Windows 8 to Feature Metro Style Bing Maps App

Next week, we’ll get the chance to learn some more info on what new goodies Windows 8 will have in store for us, as the Consumer Preview of the OS will be released for the general public.  

Before that, however, we can get a glimpse of some of the yet unannounced features in the upcoming operating system courtesy of a leaked screenshot that made it online via PCBeta.  

One of the things that will catch your attention when looking at the said screenshot is the big tile for the Bing Maps application supposedly set to be released in Windows 8 later this year.  

Microsoft is expected to make Bing Maps available for developers to integrate into their applications, but it appears that it will also release its own application to Windows 8 users.  

The application will reportedly be optimized for use on touch-enabled devices, which does not come as a surprise.  

The screenshot is said to come from Windows 8 build 8250, the same build number that was previously said to arrive as Microsoft's Windows 8 Consumer Preview.  

Previously, Microsoft was rumored to plan the release of a Bing web app for Windows 8, and it was only natural for the company to consider the launch of a Metro application as well.  

In addition to the said Bing Maps application, the leaked screenshot also unveils a bit more of what the Windows Store would look like.  

We can see an Xbox LIVE Games category in the Windows Store, along with a Spotlight section (the title says “Application Store,” while the subheading reads “Spotlight”, Neowin notes).  

The screenshot shows some of the games and applications that will be available for users via the upcoming Windows Store, including titles such as Flow, Hive Mind, PuzzleTouch, Cut The Rope, and Train Titan.  

Microsoft has already provided a great deal of details on the matter, and even published its own screenshots with the app portal.