Updated: now read 15 cool things Windows 8 does that Windows 7 doesn't.

Windows 8 has been shown off for developers at the Microsoft conference Build - and although the version is not complete, there are some key differences that we can pluck out from its popular predecessor.

Windows 7 was a big hit for Microsoft, following on from the troublesome Windows Vista and reminding people that the Redmond giant was not quite ready to hang up its code just yet.

And Windows 8 will now try to build on that and show that Windows can work on anything from tablets to televisions, and still dominate on laptops and desktops.

• Hands on: Windows 8 review

Here are 8 key differences that Windows 8 brings...

1. Touch friendly

Obviously the most obvious difference between Windows 8 and its popular predecessor is the user interface.

Windows 7 supported touch, but it was immediately clear that a true touch interface was needed going forward and, in Metro (the Windows Phone UI), this is what Win 8 brings.

That means tiles instead of fiddly menus and much quicker ways to get to the programs you want, as well as a much improved on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition.

2. Start menu replaced

Replacing the familiar Start menu is a Start screen which allows the same kinds of live tiles and data as Windows Phone 7's home screen, but also allows much greater flexibility for the user.

When you open an app that needs the desktop you still get the familiar recycle bin and task bar, but the Start menu button take you back to the Start screen.

3. Better multiple monitor support

Microsoft has decided that, with more of us using multiple monitors on our PCs, that it needed to overhaul its desktop management.

That means you can now have the start screen in one monitor and the desktop in another, or choose to have the taskbar on both screens with different icons on each.

You can even, shock horror, put a different background on each screen if you have multiple monitors.