The Tech Report takes a look at Windows 8 Consumer Preview and explores how the Metro interface affects the traditional desktop

This past Wednesday, Microsoft opened the flood gates on its Windows 8 Consumer Preview. I've been very interested to see how Microsoft would merge its desktop and mobile paradigms ever since I got my grubby mitts on a Windows Phone 7 device and discovered that, hey, this isn't half bad. Having carried a Windows handset for the past few months, I've come to appreciate the quickness and ease of use provided by the Metro interface. I was pretty psyched to see how it would blend into the PC experience, so I downloaded the 64-bit Win8 image from Microsoft's website.

Without any fancy touch-based hardware lying around, I ventured into the parts closet and dusted off an unused Core 2 Duo tower. After installing a spare hard drive, I flipped the power switch, slapped in the Windows 8 install disc, and beheld... a fish? I'm still not sure what that was all about. Perhaps it was a metaphor, foreshadowing the feelings of aquatic extrication to come.

  Windows 8-Ball Consumer Preview