Microsoft has announced that it will release Service Pack 1 containing updates and fixes for the new Windows Vista operating system in the first part of 2008, putting a date to a milestone that many companies look for when upgrading Microsoft products.

The company, consistent with earlier announcements, is planning on releasing a beta version of the SP1 for Vista in a few weeks to a limited number of users in somewhat of a cautious manner.

“A small group of testers has been putting a preview of the SP1 Beta through its paces to help prepare for broader release. We made the choice to start with a very small group of testers because we think it’s better for both our customers and for Microsoft to keep the beta program small at the start.”, wrote Nick White, a Microsoft product manager.

The Vista SP1 beta contains a number of updates to the OS that revolve around the security, reliability and performance. Some specific items include improved 3rd party hardware compatibility with graphics cards, resolving issues with putting PC’s to sleep and waking along with improved speed of moving between modes, and better overall battery performance. More details about the update can be found on Vista team’s SP1 white paper blog post.