Yes, they were. There are sometimes many betas before an official release. But, those are PUBLIC betas considered ready for all users. You can't get to public betas until you do private betas by a small group of people.
I have said it probably too many times, but if these links had been posted (good or bad), it would have become a public beta. ALL public betas are posted by AC on their website.
I do not think the email was explicit either way.
