Neowin's got screens and more info on a leaked pre-beta build of MSN 9. The Windows enthusiasts over at Tech-Critic have a download link to the alpha build itself. Among the new features: a pop-up blocker, tight intergration with Windows Explorer, Alerts intergrated into Dashboard and a Traffic Report summary integrated into the dashboard. Neowin notes that the new release will pave the way for more subscription content for premium subscribers. Meanwhile, in related news, Slashdot notes that Microsoft has applied for a patent for an instant-messaging translation service.