Windows Blue May Include Multitasking App View

Windows Blue will include new "Snap Views" that allow users to place up to four apps next to each other in Windows 8 view, similar to multitasking views that Windows supported with previous versions of Windows, according to the website The Verge, which said an early build had been available through several file sharing sites.

Users can also access new networking and apps sections that give users more control over things such as VPN settings and how much storage apps take up.

[Related: Microsoft Surface Beats Apple iPad In CRN Reader Poll ]

A host of new touch gestures and options is also now available, including the ability to swipe up from the Start Screen to bring up a list of all available apps, according to the report.

The next version of Internet Explorer, IE 11, could also be available with Windows Blue, which included it in the leaked build, and it may "disguise itself as Firefox," according to Geek.com, because one leaked screen indicates that IE will tell users that it's a Gecko-powered browser like Mozilla's Firefox.

Build 9364 of Windows Blue also adds several new apps including an alarm and calculator, embedded within the OS, according to Mashable.

Microsoft hasn't issued a release date for Windows Blue, but reports suggest it will be released later this year.

PUBLISHED, MARCH 25, 2013