed on my netbook was the streamlined network manager. Craig offers up some screenshots that show the minimal but effective use of the system tray for network settings.. and not just wireless settings, but for dial-up and VPN as well. Ideally, I’d like to see Windows 7 optionally manage my 3G connection as well. Could be that it does and I just haven’t noticed yet on the netbook.

Craig also noticed something I missed: revamped Display Settings. It’s a little easier to get to from the Desktop for starters and Microsoft added some clarity on multiple monitor settings. That’s useful if you connect your mobile device to an external monitor as I often do. We can debate the "bloat" in Vista or how well it is / isn’t working on mobile devices, but I’m glad to see some focus on the actual OS user experience Windows 7 seems to be getting. More focus on that can go a long way… well, that and putting it on a Slim-Fast diet for feeble hardware like netbooks.