At the conference, Microsoft presented a radically redesigned Windows interface: Instead of the traditional desktop with windows, the taskbar, Start menu, and so on, Microsoft demonstrated an interface to , its smartphone operating system--complete with tough-friendly live tiles.

Microsoft also that shows some of the new features. Most notably, the company says that it's designed for not only laptops and desktops, but for tablets as well (which makes sense, given its big, touch-friendly buttons and visual style). The new tile-based interface replaces the traditional Start menu, .

for a quick overview.

Macworld's Jason Snell that "Windows 8 will run standard Windows apps, support standard Windows peripherals." Microsoft's video shows regular Windows apps running in a separate, traditional desktop mode that you can switch to with the press of a button.

Apps made specifically for Windows 8 will be a bit of a different beast--they'll "use the power of HTML5, tapping into the native capabilities of Windows using standard JavaScript and HTML," the company says. It remains to be seen if this means that Windows 8-specific apps will be based solely on HTML5, JavaScript, and other Web technologies, or if they'll be some tie-ins to more traditional app development tools that Microsoft offers.