okay so the official Microsoft press release has come out now too.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/apr09/04-15Exchange2010PR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press%20Releases
REDMOND, Wash. — April 15, 2009 — Microsoft Corp. today released a public beta of Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, part of Microsoft’s unified communications family (http://www.microsoft.com/uc).
Exchange 2010 is part of the next wave of Microsoft Office-related products and is the first server in a new generation of Microsoft server technology built from the ground up to work on-premises and as an online service. This release of Exchange 2010 introduces a new integrated e-mail archive and features to help reduce costs and improve the user experience. A public beta of the server is available for download starting today at http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010.
Exchange Server 2010 will become available in the second half of 2009. Microsoft Office 2010 and related products will enter technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and become available in the first half of 2010.
The Q&A is available too: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/Apr09/04-15Office2010.mspx?rss_fdn=Top%20Stories
PressPass: What are you announcing today?
Capossela: We’re announcing that Microsoft will begin releasing new versions of Office-related products this year. Exchange 2010 will be the first product in this lineup, entering beta for customers to download today. Exchange 2010 will become available in the second half of 2009. Office 2010 — including Office Web applications, SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010 and Project 2010 — will enter a technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and will release to manufacturing in the first half of 2010.
flaphead.com 