14 DAY TRIAL // ReviverSoft has just released Start Menu Reviver 2.0, a brand new version of its third-party Start menu app that tries to make the new modern Windows 8 a bit more familiar and bring back the familiar desktop UI that we all had in Windows 7.
Start Menu Reviver 2.0 was created with the help of Jay Machalani, the designer behind the fairly-popular “Fixing Windows 8” concept shown last year and supposed to show the world that although Windows 8 was a rather confusing operating system, some ways to make it a bit more appealing and effective still existed.
This new version of app mixes the traditional design of the Start menu in Windows 7 with modern elements available in Windows 8, boasting a Start screen-inspired interface with live tiles and flat icons.
Start Menu Reviver 2.0 lets you add no less than 64 live tiles, so you can basically create shortcuts for almost every single app installed on your computer. It also features plenty of Start orb skins, as well as different sizes, colors, theme styles, and menu options.
The application is completely optimized for the touch, so in case you're installing it on a tablet running Windows 8.1, you're allowed to easily move live tiles around the screen with just one tap.
“The unique tile structure in Start Menu Reviver means that it is the only Start Menu that is truly touch-friendly. Of course you can still use your mouse and keyboard, but with Start Menu Reviver you can also easily add, remove, move and edit at the touch of a finger,” the developers behind the project explained.
Although it can replace the Windows 8.1 Start button completely, Start Menu Reviver 2.0 also allows you to access the Start screen by simply clicking on the left button corner.
A search feature is also available in case you'd like to look for files stored on the local drives, but it lacks support for web search, which means that it still lacks a number of options that are already available in Windows 8.1's Bing Smart Search.
There are obviously several things to be improved in the next versions, but you can find more information about Start Menu Reviver 2.0 in just a few hours, as Softpedia is currently testing it and will publish an in-depth review very soon.
In the meantime, you can download Start Menu Reviver 2.0 all by yourself and give it a try if you're already running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.