Here Are The First Official Pictures Of Windows 8 For Tablets -- And They Look Pretty Cool

Windows 8 keyboard
Microsoft

We've been skeptical that Microsoft would be able to come from behind to beat the iPad and the crop of Android and other tablets out there.

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But based on these first screen shots from the Windows 8 video Microsoft posted today, the game isn't over yet.

It's true that Windows 8 isn't nearly done, and a lot of these screens might just be prototypes meant to show how Windows 8 will work on a touch screen.

We also have no idea what the actual tablets will look like, how smoothly they will run, or even when they'll start shipping. (Best guess: fall 2012 at the earliest.)

Still, these pictures confirm the trend that started with Windows Phone 7: Microsoft is finally taking design and user experience seriously. That's the only way they have a chance against Apple.

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Here's the home screen before you unlock it.

Windows 8 lock screen
Microsoft

Your picture pops up next. It identifies which user account you're using.

Windows 8 user ID screen
Microsoft
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Here's the start screen, filled with live tiles that are constantly updated with new information -- just like the home screen of Windows Phone 7. This replaces the Start menu on Windows today.

Windows 8 start screen
Microsoft

A built-in news reader.

Windows 8 news reader
Microsoft
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Here's a weather app.

Windows 8 weather app
Microsoft

And of course, a stock ticker.

Windows 8 stock ticker
Microsoft
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You can switch apps quickly by swiping them from the left side of the screen.

Windows 8 fast app switching
Microsoft

You can also "snap" apps beside one another. Here's the news reader app on the left, with a live video running on the right.

Windows 8 snap feature
Microsoft
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Here's where you pick your videos from.

Windows 8 videos app
Microsoft

The on-screen keyboard looks a lot like the one on Windows Phone 7. The lists of frequently used and "pinned" (user-selected) items are also borrowed from Windows Phone.

Windows 8 keyboard
Microsoft
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The keyboard can also be split into two for thumb typing.

Windows 8 thumb keyboard
Microsoft

Of course, it's still good old Windows underneath. Here's Excel.

Windows 8 Excel
Microsoft
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And here's the old-style file system showing all your photos.

Windows 8 file system
Microsoft

The nice thing is, you can also view files in the new tablet layout.

Windows 8 photos
Microsoft
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The new touch UI works for online content as well -- this is a prototype online photo service.

Windows 8 online photo service
Microsoft

This looks like a prototype Twitter app -- it's hard to imagine a real app called Tweet@rama.

Windows 8 Twitter app
Microsoft
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Now, take a look at how Microsoft built another surprisingly cool product.

Kinect tour New York
Microsoft

The Story Behind Microsoft's Newest Billion-Dollar Business, Kinect→

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