X-SciTech

11 cool features on Microsoft Windows 8 for tablets

By Rafe Needleman

June 2, 2011 / 12:13 PM EDT / CBS News

Like Windows Phone, Windows 8 on tablets (and every other platform for that matter) has a screen of "Live Tiles" that provide rich data and launch deeper apps. Users can slide the tiles around on the screen.

The image on the start screen can be personalized (this is Lawson-Green's son). You swipe up from the bottom to unlock the device.

Microsoft brought several sample apps to show off Windows 8. This is the weather app.

The colors are very old-Apple-esque, are they not?

On a tablet device, the "task bar" for users is on the right side of the screen. It slides out as needed.

The Windows 8 task bar performs system functions, like connecting to networks. It's also where the good old Windows Start menu lives.

Windows 8 lets users slide running apps to run side-by-side.

In addition to the standard on-screen keyboard that takes up the bottom of a tablet computer, users can also switch to a split keyboard, which is easier for thumb-typers to use.

Another sample app: Microsoft's Tweet-o-rama.

This sample app for viewing photos looks much like Windows 8's tablet file browser app.

Kara Swisher checks out Windows 8 running on notebook and convertible computers from Lenovo and Dell.

Using special test rigs, Julie Lawson-Green prepares to show off Windows 8 on tablets.

Steven Sinofsky, president of Windows and Windows Live for Microsoft, talks with D9 conference organizer Walt Mossberg about Windows in general.

Mossberg, Larson-Green, and Sinofsky discuss the new operating system.

Rafe Needleman

Rafe Needleman reviews mobile apps and products for fun, and picks startups apart when he gets bored. He has evaluated thousands of new companies, most of which have since gone out of business. Feeling lucky? Send pitches to rafe@cnet.com. And watch Rafe's tech issues podcast, Reporters' Roundtable.

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