WinMetro

Switching to a different operating system just because it looks different is a waste of money. Windows 8 may have some better features, but its new looks alone would not justify the costs. A cheaper solution is to use a specialized application to make your current Windows platform look like a later one. WinMetro brings the new Windows 8 Metro user interface to older Windows versions. It gives you the possibility of launching your favorite applications and web services by clicking large icons on a Start screen.

WinMetro was developed for Windows 7, Vista and XP. It is offered free of charge and you can have it up and running in no time. Due to its low hardware requirements, the application will not slow your computer down. Moreover, you don't have to install any prerequisite tools or services.

If you are not familiar with Windows 8 Metro interface, you should know that it is a replacement for the classic Start menu. Instead of clicking a Start button to reveal your applications in a system of sub-menus, you have to click the lower left corner of the screen, to display your applications on a full screen menu, called a Start screen. This is the functionality that WinMetro provides for Windows 7 or older versions.

The Start screen can be accessed just like in Windows 8. Besides that, WinMetro won't disable the Start button, so you can still run your applications the traditional way. Besides recently accessed applications, the Start screen displays a series of widgets for news, weather forecasts, Facebook, Twitter, SkyDrive and other online services. You can also display all applications which have Start menu entries, on the entire screen. Besides the Start screen, you can also bring up an options panel, on the right side of the screen, by touching the screen's edge.

WinMetro comes with shutdown options as well and you can set it to run automatically when Windows starts up. It is also possible to set the application to show the Start screen automatically, when you turn on your computer.