14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft released the first public testing Build of Windows 8 last week at BUILD, and CEO Steve Ballmer announced on the conference’s second day that in excess of 500,000 copies had already been downloaded by early adopters worldwide. Chris Jones, vice president, Windows Live engineering revealed another interesting statistic this week. It appears that some 150,000 of the testers running Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) have used their Windows Live IDs for user accounts of the new operating system.
Connected accounts leveraging Windows Live IDs are designed to make Metro apps and settings roam with the user from one Windows 8 device to another. All that customers have to do is sign in.
According to Microsoft, Windows Live connected accounts on a new Windows 8 PC will even sign users into the sites they use, as long as they’re already signed in on another Win8 machine.
“One of the great things about web-based services is that you can log in from any browser and start right where you left off. The service keeps track of your settings and profile, and you can get started just by typing in your ID,” Jones stated.
“With Windows 8, you now have that same ability for the important parts of your Windows experience, if you choose to. You can sign in to a Windows 8 PC with your Windows Live ID, and then it gets your profile, application settings, and other important information right from the cloud. And it is all built on top of the Windows Live infrastructure we’ve built to support over 500 million active users a month.”
The software giant has yet to say just how many Windows 8 downloads have amassed after the initial half a million in the first 24 hours of availability.
Still, of the early adopters testing Windows 8 Build 8102 M3 in the past week, some 150,000 have set up connected user accounts.
“Over 150,000 people have already logged in to Windows 8 with their Windows Live ID, and as they move across Windows 8 devices, their settings and preferences will go along with them. The Windows Live service also keeps track of all of your Windows PCs and Windows Phones, allowing you to easily connect back to any PC when you are away, or find your phone when it is lost,” Jones added.
Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.