You’ve probably seen hundreds of headlines that have the term “Windows 8” in them throughout the past few days. As a result, you might be wondering what’s happening with Windows 8 and why you should care. Well, Windows has packed a lot into this version, but if it’s to be narrowed down there are just a few things that you need to know.

If you use Windows, you’ll want to take a look at this quick rundown. Even if you don’t use Windows, it’s never a bad idea to see what’s happening. So, without further delay, here’s what the Windows 8 fuss is all about.

Lock Screen

I’ll start with the lock screen, since it’s the one thing people keep talking about. Instead of entering a password into your Windows 8 lock screen, this version of Windows makes things a little more fun. To unlock a screen, you have to draw a picture – need more clarification? The Windows tutorial shows a photograph of a girl. When the demonstrator taps on the nose of that girl and swipes a finger across the girl’s left arm, the screen unlocks.

So, you could add a photo of your cat to your lock screen, and unlock your screen by virtually “petting” your cat – the sky’s the limit here. The actual lock screen shows some handy information such as the time, date, and how many emails you currently have.

Apps and App Store

To select an app, all you have to do is tap on that app. In an instant, the app will appear full-screen. You can then pinch and zoom to enlarge the app, swipe your fingers across the app, and do all kinds of other touch-based things. You can also synch any app to other apps by clicking the “share” button.

The Windows App Store isn’t really anything spectacular, but it’s worth mentioning. You can touch on an app inside of the App Store to view more information about that app. All of the apps that you need, new and old, are available through the Windows App Store.

Explorer

From the looks of the Windows 8 demonstration, Explorer hasn’t changed much. The interface seems clearer and there’s a small toolbar in the left hand corner that allows users to access basic tools quickly and painlessly. Aside from these minor details, Microsoft hasn’t said a lot about Explorer’s upgrades.

Other Features

Most of us have become used to automatic spellcheckers. But, this is something that has just been added to Windows. Even if it’s old news, it’s nice to know that all of your letters and notes will be nicely spelled from now on. Lastly, the new Windows 8 has a nifty search feature that lets you search for anything in minutes.

There’s no doubt that this system-wide search feature will be immensely helpful. So, that’s Windows 8 in a nutshell. If you want to know more about Windows 8 (and watch the in-depth tutorials and read long explanations), you can find lots of information on Microsoft’s website.