New Start8 beta for Windows 8 released

[InsaneNutter]

A few days after Microsoft launched the Consumer Preview build of Windows 8, developer Stardock launched the first beta of Start8, which aimed to give a version of the familiar Start menu to Windows 8 Metro owners. Today, Stardock has released a new and free beta of Start8 that adds quite a few new features.

While previous versions of the Start8 beta only put in a start button that opened up the "Modern" user interface for Windows 8, this new version has a number of new features, including:

Windows 7 style Start menu with Windows 8 enhancements:

• Users can search for Windows 8-style (Metro) apps with it
• Users can pin Metro apps to it
• Full support for Jump Lists
• Unified Search
• Automatically matches color to the color of the taskbar

Extra features:

• Start button is now skinnable
• Users can boot directly to the Windows 8 desktop
• Optionally disable the desktop “hot spots”.
• Fast access to shut down, devices, music, documents, videos
• Supports WindowFX 5.1 startmenu animations (currently in beta)
• The Windows 8 Start screen becomes accessible from the Start menu
• Start menu size fully configurable
• Adds option for WinKey to show fullscreen Metro desktop.

Download from Stardock

[video=youtube;7SD5mW-X4vI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SD5mW-X4vI&feature=player_embedded[/video]

Very impressive if i'm honest, kinda makes me wish i didn't dualboot Windows 7 and 8 now!
Just need to get a nice theme for Windows 8 and my two biggest issues are fixed with it.