How To Get Windows 8 Features Now

[h=1]
How To Get Windows 8 Features Now[/h][h=2]You don't have to wait until next year to see what Windows 8 has to offer. Use these tricks to update your operating system's look and feel right now.[/h]By Sarah Jacobsson Purewal, PCWorld
Dec 18, 2011 9:00 pm

windows8-metro-5522440.jpg


Windows 8 will be the first Windows operating system since Windows 95 to drastically modify the user interface. Not only will we see a port of the Windows Phone 7 Metro UI, we'll also see support for multiple monitor setups, an immersive version of Internet Explorer, and touchscreen optimization.

Many of the improvements that Windows 8 will bring (for example, access to the Windows Store, native USB 3.0 support, "Refresh and Reset" features that simplify restoring your system to its factory default configuration, and Windows Live account integration) aren't available yet. Nevertheless, you can get the general look and feel of Windows 8 on your Windows 7 machine--including an approximation of the Metro UI, multiple monitor support, and the ribbon-style toolbar in Windows Explorer--right now. Here's how.

Duplicate the New Metro User Interface

One of the biggest changes we'll see in Windows 8 involves the user interface: Instead of retaining the regular desktop we're used to, Microsoft is importing the Windows Phone 7-esque Metro interface.
Yo
u can duplicate the general look of the Metro interface by installing an application called Mosaic. Mosaic doesn't integrate with your desktop, as Metro will, but it does let you have a Metro-style live-tile overlay.
M
osaic is easy to set up on a Windows 7 PC. To get the app, download the latest build from the Mosaic Project website. Extract the files from the zipped build folder, and double-click Mosaic to run the program. You may want to put a shortcut to this program on your desktop for quick future access.

Mosaic will initially open in full-screen mode with two tiles. To get out of full-screen mode, click the arrow in the upper right corner. Select Options from the small black menu that appears, and disable the Enable Fullscreen Mode option. While you're in this options menu, you can also configure Mosaic to display the Windows taskbar while you're in fullscreen mode, enable widget and startup animations, or even start Mosaic automatically when you start Windows.


Mosaic in the default configuration

see two page article
 
I believe (could be mistaken!) the utility was invented a few months before the developer was released for the public to examine.
As the Developer is free for Public download, I would say that is the better way to have a look at how it works? - But maybe a little more work involved in the installation
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Other Info
    Use several different computers during a day, so specs are irrelevant.
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