Microsoft may be late, but it managed to show up before the party is over. The Redmond giant has revealed the next version of Windows -- code-named  "Windows 8" -- as an answer to the iPad, Android tablets and its own crop of Windows 7 tablets, which are doomed to fail. Windows 8 was pitched as a flexible operating system,  "one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse." The user interface is a fusion of Windows Phone 7 and Windows 7, packing a touch-optimized start screen that includes familiar looking tiles and a Desktop and Windows Explorer that are identical to Windows 7's. It gives users the best of both worlds -- a tablet environment that can run touch-optimized apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript along with the ability to return to the regular desktop running regular old Windows. The dark side of this: Viruses and other security risks present on Windows 7 will be inherited. It might take a while to convince users that it's a good idea to run an antivirus on their Windows tablets while iPad users have a worry-free experience. I guess we'll start seeing tablet-laptop hybrids (à la ASUS Transformer) popping up like mushrooms as soon as Windows 8 is ready. It'd be a perfect marriage. Check out the video below for a sneak peek: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92QfWOw88I&w=560&h=345] Source: Microsoft News Center