[Techtaffy Newsdesk]
BARCELONA, Spain – Mobile World Congress
At the Mobile World Congress currently undergoing in Barcelona, Microsoft launched a consumer preview of its next major Windows update – the Windows 8. You can download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview from the Microsoft Windows website here.
Steven Sinofsky (President, Windows and Windows Live Division, Microsoft): With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one.
Key updates in the Windows 8 consumer preview:
- The user experience for touch, keyboard and mouse are complete, with new features.
- The Windows 8 consumer preview marks the beta opening of the Windows Store. The Windows Store will offer personalized recommendations, and Windows 8 gives users the ability to take their apps and settings with them across multiple PCs.
- The Windows 8 consumer preview offers integration with the content people care about across their devices. An optional additional sign-on with a Microsoft account provides the ability to roam all settings, use cloud storage, communicate with email, calendar and contacts, among other things.
- The Internet Explorer 10 browser has gotten a makeover.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview will be available worldwide for download in English, French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese languages.
The Windows 8 Consumer Preview follows the initial release of the Windows 8 Developer Preview late last year. The Developer Preview received more than 3 million downloads.
[Image Courtesy: Microsoft. Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president, Windows Web Services, shows off new Metro style apps in the Windows Store as part of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview event in Barcelona, Spain, February 29, 2012.]