Microsoft officially launched its new Windows 8.1 preview and those eager to give it a try can now do so for free.

Windows 8 Preview is the first public beta of Microsoft's next version of Windows and, in many ways, it gives the company a chance to right some wrongs in Windows 8.

First of all, Windows 8.1 Preview brings back the Start button and allows users to boot right into desktop, proving that Microsoft was not all that oblivious to its users' requests and complaints.

Microsoft unveiled Windows 8.1 Preview at its Build 2013 conference on Wednesday, June 26. While the new software is free for anyone who wants to try it out, there's a trick: the company promised an .iso version of the preview, but for now Windows 8.1 is available only through the Windows Store. This means that the new preview version of Windows 8.1 is in fact available only to Windows 8 and Windows RT users.

Windows 8.1 Preview is not just a service pack, it actually brings several new features and looks like what Windows 8 should have been. Although it's just a beta, the preview seems far more usable than the original version.

Start Screen

When it comes to the Start screen, Microsoft finally added some neat new features to make it more useful. Users can now rearrange apps, including multiple apps simultaneously, in a much easier manner, and they can also make app tiles either smaller or larger than before. The Start menu also gets some interesting animated backgrounds or, if the user prefers, the same background can serve for both the desktop and the start screen.

New Search Tool

Windows 8.1 also brings along a new integrated search tool that can now search for far more than just files and settings. The new tool is universal, meaning that it now searches for results online (via Bing), in the user's hard drive, SkyDrive, within documents, as well as in apps that support the feature. It may not sound like much, but it's a big step forward.

Deep SkyDrive Integration

SkyDrive is the almighty cloud for Windows 8.1, and the new version of the software sports a deep integration with the service. This means that users no longer need a separate app to sync their files with SkyDrive, Windows 8.1 will do that automatically. It will also store many of the PC settings, which should allow for a familiar experience even when logging in to a new PC. Not every file, however, will be automatically synced to every device, but most files will be available once opened on a PC.

It's also worth noting that Windows 8.1 Preview's SkyDrive app now boasts basic photo editing, offering filters and a smart color enhancement feature that allows users to make their pics more vivid and colorful.

Windows 8.1 also brings an updated settings menu, a Windows Store more focused on content discovery rather than categories, and other useful updates that wash away some of Windows 8's sins. If you tried Windows 8 and felt puzzled and/or disappointed, this preview version might fix some of those issues and provide a better experience. Try it out and let us know.