When Microsoft launched the Windows 8 Developer Preview, it packaged exactly 28 built-in sample apps to showcase the new touch-friendly, full-screen Metro UI (later renamed Modern UI/Windows Store apps). Built largely by Microsoft student interns, these apps were designed as proof-of-concept tools. They demonstrated how to code for the newly introduced Windows Runtime (WinRT) API using HTML5/JS or XAML with C++, C#, or VB.NET.
The top app samples included in the Developer Preview pack were grouped into several distinct categories: đ¨ Creative & Entertainment Apps
InkPad: A simple drawing application built to highlight the precision and low latency of Windows 8 touch and stylus inputs.
PaintPlay: A fluid, full-screen finger-painting app demonstrating fluid canvas rendering on early tablet hardware.
Piano: A low-latency virtual instrument sample showcasing audio responsiveness and multi-touch capabilities within a single sandboxed application framework.
BitBox: A music-sequencing rhythm and beatbox app emphasizing audio stream synchronization in the background.
Memories: A photo viewing and organizing app demonstrating how local file storage can integrate into clean, horizontal-scrolling grids. âšī¸ Informational & Utility Apps
RSS Reader: A multi-pane, horizontal news reader used to show off live-scrolling text layouts and early web-view integration.
Weather: One of the earliest examples of Live Tiles. It fetched live online data and updated the user’s main Start screen without needing the full app open.
Stocks: A finance-tracking tool showcasing real-time data fetching, data binding, and the standard, zero-margin typographic layout characteristic of the Metro design style. đ Social Clients
Twitter Client: A bare-bones, highly sandboxed client meant to show developers how to use Web Auth protocols to connect third-party platforms to full-screen social feeds.
Facebook Client: A basic social feed app demonstrating horizontal touch-scrolling frameworks and photo grid loading. đŽ Casual Games
The package featured 10 total mini-games aimed at proving that standard web or XAML-based coding could power fluid, hardware-accelerated animations. These included simple puzzle games, matching cards, and reaction-based finger-tapping tasks. âī¸ Core Developer Features Showcased
While tech reviewers noted these apps were too Spartan for long-term daily use, they successfully taught developers how to implement critical new Windows 8 behaviors: Developing Windows 8 Metro-Style apps … – Stack Overflow
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