Yep it?s a public release? but however it?s only available to TechNet Plus and MSDN Subscribers (OS and above). Just check the new Windows Vista site on Microsoft - just by the background you know there?s something new

It?ll be available to a wider range of customers (ie. the public) in the next few days/coming weeks, so start partitioning now!

Windows Vista Beta 2 Windows Vista Beta 2 Release Notes