Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Microsoft has released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, allowing you to have a look at some of the new features before the final version of Windows 8 arrives later this year in October.

It is fast, secure, immersive, fluid, intuitive and interactive. With the all new Metro Style Apps, Microsoft has set the standards for the upcoming OS. I must say, with Windows 8, Microsoft has showed how an OS should be which focuses on people and apps giving you powerful new ways to use social technologies to connect with the people who are important to you.

It's Windows reimagined and reinvented! The Next Gen OS: Windows 8! :)

Here is a quick sneak peek:

Windows 8 Boot Screen

Hybrid Boot will use "advanced hibernation functionality" on shutdown to allow faster startup times.

Windows 8 Logon Screen.

You can sign in to your local account or using your Windows Live ID which allows the user's profile and setting to be synchronized over the internet and accessible from other computers running Windows 8, as well as integration with SkyDrive.

Apart from typing a password, a new authentication method allows users to use a set of gestures in the selected picture to login by clicking on the Logon Options.

Windows 8 Lock Screen.

Displaying App notifications at the bottom. Signing out and restarting will open from where you left off.

This is your new Start Menu: forget the old one. From now on this Metro Styled Start Screen with Live App Tiles will be all.

This is how you drag and rearrange the Live Tiles. They are called Live because they view live information from Windows 8 Metro Style Apps without actually accessing the apps.

By right clicking on the Start Menu, you can access each and every App available in your PC. You can pin them in the Start Menu as well.

It is called the Charms Bar.

It appears as you move your cursor to the bottom/up-right of the screen with a bunch of options. Charms can also be used to quickly configure settings for individual apps.

All sort of notifications can be accessed from here.

Charms Bar accessed by just moving cursor to the top right and when the cursor was moved a bit down, then the whole menu and a little notification status splashes.

This is kind of a control panel for Windows 8.

This is the new look of the Windows Explorer.

You can notice a few changes. First of all the Start Menu is gone. You can access it by tapping the Start Menu button or by moving your cursor to the bottom left of the screen where it was used to be.

Second thing, the Ribbon interface from the Microsoft Office Suite has been included to enhance discoverability of commands and bring relevant commands to users depending on their file selection.

The Ribbon interface was selected to bring forward the most commonly used commands for easy access. For example, selecting photos in a folder brings up tools to rotate the photos and to start a slide show.

Here, selecting a music file provokes a Play tab for further commands.

Windows Explorer features a new user interface for copying and moving files, offering both a simplified interface and an advanced interface for users to monitor the speed of the operations, viewing all simultaneous file operations in one consolidated window, and can pause file operations in progress.

A new interface has also been introduced for managing file name collisions in a file operation, allowing users to easily control which conflicting files are copied.

Windows Explorer can now also mount ISO, IMG, and VHD files as virtual drives through simple right-clicks or the Explorer toolbar without installing any external Apps.

When you open any type of file for the first time, it will ask you to choose the default program like this, even if you insert an USB.

Displaying notifications on the top right corner.

New Simple Task Manager.

You can see an expanded version by clicking on the More Details.

Expanded Version: The Processes tab now lists application names, application status, and overall usage data for CPU, memory, hard disk, and network resources for each process.

Resource utilization in the Processes tab is shown with various shades of yellow, with darker color representing heavier use.

The Performance tab is split into CPU, memory, disk, Ethernet, and wireless network (if applicable) sections. There are overall graphs for each, and clicking on one reaches details for that particular resource.

The New Taskbar can be seen by moving your cursor to the upper left of the screen. By just tapping there you can double switch between running Apps as you do by tapping Alt + Tab.

Windows 8 introduces the New Internet Explorer 10 with default full screen browsing.

Right clicking will provoke the tab bar. Add new tabs or switch between them. A simplified address bar is at the bottom.

Closing or restarting will open from where you left off.

Opening a new tab will display frequently visited web pages or pinned.

As I start typing any web address, it starts searching for it.

Windows 8 Metro Style Mail App.

Now, no need to open mail box in any browser. Your mail box right in your Start Menu.

Simple and Clean. Mail box to the left and Mail Previews to the right. And just the three buttons for every mail: New Message, Reply and Delete.

Again the same, closing or restarting the App will open from where you left off.

Adding Gmail Account to the Mail App.

By right clicking, you can access the folders.

Sending a message. Very simple and clean. Lot of options too.

Attaching a file in an email.

You want share? Share anything right from the Charms Bar. Here's is a picture I want to share.

You want share? Share anything right from the Charms Bar. Here's is a video I want to share.

You want share? Share anything right from the Charms Bar. Here's is an webpage I want to share.

This is the People's Hub/App, connected with all the social networking sites.

Like all in one place. Opening it will first display all your contacts from Google, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts; provided you have your Live ID associated with them.

What's new displays the News Feed from all the social networks. Closing or restarting the App will open from where you left off.

A post has been clicked. On the right side you can like or comment right from here. No need to open the sites in a different browser.

Windows 8 Metro Style Music App. More like ZUNE.

Search music in your local hard disk or in the marketplace.

Whenever you search an artist, it will retrieve information online about the artist and show you a list of collection you have in your local disk and songs from the marketplace.

Searching for music files from the Charms Bar. You can also search in Apps.

It plays music in full screen mode with an album art as background. You can dock all Metro Apps. And closing or restarting will open from where you left off.

Windows 8 Metro Style Messenger App & Windows 8 Metro Style Finance App

Windows 8 Metro Style Apps can be docked and worked simultaneously.

On the left, Windows 8 Metro Style Messenger App is docked where I can chat with my online friends; think it of as a multi-messenger service. And on the right Windows 8 Metro Style Finance App is docked. It provides rich insights of the market with a lot of parameters.

Windows 8 Metro Style Photos App.

You can access photos stored in your local hard disk, SkyDrive or from Facebook. Interface is amazing.

Windows 8 Metro Style Video App

I am watching a video in this App and accessing options for the App from the Charms Bar.

Windows 8 Metro Style Reader App.

Windows's own Pdf Reader App. No need to install Adobe Reader now. I am opening a file.

A file opened in Windows 8 Metro Style Reader App. Right clicking will show a list of options. Great interface. Closing and restarting will open from where you left off.

Windows 8 Metro Style SkyDrive App.

Accessing files stored on the cloud via SkyDrive App right from my Start Menu. No browser required.

Windows 8 Metro Style App Store.

Search, Buy, Try and Install Apps. Hundreds of them and more to be added.

Windows 8 Metro Style Apps

When you open any App, the interface is very much interactive and immersive. App name will be displayed at the top or center and loading UI will be right below it with dots cycling around.

Widows 8 Metro Style Yahoo Cricket App.

Upper image showing matches currently played on and the lower one showing scoreboard for a particular match.

Windows 8 Metro Style Dailymotion App

Windows 8 Metro Style NDTV App