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It's no surprise therefore to discover Media Player 11 looks a lot like what we expect of Vista with a sleek shiny interface and soft focus 3D icons.

The major improvements are the ability to cope with larger music libraries and an improved user interface, which makes it a lot easier to get around. It also supports drag and drop functionality throughout the program making it easier to move files around as well as burn them to CDs and synch with compatible devices.

Gone are the Windows XP style drop down menus of File, View, Play etc. Instead we have a more stylish function-based tabs, such as Library,

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Rip, Burn and Sync. For those who get version 10 withdrawal symptoms, it is possible to switch to the 'classic' menuing system.

All music on your computer in previous WMP files are imported automatically and those in personal folders. If you want it to look in all available folders, it has to be told. For those with huge libraries, there is also a handy search box included for finding those pictures and music tracks lost on your hard drive somewhere.

Down the left hand side is a nested folder list that include Playlists and Library and which opens out to directories such as Artist, Songs and Genre and does not look a million miles away from the menuing system and design of Apple's iTunes.

There is also one click access to online stores. Although none are included in the beta, the MTV 'Urge' download service has been launched to coincide with the release of WMP 11. Doubtless more stores will be added as the release date nears.

The Windows Media Player 11 beta is available from the Microsoft web site for users of Windows XP only (note, However, SP2 is not a requirement).