Windows 8 beta folds in 100,000 code changes (live blog)

Compromises are out when it comes to computers, Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky said here today as he unveiled the beta for the Windows 8 operating system.
Consumers have been faced with too many decisions, the president of Microsoft's Windows business said during a press event at Mobile World Congress. Functionality vs. battery life? Tablet vs. phone?
Mobile phones, laptops, desktops, tablets are all coming together, he said, though there are still seams.

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky says the company has sought to create a consistent experience across devices.
(Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)
Microsoft is trying to sew up those seams and offer consumers a "consistent" experience, regardless of what type of device they are using. The company is doing so by focusing simultaneously on the operating system, apps, and hardware.
As a result, using Windows 8 should be a "super fun experience," Sinofsky said.
Windows 8 has undergone more than 100,000 code changes since the Developer Preview was released and will feel much more "refined," Sinofsky said. He called Windows 8 a "generational change" in its design, function, and implementation.
"The last time we made a generational change was Windows 95," Sinofsky said.
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Julie Larson-Green, vice president of Windows program management, and Antoine Leblond, vice president of Windows Web services, released details about both the OS and apps.
Larson-Green threw out "fast," "fluid," "fun," and "functional," as the key themes behind the development of Windows 8. She showed off the touch-screen tablet interface, which resembles the tiles on Windows Phone, and a "charm" bar that pops up when a finger is slid across the right side of the screen and that takes you back to the home screen.
She used Cut the Rope to demonstrate an Xbox interface designed for both casual and high-end gaming. Larson-Green also previewed an app for "pinning" friends and family to the start screen. A revamped messaging service is on tap as well.
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Leblond switched the focus from tablets to laptops and noted that Microsoft put as much effort into the mouse and keyboard as it did into the touch screen.
The first big change: the end of ctrl+alt+delete to start up. Now you can just hit enter. Another big change: the start menu has been replaced by a start screen that pops up when the mouse moves over the bottom left corner. Meanwhile, mousing to the bottom right corner zooms out for rearranging tiles and pages, Leblond said. Moving the mouse to the top left corner lets you switch to the previous open app. And the the top right corner brings up the "charm" menu.
A revamped app store is also part of the changes coming with Windows 8, Leblond said. The store's landing page features a spotlight section that includes top apps, new releases, and recommendations.
All apps are free to download during the Consumer Preview, or beta, he said.
The company announced the eight winners of Microsoft's first app contest. The winners' apps will be shipped with Windows 8. They are Air Soccer, Pew Pew, PuzzleTouch, SigFig Portfolio, Elements Weather, FlipSaw, CookBook, and Physamajig.

The home screen for Windows 8.
(Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)
Microsoft then switched focus from consumer to enterprise. Michael Angiulo, vice president of corporate planning, brought a device onstage to demonstrate Windows 8 on an ARM processor.
A new generation of mobile PCs will offer a power profile like that of a phone and will be able to stay on standby for a long time, he said. Windows 8 will support four ARM chips: Nvidia's Tegra 3, Qualcomm's Snapdragon, TI's OMAP, and Intel's Cloverfield.
Angiulo showed off Office 15 on a tablet. Full versions of those apps run on ARM, just like on their x86 counterparts. The apps have also been tuned for touch capabilities, but retain mouse and keyboard use. Windows 8 uses less CPU, less power, fewer threads, and less processing, he said. Background tasks are resource managed so they don't block the user experience.
Ultrabooks were up next, with Angiulo demonstrating an 8-second boot on an Intel ultrabook.
Right now, tablets are about touch and PCs are about keyboard. Microsoft is "changing those assumptions," Sinofsky said, onstage with Angiulo.
Touch is an "and," not an "or," Sinofsky said. Users don't have to choose between the two.

Here are the eight winners of Microsoft's first app contest.
(Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia)
Microsoft also demonstrated a monitor/desktop that flips down and goes flat to be used as a gaming station or drafting board.
Finally, the company noted that cloud services can stitch together Windows 8 with Windows Phone and Xbox Live games.
The Consumer Preview is live today on Microsoft's site and is available in five languages. The next milestone is the release candidate, then release to manufacturing, and then general availability. There was no comment on the timing of the releases.
Windows 8 Enterprise will be shown off at CeBIT, which starts March 6 in Hanover, Germany.
Updated at 6:33 a.m., 6:41 a.m., 7 a.m., 7:10 a.m., 7:27 a.m., and 7:57 a.m. PT.

The original story is below.
BARCELONA, Spain--Microsoft may be dumping the Consumer Electronics Show, but it still has a lot of love for Mobile World Congress.
The software giant's massive presence at the world's largest mobile trade show here highlights the shifting priorities of technology companies. Microsoft could have used its final keynote address at CES last month to make a big splash with Windows 8, but instead opted to use a more mobile-focused venue.
The company has a lengthy and comprehensive press conference planned for Wednesday as it runs through the details of its Windows 8 operating system.
Windows 8 takes Microsoft one step closer to the ultimate integration of the PC, tablet, and smartphone experience--something that rival Apple is also racing to get to with its iOS and OS X platforms. Microsoft's Metro-style tiles, for instance, create a consistent experience between Windows 8 and Windows Phone.
Microsoft hasn't been silent or slumbering leading up to its big press conference. The company has already lowered the spec bar on its Windows Phone platform. This allows vendors to make more affordable phones, as illustrated by Nokia's newly unveiled Lumia 610.
We'll be covering Microsoft's presentation with ScribbleLive, so come back here around 5:45 a.m. PT Wednesday. We'll start the live-blog at that point--about 15 minutes before the event itself--and then give you the blow by blow.

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