I suspect you might have heard here or there that the Windows 8 Consumer Preview is now available, having been officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress earlier today in Barcelona.

Of course, Windows 8 needs apps! and that's where you come in. Join the developers that already have apps in the Windows 8 store by downloading Visual Studio 11 (and .NET Framework 4.5) beta and ply your skills, whether they be C#, Visual Basic, C++, HTML 5, or JavaScript!

Check out the video below to see Windows 8 in action, and then get started by visiting the Dev Center - Download for developers page, where there are handy links to the Consumer Preview, Visual Studio 11 Express Beta for Windows 8, and a host of other assets, sample apps and developer tools and goodies!