If you've been trying out the early public build of Windows 8, you may be frustrated by the lack of a Start menu. After all, that thing's been around for ages, and for good reason.

Happily, software and game developer Stardock has come to the rescue and released a free application by the name of Start8 which adds the menu back in, and also a few related, handy options.

Even if you're not keen on betas, this should be one to keep in mind come release time.

Hit the source to grab it.

At the Mobile World Congress event held in Barcelona, Microsoft previewed the latest features and design of their upcoming Windows 8 operating system. The new software was showcased on various mobile and desktop devices before it was announced the consumer preview version of the OS would be immediately be available as a free download via their website.

The Windows 8 consumer preview is a follow-up to the Windows 8 Developer Preview, which was released last September. The difference between the two is the consumer preview includes more features such as wall-to-wall web browsing, full touch screen support, and of course the new look of the Windows 8 UI, making the preview closer to final product expected to come out later this year.

Windows 8 represents one of the largest changes we have seen to the operating system since its very first iteration. Hit the source below to check it out for yourself.

Valve has significantly improved the Steam digital distribution and game client the past few years, though a weakness has been its somewhat lacking voice chat technology. Today that's better, too, as a new client patch updates the game with the "SILK" audio codec, the same stuff Skype -- the ever-popular VOIP service -- uses.

Assuming both parties have a decent headset or phone, Skype is generally very high quality, so this should benefit Steam gamers greatly. Connectivity and reliability are said to be improved here as well.

SILK comes at the cost of bandwidth -- between 8 and 30kbps depending on the circumstances versus the previous steady 15kbps. Of course, if you can't afford an extra 15kbps, you've got bigger problems to worry about.

Boot the Steam client now for the latest update.

Just 24 hours after the Gmail call service was introduced, 1,000,000 calls have been made. This is an impressive feat for such a new feature, but considering there are more than 175 million Gmail accounts, it is still just a fraction of the available users.

The service rolled out on Wednesday and it allows most Gmail users (where supported) to make free calls to phones directly through their Gmail account. To enable the service a quick plug-in is required. Once the program is setup Gmail users will have a new "call phone" option, which works via a drop down menu.

When a call is placed the receiving phone will see the number as 760-705-8888. This is the same number for all Gmail accounts, so a return call will only yield a voice recording stating the number is not in service.

For now the service is free when placing calls within the U.S. or Canada. There is, however, a 2 cent per minute fee to call other countries such as United Kingdom, France, Germany, Argentina, China, and Japan. There is talk of changing the fees in the near future, but it will remain at its current rate through the remainder of the year.

The high call rate could merely be a result of the service being new and a novelty; it remains to be seen if it will become a true success.

The release for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 is still months off, but thanks to their Russian press site we are getting what appears to be images of the new interface. From the looks of the leaked image, IE9 will have a similar style to previous releases, but will be much more streamlined. This is clear as the browser visually lacks buttons such as Favorites, Get More Add-Ons and Suggested Sites. These options are most likely still lurking around, however, they appear to be removed from the main UI.

Along with the image the Russian site also referenced the use of a new navigation bar and “tear-off tabs”. The new navigation bar will use a simplified approach to leave more room for the pictures and words on the screen. The tear-off tabs will be a means to enhance support for side-by-side web viewing.

“Often a task must open several Web pages or screens," reads the site. "Advanced tabs in combination with Windows Aero Snap is a quick way to display two or two-page spread. To do this, simply drag the page in different screen and will appear next to each other. Reproduction of content sites and video are not violated.”

The final version of IE9 could look very different from what the leaked image displays, but it does show us the direction Microsoft is taking in developing the browser. More information will be released at Microsoft’s beta launch event this coming September 15th.

Apple has invested heavily in its touchscreen technology and to-date has some of the best devices utilizing this function. Still, its use has mainly been implemented in portable devices such as the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone. This appears likely to change as a touch screen iMac is reportedly being developed.

The evidence comes from a PCT Application in which an iMac is shown supporting both a touch-screen interface and standard mouse configuration. The means to switch between the two appears to be done either via the adjustable flex base, or sensor. This will allow the screen to function as a touchscreen when positioned at an upward tilt, but when the screen is positioned vertically a mouse and keyboard can be used. This will enhance the end-user's interaction with their iMac, however, it will also allow it to work better with programs designed exclusively for touchscreen devices.

Additionally, the touch-screen design seems likely for Apple’s MacBook line. This might seem redundant with the iPad on the market, but it instead would service as a means to enhance both types of computing. There are programs such as word processing, photo editing and other standard work applications which are better suited for standard peripherals, so, with the ability to switch back and forth on-the-fly, it could greatly enhance the MacBook’s ease of use.

These products are still too far off to know any internal specifications or time frame for release, but when more info becomes available we will be sure to bring it to you.

In an effort to expand their security arsenal, Intel has just announced the acquisition of McAfee Inc, for approximately $7.68 billion. The total amount paid for the company really highlights Intel’s interest to enter into the security industry, as they paid $48 per share, which was $18 dollars above McAfee’s share value.

After the deal finalizes, McAfee and its 6,100 employees will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Intel Corporation. This is not necessarily a bad thing though -- anti-virus programs are notorious for being resource hogs, and now with their combined knowledge of both hardware and software, they could create a better optimized and more efficient anti-virus utility.

When Microsoft released their emergency patch to address the Windows shortcut link flaw, they made it available only to those using a supported version of Windows. Essentially, this cuts out anyone who has yet to update to XP SP3 or higher.

While the majority of users are running a supported version of Windows, there are for whatever reason many people who have chosen not to update. So, for anyone out there hesitant to update to SP3 or install Windows 7, there is a hack available for you.

According to Sean Sullivan, a security adviser with F-Secure, if you edit the ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows,’ registry key's DWORD value ‘CSDVersion‘ from 200 to 300 then reboot, you will trick your OS into believing SP3 is installed. Once SP3 is recognized your PC will have full access to the security downloads.

The hack has been successfully attempted over at PR News, so it is reported as working. However, it is safer and easier to just update to a supported version of windows.

Microsoft is trying to build hype for an upcoming product, but they are only releasing details one corner at a time. The pictures of the mystery product are being released though Twitter, and are being followed by little clues.

What we know as of now is the product has a black rear panel with the words Microsoft found at the bottom. Additionally, we have a tweet from the account with a clue: ‘Don’t be so touchy…flat is where it’s at.’ We’ll share another glimpse of our upcoming product with you tomorrow.”

The majority of speculation on the devices says this is Microsoft’s tablet PC, but it has also been speculated to be a phone, Zune player, touch pad or even a mouse.

So, we are not entirely sure yet what this “touchy” and “flat” device is, but we will bring you all the updates and let you know what Microsoft has in store.

Microsoft released an emergency patch today, in response to the Windows shortcut link (.LNK), or Windows Shell Vulnerability.

The flaw affects all Windows based operating systems and allows for remote code execution if a specific shortcut icon is displayed. If successfully exploited, a hacker would have full access to your system and would have the same user rights as those of the affected system. With this being the case, Microsoft has stated users without administrative privileges will be less affected if their system is compromised.

The vulnerability was first reported in mid-June by a small security firm called VirusBlokAda. Even with the firm releasing details of the flaw in June, it was not until July Microsoft admitted there were attacks exploiting the vulnerability.

This is considered a critical flaw, affecting all Windows based operating systems, but only users of supported versions will be getting a patch. This means anyone using XP SP2 or prior will just have to live with the vulnerability or upgrade.

If you haven’t installed the patch yet, click here to be linked to the download page, or grab it through Windows Update.