The Best Windows 8 Features And Innovations (PICTURES, VIDEO)

The Windows Build Conference keynote on Tuesday gave us all an in-depth look at the cool things that Windows 8 will be able to do.

With options for using the operating system in two views--the PC-friendly classic "Desktop View" and the tablet and touchscreen-friendly "Metro View"--Windows 8 certainly offers an exciting new look.

While Microsoft's OS is not yet ready for release, speculation points to some time in early 2012.

According to Windows and Windows Live President Steve Sinofsky, Windows 8 offers "hundreds" of new features. We've picked the eight that made us sit up in our seats when they were unveiled. Take a look through the slideshow (below) and tell us which you're most excited for. Do you think Microsoft left out any features? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read on to see what else is new with the redesigned Windows OS.

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Comments

[pjbscomputer]

11:52 PM on 09/19/2011

Microsoft is getting to a real pain in the behind. Just who in the "H" can continue to spend more money on their upgrades, etc.

[Oscar Goldman]

04:12 PM on 09/19/2011

There are two legitimate features here: the Task Manager and reduced RAM consumption.

I don't swipe anything on my computer, because touchscreen interfaces for computers are stupid unless you're running a kiosk at the mall, museum, or airport.

Fast boot time: Yes, but that video proved exactly squat. So the system came up and showed a couple of squares on the screen. It doesn't mean that it's usable yet; the thing could be churning in the background loading processes and applications. You can see the same thing with Windows today: The appearance of the desktop doesn't mean you can start working.

Split keyboard? I think I'll just use my regular keyboard. Most computers come with 'em. Still.

Hopefully Microsoft will spend as much time fixing the UI regressions and defects they introduced in Windows 7 (or Vista, really) as they are adding gimmicks.

[Rharte]

05:32 PM on 09/19/2011

You make some interesting points about boot times. But of course lets wait and see. I agree, there's nothing worse than having your system boot up to the desktop screen only for "Processes" and "Services" to load in the background hogging all your ram. God forbid you set programs like Skype, Y!Messenger, or utorrent to "load on startup" then you're really up sh*ts creek.

[Danmcc455]

12:42 AM on 09/19/2011

#6 is brilliant. I've always wondered which person with 13 inch thumbs the iPad keyboard was made for.

[mados123]

03:11 PM on 09/18/2011

I really like Windows 7 and I have found that it has been great in terms of supporting productivity with the great shortcut features and enhancements. With Windows 8, I think you will have a tablet/touchscreen centric operating system that will be like no other - that is one that will support multiple types of CPUs and include a 'mobile' type of OS in addition to a 'full desktop.' In other words, it is ideal for the advance hardware performance that we'll be seeing in ultraportables and tablets as well as provide the versatility specific to the task at hand.

[kamachanda]

08:18 AM on 09/18/2011

But does Windows 8 make half the peripherals you've collected over the years obsolete by refusing to recognize them for security reasons?

[Rharte]

05:34 PM on 09/19/2011

Security reasons = Buy new W8 compatible peripherals. Let's hope not.

[jmak118]

05:37 AM on 09/18/2011

get a mac. windows best was vista.

[LibButOpen]

07:46 AM on 09/19/2011

what funny crap are you smoking? Vista is a disease and Win 7 was the cure. Get a Mac? yeah, when they come down to Wintel prices, i'll consider it.

[Oscar Goldman]

04:15 PM on 09/19/2011

Lion looks like the end of any advantage Mac OS had over Windows. The Mac UI has long been more primitive than Windows's, but with Windows regressing, it was looking better.

But the glaring defects and design errors in Lion are embarrassing. Worse, they hobble your use of the computer. This is an opportunity for Microsoft to open up a lead.

[spoonbill1963]

03:41 PM on 09/17/2011

Change isn't always good. Why not try to keep things more the same as before.

[chuckl4826]

01:13 AM on 09/18/2011

Hope wasn't much better!

[Jesuslandia]

12:25 PM on 09/18/2011

Exactly. Which is why I walked away from modern Liberalism. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Rharte]

05:36 PM on 09/19/2011

I almost faved you just for your Barca profile pic.... but then I read your comment. LOL

[Aneesia]

09:29 AM on 09/17/2011

I've downloaded the Windows 8 pre-beta and look forward to installing it soon.
Linux Mandriva on another computer and I like the price...free...but I'm still a neophyte with LInux.

