Hey man u just can't compare Vista in it's earlier stages to windows XP which has thoroughly tested by releasing service packs....
Yes there are lots of new features in Vista compared to windows XP......
for further info check the following sites-
*www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,2180,1840839,00.asp
www.microsoft.com/presspass/ newsroom/winxp/VistaBeta1FS.mspx
www.microsoft.com/technet/ windowsvista/evaluate/feat/deplovw.mspx