Windows 8 pre-release features

Finally, the killer Windows 8 is out in its pre-release stage! There have been quite a number of changes done after the Developer Preview. In Windows 8 Developer Preview one can easily see a few changes, in main content as well as user interface design. Windows is now paying more concentration towards touch-devices along with its famous conventional desktop which can make a tablet user's life better. For sure Microsoft cannot leave behind the conventional keyboard/mouse features either. Now let us take a look at what stuff is new and what has been added.

1. The Windows Store
Ah, as we know that Google App store and Apple's App store for iOS are surging forward the bounds of current community, Microsoft has also made a move in the direction. Here comes the Windows Store! With your current Windows Live Messenger or Hotmail identity, you can easily access the Windows Store that houses Metro-style Apps for Windows which integrate themselves easily into your current OS in not more than few clicks. You may not want to miss this section if you are geeky. :)

Also if you like playing games, there's a cool Cut the Rope game (which I found cool), along with plenty of others. The app store has been quite nice managed and well classified into groups, sub-groups and listings which makes the navigation easy and user-friendly. Like the conventional App-stores, this one too has Top-Paid, Top Free, New releases and Top rated sections.

Listings are very nicely organized too. Once you open the listing page for an App, you can see user star rating, price, icon(s), screenshots, summary and the most important - install button (like Apple App-store again). When you hit the Install button, you can instantly (depends on your connection speed) see the activity bar telling you that the App was installed. You will see the newly installed App's tile at the end of your Start Screen.

2. Changes in "Charms"
Main system menu icons - Charms - are now situated in the center of right edge which were previously kept on lower left corner. Mouse point to open them have been moved in opposite direction. Charms can now be accessed from top of right corner. You just have to swipe the right edge if you are using touch.

3. Semantic Zoom
Pinch the screen from your touch screen and see all the app tiles resize into a neat and clean, intelligent view. Touch gestures can now make renaming, moving, copying much easier.

4. App stack gesture/mouse
When in touch mode, just a swipe of finger from left edge is required to navigate through the thumbnails (which opens up a vertical swipe menu) of all your running apps. Swipe here has proved really organic and more understandable way.

5. Transition to Desktop
Transitions seem nice only when in limit. But the one in Developer view and in later has a difference. It now seems much more quicker and relevant than it was before.