Windows 8 looks a lot like Windows Phone 7. Microsoft demonstrated the next version of its operating system at the All Things D conference on a prototype touch-screen tablet as well as laptops with a keyboard and mouse, according to USA Today.

The new Windows is a lot prettier than its familiar predecessor. The touch interface is based on customizable live tiles similar to what Microsoft has on its smartphones. The new start screen replaces the start button, tiles and taskbar every Windows user has lived with. That more familiar-looking Windows apparently isn't gone for good however - tap a desktop icon for an Office app such as Excel, for example, and Windows looks, well, like Windows.

Under the hood, Windows 8 will include a new set of tools and services developers can take advantage of. But the new operating system can run all regular Windows 7 applications, says Steven Sinofsky, the president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at the company.