There have been rumours floating about what all Microsoft's next operating system will have.

However, most of these have been mere speculations. For the first time this week Microsoft publicly demoed Windows 7 at D: All Things Digital conference in California. The high point of the new OS, called Windows 7 presently, is the "multi-touch" interface.

Other than, the touchy feely look, the demo also showed a user manipulating photos, browsing a map and playing an onscreen piano with simple one and two-finger taps and gestures.

Windows 7 is likely to hit the market in late 2009 or early 2010. Here's looking into all the new additions that are likely to form part of Windows 7.

Touch-screen

Windows 7 will be made for iPhone-like touch-screen applications, an alternative to the computer mouse. This means that users will be able to control the next version of Microsoft Windows with touch controls.

Microsoft showed a new application called "Touchable Paint" that lets a user paint with their fingers, as well as software to organise photos or navigate maps by touch.

Company Chairman Bill Gates framed the new feature as an evolution away from the mouse. The ability to use touch to give users fingertip control of their screens could help revolutionise how computer desktops and mobile phones are controlled and would be an alternative to existing mice, keyboard and pen-based user controls.

Microsoft is seeking to one-up Apple, which made touch-screen software central to the success of its iPhone mobile device, which combines computer, phone and Web features and has sold around 6 million units in its first 11 months.

Live Photos

With Windows 7, Microsoft hopes to create a more life-like photo experience. As per the demo, new photo applications developed for Windows 7 will allow users to arrange and examine photos as they would on a table.

It will also allow users to write, rotate or zoom them. There also seems option of 3D slideshow, grid and scatter views.

Mapping app!

Another feature is the mapping app that seems to have modified from the Microsoft's Surface, a device for interacting with large tabletop computer displays, team's own Concierge application.

Like Concierge, it calls up data from Windows Live Local and Microsoft Virtual Earth.

Graphic advances

Sessions of Microsoft's Professional Developer Conference, scheduled for October, also throws some light on the new operating system.

As per the session details, Windows 7 will enable users to advance the graphics capabilities of their applications while carrying forward existing investments in their Win32 codebase, including GDI and GDI+.

New enhancements to DirectX will help Win32 applications harness the latest innovations in GPUs and LCD displays, including support for scalable, high-performance, 2D and 3D graphics, text, and images.