Windows 8: Next Stop for Windows OS Users

Windows 8 is creating a lot of buzz. There are lot of exciting new features of Windows 8 that users must await.

Windows 8 is the codename for the next version of Windows Operating System following Windows 7 OS. There are added features and changes from the previous versions. Beta version of Windows was released in the market.

Windows 8 logo (gadgetmix.com)

OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED

At the Microsoft Developer Forum in Tokyo on May 23, 2011, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that the next version of Windows would be released the following year. Microsoft opened a new blog called "Building Windows 8" for users and developers.

NEW FEATURES

• Windows 8 will contain a new user interface based on Microsoft's design language named Metro. With the new change, the Start Menu was replaced in favor for the new Start Screen, where there are tiles that contain shortcuts to applications, Metro style applications, and updating tiles. 

Windows 8 Start Screen Preview

• New authentication method will be introduced which allows users to sketch in three different places over the picture to login, instead of typing a password. 
• Windows 8 will support multiple monitors with the new ability to natively display different background images on each display and customized taskbar(s) on each of the connected displays. 
• Windows 8 developer, Developer Preview, comes with two recovery functions - reset and refresh, which both make a complete restore easier than a re-installation. 
• Other new features of this version include new welcome screen, "Immersive" version of Internet Explorer, new packaged application model called AppX that is based on Silverlight, Open Packaging Conventions, as well as a setting to automatically adjust window color to fit the wallpaper, new "Hybrid Boot" option that uses "advanced hibernation functionality" on shutdown to allow faster startup times, and a new version of Task Manager with a redesigned user interface is also present in pre-release versions of Windows 8. 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

Microsoft say that the Windows Developer Preview (a pre-release version of Windows 8) works well on hardware suitable for Windows Vista or Windows 7.