The guys over at Splashtop have brought in the Win8 Metro Testbed app for the iPad. This should come as good news for app developers as the offering could save them the additional bucks needed to get hold of a pricey Windows 8-powered tablet for testing purposes. For that matter, technology enthusiasts armed with Apple’s 9.4-inch slate can also dabble in Microsoft’s Windows 8 environment.
Developers should be able to check native touch gestures on the Metro UI while coding and putting together apps for the upcoming version of Windows. The interface is said to give them the ability to swipe from the right to bring the Charms Menu into view. Additionally, swiping from the left facilitates seamlessly switching applications.
“Since Apple’s App Store generates over 80% of all tablet app revenue, nearly every software developer that writes apps for tablets has an iPad,” observes Mark Lee, Splashtop CEO and co-founder. “With Windows 8 Metro expected to ship on over 400 million new PCs and tablets annually, these developers have high expectations for an enormous new market. Splashtop lets them turn their iPad into a development testbed to evaluate touch gestures and functionality of their app in a Windows 8 environment.”
In addition to the aforementioned features, swiping downwards brings up additional menus on the screen. And when the same gesture is applied to an item, it results in a selection command. Pinching movements referred to as ‘Semantic Zoom’ could be used to navigate through applications, folders, files, data and various other things, more conveniently.
The Win8 Metro Testbed price amounts to $49.99. However the company is currently offering it at a promotional price of $24.99. The app is now available for download from the App Store.