New Windows 8 Metro Apps for Messaging, Mail, Calendar, Photos and People

Just as a reminder, Microsoft has always been the adept of software plus services as opposed to software as services, and as much as Windows 8 stretches into the Cloud, this continues to remain valid.

Case in point: the new Windows 8 Metro apps for Messaging, Mail, Calendar, Photos and People. New applications built for the Metro platform are designed to connect the operating system with popular Windows Live services.

In the video embedded at the bottom of this article you’ll be able to see a preview of the new Metro apps in Windows 8 that enable customers to share photos, set appointments, send emails, IM with their friends, and create a collection of contacts.

“Metro style represents a new way to write applications, and we have rewritten our applications from the ground up based on the new Windows 8 platform, revealed Chris Jones – vice president, Windows Live engineering.

“Our new applications target the new Windows 8 runtime and embrace the Metro style design principles, and cloud powered by our Windows Live service. An important aspect of our applications is that they are connected to the services you use every day, so you can quickly get a view of what’s happening.”

Various leaks have indicated for some time before the launch of the Windows 8 Developer Preview that the software giant was working on bringing new Windows Live apps to the next iteration of Windows.

I was also obvious that the new programs would in fact be Metro apps, even when Metro was believed to be nothing more than an UI redesign, certainly not a new platform for immersive experiences.

But what’s important to stress here is that the new Windows 8 Metro Messaging, Mail, Calendar, Photos and People apps, stretch well beyond Windows Live.

“We know most people have more than one mail address, and Mail connects to multiple mail accounts, at home or at work. Calendar connects to your work and personal calendar, as well as calendars from friends, co-workers, or family members who have a Windows Live ID,” Jones added.

“People is a connected address book, bringing together contacts from work, home, and popular networks including Facebook and LinkedIn. Messaging keeps track of all of your IM conversations across Messenger, Facebook, and other connected IM networks. And Photos lets you view your photos, whether on your PC, another PC, SkyDrive, or other popular services.”

Want to try the new Metro apps in Windows 8? Then download one of the three Windows 8 Developer Preview ISO images that Microsoft started offering as of last week. You’ll get Windows 8 Build 8102 M3 as well as a collection of preinstalled Metro apps.

Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) is available for download here.