[eyecon]

04:15 PM on 09/16/2011

Ugh! Save a heap of money and covert to Linux which is free, open source, MUCH faster and has several available GUI's to choose from. OK, I am frugal, OK cheap. I haven't spent a dime on software in almost a decade. Not one thin dime. Moreover, your hardware lasts much, much longer because of the lower overhead. I have a file server running on an old Pentium II doorstop.

[Shrinath]

09:50 PM on 09/16/2011

Good points. Totally cool. And I plan to convert an old PIII into a music server.

[Str8upNya]

10:13 PM on 09/16/2011

99% of the population probably does not know how to do that even though I do. Admit it.

[Chassis]

03:06 PM on 09/16/2011

I'd like to see them have much more backward compatibility with their new releases. I know it's cool to be more "Mac Like" in the user interface, but not when it causes operational issues in business. FIX the file search issues in Windows 7.

[spork947]

10:08 AM on 09/16/2011

Im testing it and I find it awkward when switching between metro and the classic desktop. Also in metro programs do not get a close button! I really hope they change their minds on that even though it has auto management features. I'm not saying its bad but I prefer classic. I read somewhere that the new kernel protections have already been hacked and the system isn't even for sale yet. I plan to familiarize myself with win 8 but 7 (my favorite os) will most likely be the last os until I move to linux. With everything relying on browsers it doesn't matter much what your on unless you have a specific need for os exclusive programs. They have to come up with something to keep selling consumers and it doesnt have to be better or worse just a different flavor.

[ceez]

09:38 AM on 09/16/2011

omg the system refresh is awesome. no need to back up all the junk of files. that's why I just keep most of my stuff offline anyway.

this will not be good for business though.....people will be able to do this on their own without the 'please backup my stuff'.

[Alexander Gunther]

09:22 AM on 09/16/2011

I'm really not a fan of the metro look. The font is so thin that Grandma might fall into the UI trying to read it..

[Tom Joad]

09:15 AM on 09/16/2011

WOW! WOWIE WOW WOW WOW! IT SHOWS A CLOCK RIGHT ON MY SCREEN! WOWZERS!!!!

[Jay from Ottawa]

08:19 PM on 09/15/2011

linux > windows

[incorrigible]

10:53 PM on 09/15/2011

if windows 8 slate can run excel and word very well, and i mean VERY well, i think the Windows 8 Slate could beat out the iPad X in terms of actual productivity. i think of all the people I see in NYC carrying an iPad around, it's either a game or a movie. pretty much exclusively media consumption. and Im a Mac user...for now =]

[TrekBear]

01:19 PM on 09/17/2011

I hope Windows 8 treats opening files better than Windows 7. I use the later at work and opening files is treated like a download - even if the document is resident on your system!

[kenhtanaka]

01:32 PM on 09/16/2011

I use linux all day every work day, and prefer it to Winows, but it's definitely not better for everyone. At home I have a Mac, and I run Windows inside a VirtualBox on both Mac and linux, so it's there if I need it, but rarely used.

A number of people call Linux free, but there are real costs--less stability and a steeper learning curve. Linux documentation is often not as good, although on-line support is free, quick and friendly(usually), it's a community of volunteers, so contribute back when you can, and know that any obscure problems you have might go unsolved. Open Office(free) can read MS Office files, but often won't get the formatting right, although basic functionality is solid. If you work on your own you'll probably be happy, but if you regularly share MS documents with MS Office users, formatting issues will likely irritate you.

I'm productive on linux being supported by two full time linux administrators, regular OS and hardware updates, yet there are still glitches that occur about 10 times more often than on Mac or Windows. It's possible linux can work as well for you as the non-free OS's, but if you do anything advanced, you'll need to tolerate doing your own technical trouble shooting. Even if you enjoy the process, your time has value, and you shouldn't call linux "free". The level of stability and support also means that linux is not a good match for many users.

[kenhtanaka]

02:13 PM on 09/16/2011

I should clarify, linux itself is rock-solid on reliability, rebooting only for major OS upgrades. But I get crashes every once in a while (2-3 times a week) from programs like Thunderbird (email reader) and Firefox. For my work I need to log in to web applications to read and write edited documents. When the browser dies, I have 3 to 4 accounts to log into again, and need to re-arrange however many reference windows I have open for my current task.