Microsoft releases first Windows 8 public test version

SEATTLE, Washington - Microsoft Corp released the first broadly available test version of the Windows 8 operating system, giving consumers an early peek at software designed to rival the touch-enabled features on Apple Inc's iPad.

The so-called consumer preview is available for download from Microsoft's website.

The Redmond, Washington-based company demonstrated the software, which lets users store applications on an Internet-based cloud in order to easily switch between computers and Windows Phones, in a two-hour session at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday.