Windows 8 Developer Preview Reaches 3 Million Downloads

Microsoft have announced that the Windows 8 Developer preview has now had over 3 million downloads since it was released back in September. I suppose the news isn’t really that surprising, especially when you consider that Windows is easily the most popular operating system in the world.

I’d imagine that nearly all the developers and Windows enthusiasts have all grabbed a copy of the developer preview by now and downloads have probably dropped off significantly. Of course the main reason people are downloading the new operating system is to get a look at the new Windows 8 interface which is made up predominantly of the new Metro UI. Developers of course will also be looking at what apps they can create which will utilise the new features in Windows 8.

Of course I believe that if you want to get the best experience out of Windows 8, you will probably have to use a device with a touchscreen like a tablet or those all in one desktops with touchscreens.

Microsoft have said that they’ll be releasing the first Beta of Windows 8 in February which is expected to have a good few changes from this developer preview. Microsoft stressed that the Windows 8 developer preview is far from finished and has a lot of work still to be done on it as well as more features to be added.

Let’s see if the Beta lives up to those expectations.

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Windows 8 Developer Preview To Come Tonight

Right guys, it’s the news we’ve all been waiting for! Microsoft have announced today that a Windows 8 Developer Preview will be coming along “later this week” They’ve now said that it’s coming tonight! for us to play around with. We’re being told that developers will be able to download the Windows Developer Preview via the new Windows Dev Center later this week. tonight.

The Microsoft Build conference kicked off a couple of hours ago now and you can still watch the presentation live at the moment here. There’s been tons of news and demonstrations coming from the conference which we’ll get to you once it’s over. We’ve got a great look at the new Metro UI, there’s a cool new picture password which really amazed the crowd and the demonstration of apps is pretty impressive.

Now of course it will just be a developers preview build so that means that it will have bugs and things that still need to be sorted out. Even watching the demonstration, there was several times when links didn’t work and touch gestures went out of control much to the amusement of the audience. I’m sure we can expect Microsoft to work out all these little things by the time Windows 8 finally is released, but it will be nice to be able to play around with Windows 8 and get a feel for it.

The download will be available from this page 

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Windows 8 Developer Preview Keyboard/Mouse Shortcuts

When I first made it to the Windows 8 Start screen desktop, I was a little confused about the different navigation shortcuts and techniques for finding my way around the menus and screens. While many of the old Windows shortcuts still work, there are some new ones to use. This is my next… has posted an article that details Windows 8 on a laptop with a keyboard and mouse as the means for navigation. What’s even more helpful is the list of shortcuts they have compiled which may help you guys with navigation. Here is the list:

The Start button takes you to Start Screen and lets you toggle between open appsAlt-Tab cycles through apps in sequence, as usualArrow keys allow you to move through the Start screenWindows + C brings up the Charm menu, as does hovering over the lower-left hand corner of the screenWindows + F brings up the Search screen, though simply typing (when on the Start screen) is more convenientWindows + Z in a fullscreen app brings up the contextual menusWindows + D takes you to the desktopWindows + L locks the PC, invoking the lock screenWindows + P pulls up multi-monitor settingsWindows + I brings up the Settings charmWindows + E invokes Windows Explorer, as everWindows + R brings up the Run promptWindows + Y makes all your open windows (and the Metro UI) transparent, so you can see the desktop beneathWindows + X shows Windows Mobility Center, which appears to serve much the same role as the Settings charm but on the desktop insteadThe Scroll wheel pans across Start screen, slowlyRight-click brings up contextual menus in a full screen appLeft-click on the Start screen brings up options to unpin, resize and uninstall appsCtrl-Alt-Delete summons a screen with options to shut down, switch users, log off or quickly open the Task Manager

Hopefully these shortcuts help you guys. I know I needed a few of them to help with navigation. Feel free to post some of your own in the comments below.

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