ABC News App for Windows 8 Now Available in Microsoft Store 

Oct. 25, 2012 — -- Not only is Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system launching today, but so is ABC News' very own Windows 8 app.

The free app will be available in the Microsoft Store under the News section starting today. It will be supported on Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, and Windows RT tablets and computers.

Designed similarly to our iPad app, you will get different layouts and news based on the time of the day it is with AM, Midday and Evening Editions. But the app also takes advantage of some of Windows 8's gestures and features. Swipe down and it will reveal a horizontal list of our coverage areas, including politics, health, business and technology news. Pinch the tiles and you will get a bird's eye view of the content. The app also supports a snap view for when you decide to put another app to the side of it.

"We decided to take the idea of our iPad app and what we have learned about tablet use and bring it to Windows 8 tablets and computers," Doug Vance, VP of Product Development at ABC News, explained. "It's a new platform, but when you think about how many Windows PCs are out there, we wanted to have a real presence as soon as Windows 8 was released to the public."

ABC has also released its own app, which brings popular shows like Revenge, Castle, Modern Family and others to Windows 8 tablets.

Early reviews of Windows 8 devices, including ours of the Microsoft Surface, criticized the new platform for not having a wide enough selection of apps. "We have a whole team that works with third party developers to make apps," Julie Larson-Green, a VP on the Windows team, told ABC News in an exclusive video interview. It is expected that many popular apps will be announced over the next few days as Windows 8 computers and tablets finally go on sale.