Windows 8 keynote, demo videos now online
Video from yesterday's keynote and demos of Microsoft's Windows 8 beta, aka Consumer Preview, are now available on the Web.
Those of you who couldn't make it to Spain for yesterday's Windows 8 Consumer Preview demo can now catch all the action through a series of online videos.
The event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona wasn't Webcast live, but Microsoft has posted several videos on its newsroom page showing off all the major highlights. Most of the videos can be viewed online or downloaded in a few different formats, though the "broadcast" links provide the highest quality.
The videos kick off with the entire 90-minute keynote with Windows President Steven Sinofsky introducing the new world of Windows 8. Calling Windows 8 a "generational change in the Windows operating system," Sinofsky touched on all of the major changes in the new OS from the interface down to the kernel.
From there, the videos drill down to shorter, specific moments from the keynote, including a look at the Windows 8 Start screen, a peek at Windows 8 on an 82-inch monitor, and a brief demo on how to use the new OS with a mouse and keyboard.
The Microsoft page also links to three additional videos found on YouTube--a loud and flashy "Meet Windows 8" promo, an eight-minute demo of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, and a look at the winners of the first apps contest for Windows 8.
The Windows 8 Developer Preview, released last September, had triggered concerns among desktop users that the new touch-enabled OS would be less friendly toward mouse and keyboard.
But initial reactions seem to indicate that Microsoft has done an effective job in aiming the Consumer Preview toward both tablet and PC. Microsoft made a point in its presentation to show Windows 8 at work on all the necessary platforms.
In a hands-on review of the Consumer Preview, CNET's Seth Rosenblatt was impressed by Microsoft ability replicate the touch environment with a mouse and keyboard.