BANGALORE, INDIA: Last month, Microsoft released a developer preview of its successor to Windows 7, code named Windows 8. The big deal about it, which can also be considered more of a necessity than a luxury in today's date and age, is compatibility for the three screens-smartphones, tablet PCs, and laptops/desktop PCs.

The OS will be optimized to work on any device, and supports touch. Plus, Microsoft has even added support for ARM processors, making its span much more wider. The developer preview provides developers a chance to develop the metro-style applications before the Windows 8 launch.

Our experience

Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 8 gives you two options for logon. You can either create a local account or you can sign in using your Windows Live account.

This is a nice feature that has been added, which actually enables you to synchronize your settings like shortcuts, application settings with your other machines.

We tried to login using Windows Live ID. After validation of the account, it automatically detected the display image of the Live ID and displayed it as user image at the logon screen. Once logged in, it displays a completed re-defined Start Screen, without the conventional Start Menu bar. Instead, it displays the Metro-style tile version of the Start Menu. These tiles can be arranged according to your preference.