3 months after the Consumer Preview hit the scene, dear ol’ MS has now released the Windows 8 Release Preview. Meaning, the final public version isn’t far behind.

So what’s new here?

Apps, apps, apps, and – well – more apps. The Windows 8 Release Preview now comes bundled with News and Sports apps, Bing Travel, Gaming and Music Xbox apps. They’ve also improved existing apps, such as Mail, Photos, and People, which, if you’re keeping tabs, they introduced back in the Consumer Preview.

Oh, and before I forget, Windows 8 Release Preview also comes with improved multimonitor support, refinements in Windows Store app downloads, new Family Safety features, and added personalization features for the Start screen too.

Here’s a promo vid of Windows 8 Release Preview to show you just how far along Windows 8 has come from its first public release:

Itching to try this out?

Sure you are! But first, check if your rig meets the system requirements:

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
• Additional requirements to use certain features:
• To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch.
• To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.
• To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768.
• Internet access (ISP fees might apply)

Good to go? Then go ahead and take your pick from the two Windows 8 Release Preview versions (ISO image) below:

• Windows 8 Release Preview (64-bit) Sha 1 hash — 0xD76AD96773615E8C504F63564AF749469CFCCD
• Windows 8 Release Preview (32-bit) Sha 1 hash — 0x8BED436F0959E7120A44BF7C29FF0AA962BDEFC9

*Product Key:   TK8TP-9JN6P-7X7WW-RFFTV-B7QPF

Or download the Windows 8 Release Preview setup, which will not only select the right version for your PC, but more importantly, also comes with the necessary tools so you can burn the ISO image to a DVD or USB flash drive (for Windows 7 and Windows Vista only).

And once you’re done, feel free to chime in your thoughts comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.

Full press release here.

Allan David

Online, Allan’s got you covered as far as news (and some reviews every now and then) goes. Offline, you’ll see him either sweating it out in the badminton courts or dining out in one of the new restos around town. His favorite noodles: cold soba.

email: allan@technoodling.netwebsite: http://oasis1.wordpress.com