Microsoft offers sneak preview of Windows 8

Microsoft Corp showcased its next operating system at technology conferences in the US and Taipei amidst shows of protest by some PC makers over restrictions on their involvement in the development of the system.

The new system code-named `Windows 8' is expected to be launched in the next 18 months. The new operating system is expected to offer touchscreen features optimised for tablet computers.

At the D9 conference in Palos Verdes, California, and also at the Computex show in Taipei, Microsoft executives showed a starting page that resembles Microsoft's latest phone software, with live 'tiles' manipulated by pressing and swiping the screen.

According to industry experts, the demonstration goes to show the company is making progress toward developing the new operating system, which it promises would run on a range of hardware devices from traditional PCs to laptops and tablets, using both touch screen and mouse and keyboard commands.

The company said in Palos Verdes that it was "not out of the game" in tablets, a view that found support among some in the industry

In a separate development today, US chip maker Quacomm Inc said it would collaborate with Microsoft on the next version of Windows for its Snapdragon family of processors.