Download Windows 8 Release Preview for free now

As we enter the month of June, the time for Microsoft’s major Windows 8 release approaches. The operating system has gone through several levels of

Rossi Fernandes|Jun 01, 2012, 13:00:04 IST

As we enter June, we inch closer towards Microsoft’s major Windows 8 release. The operating system has gone through several levels of development and there have been two big releases made public. First, it was the Developer Preview, last year, followed by the Consumer Preview that we received this year. Today, Microsoft released their Windows 8 Release Preview, which is one of the last milestones before the operating system is ready to ship. The announcement of this release was made on Microsoft’s Building Windows 8 blog, which has been the source of information on the different aspects of Windows 8. Microsoft’s new Windows 8 Release Preview is being made available in 14 different languages. The Release Preview is available for download, for free from Microsoft's Windows 8 Preview site. All you need to do, is download the ISO and burn a copy on a disc. You also have the option of making a bootable flash drive for installing the OS.

Windows 8 Preview Release, ready for download now

Hardware requirements for Windows 8:

Windows 8 Release Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7:
Processor: 1GHz or faster
RAM: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)
Drive space: 16GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
Video card: Microsoft DirectX 9 compatible device

The latest build adds a bunch of new features and improvements. For one, there are more Bing apps available on it, ones which include travel, news and sports. In terms of improvements, you’ll find that the Mail, Photos and People apps have been spruced up. The Start screen, for example, can also be tweaked and customized as per your liking. There’s also better support for multiple monitors with this build. Other refinements, include those to the Windows Store, using which users can download and install apps.

Security is a major concern and Microsoft is trying to ensure that with Windows 8. There’s also family security features for browsing online. Another concern for many users these days is the tracking function on many modern browsers; Internet Explorer 10 has the feature, but it won’t be enabled by default. Windows 8 includes better touch support, which means you can browse through pages by simply swiping your finger. There’s also support for Adobe Flash Player integrated within Internet Explorer 10.