Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Beta: Top 5 Features of the Preview Version (VIDEOS)

Microsoft Corp. unveiled the Windows 8 Consumer Preview at the Mobile World Congress on Wednesday. The next milestone of the Windows operating system can be downloaded at preview.windows.com.

With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one, said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft.

The Windows 8 Developer Preview was released late last year and more than 3 million people downloaded the preview version. Now Microsoft is releasing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview version offering a more robust experience to millions of people who want to test the world's most popular operating system.

Check out the best five features that we think will take Windows 8 a long way in coming days.

1. Internet Explorer 10

Perhaps the best feature that was introduced and surprised the present audience with the Windows 8 was the Internet Explorer 10 'Metro.' The amazing speed, fluidity of the touch-based browser that is known as 'a two-faced work-in-progress' comes as a full screen Metro interface app and the conventional desktop workspace sharing a common rendering engine. While Microsoft maintained most of the security, management and performance features from past versions, the latest version endorses numerous tweaks and improvements that will prove challenging to its competitors.

2. Charms

Charms is Microsoft's new way to 'get around the operating system and do common tasks.' Charms is a shortcut for tasks like searching and sharing. They are accessed by moving the mouse to the upper right hand corner of the screen or swiping from the right for touch screen users. Once the Charms bar is popped up, you can change settings for the Start, Search, Share, Devices and Settings menus.

3. Windows To Go

Like Linux, Windows too has offered the much-needed feature Windows To Go this time. With this feature, now you can take your OS with you on a pen drive.

Windows To Go allows users to make a copy of their OS to a USB drive, so that all their important information, customizations and apps will be with them all the time and can be accessed on any Windows 7- or 8-compatible PC without hampering the safety of the data.

4. Security

Windows 8 brings some extra and very unique security features this time to protect your PC (or laptops). The security features include Picture Gesture Login, Windows ID Login and so on. Windows 8 also sports new security features that can prevent the PC/laptop from malware and viruses. The new feature Trusted boot process uses Secure Boot to load antimalware early in the startup process to prevent rootkits. An improved version of Windows Defender will protect the Windows 8 from spyware and malware.

5. Speedy Boot Time

Microsoft has done a real good job by improving the load and boot up speed significantly over Windows' predecessors. Windows 8, when compared to Windows 7 desktop CPU, has quite a speedier boot time thanks to kernel, its new technique of hibernating the system. It helps your system to partially hibernate each time you shut down and again when you switch on the system, memory of your previous session gets reinitialized quicker.

Windows 8 comes with a super dynamic display that sports a tiles-based interface that you have seen only on tablets and smartphones. The grids can be customized too by adding and arranging applications and the new Windows 8 allows you to see the real-time information through the apps.