Windows 8 won’t release to the general public until later this year, but it has entered the consumer preview stage where anyone brave enough to encounter a few bugs can test for themselves. Windows 8 will bring the Metro UI to both PCs and tablet computers, and developers are quickly building metro applications that will support the new system. With the big consumer push into tablets, developers will likely in-part focus their efforts on the portable computers, though with no Windows 8 tablets currently available on the market, the ability to test these applications is a challenge.
Splashtop has unveiled an iPad application called the Win8 Metro Testbed, which as you might guess provides a full Windows 8 metro experience as if you were running a true Windows 8 tablet with the built-in touch features. Of course, you’ll need to be running the recently released Windows 8 consumer preview on one of your computers, as the application requires connection a password connection and program running on your PC to link the two devices together.
Win8 Metro Testbed is a perfect tool for developers looking to test out metro applications on the native Windows 8 touch-interface, and provides a fairly responsive remote connection to your Windows 8 PC, according to ZDNet’s test of the application. Yes, it’s a bit ironic that developers are first able to test out Windows 8 applications on an Apple-branded tablet, but it works and provides the much-needed opportunity to test out metro applications prior to this fall’s launch.
Win8 Metro Testbed is now available on the App Store, and Splashtop is running a limited time promotion at $25, which is 50% off the full retail price of $50. Sure, it isn’t a cheap option for those of you who just want to play with Windows 8 on a tablet interface, but is a steal for budding Windows 8 metro developers looking to test out their applications.