Windows 8 Consumer Preview Metro interface
Long-time Windows gamers will no doubt be relieved to know that Solitaire has made it to Windows 8 unscathed - and with a makeover to boot.
Maps, as you'd expect, uses Microsoft's own Bing maps. As well as searching for a location (which didn't work for us, no matter whether we typed in 'London' or a postcode) you can get driving directions (which did work). You can also select a hybrid sattelite view.
Windows 8 will ship with Internet Explorer 10. It provides a minimal interface with the combined search and address bar at the bottom of the screen to give priority to the website itself. You right-click to get a menu to open a new tab; existing tab thumbnails appear along the top so you can switch between them. The current version of IE10 is very unstable and crashed constantly.
It's easy to run multiple Metro apps side by side. You simply move the cursor to the top of the screen and then drag the app to the position you want it in. Here we've got the calendar occupying the bulk of the screen, and the SkyDrive app much smaller to the right. On the left, you can see a pop-up menu showing all running apps. To get this menu, move your cursor to the top or bottom corner at the left of the screen and then to the middle. You can still switch between apps using Alt-Tab though.
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