BUILD 2011: Microsoft Windows 8's new features revealed


It’s day one of Microsoft’s BUILD Developer conference and we already have a host of new information regarding Windows 8 OS (Win 8). The first bit of news is that it will be a lot more scalable as compared to Windows 7. To demonstrate this, Steven Sinofsky, President of Windows and Windows Live, stated that a simple netbook with an old Atom processor and 1GB RAM would be enough to run Windows 8 - given the fact that Windows 7 runs well on that type of configuration, Windows 8 with its improved performance and being less resource-hungry, should easily work, if not better.
Tablets to get more powerful in 2012
Tablets to get more powerful in 2012


Microsoft will also be launching Windows Store that will feature both Metro-style apps for tablets and phones, as well as standard Win32 applications. Since Microsoft is shaping Win 8 to be a one-size-fits-all kind of OS, it makes sense to have a common app store as well. Also, all Windows 8 devices that have an NFC chip in them will be able to transfer content by simply tapping them together. Nvidia took this opportunity to show off some of their Tegra 3 or ‘Kal-El’ CPUs, powering some Win 8 tablets. 

Steven Sinofsky showcased some of the new changes in Windows 8 to the attendees present. The next version of Internet Explorer, v10, will have the ability to switch between the standard desktop view, as well as the Metro-style UI. Current Windows 7 applications will run natively on Windows 8 without having to set any compatibility modes. Task Manager will now suspend apps that are not running on-screen. HyperV virtualization software will now be pre-loaded. SkyDrive storage support is now integrated into all cloud based apps. Mail, Calendar and People apps with Windows Live ID will get the new Metro UI treatment. There’ll also be a built-in antivirus software. IE 10 will be getting multi-touch support. That’s all for now, stay tuned for more.

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