Business / Technology

Microsoft has been briefing partners on Windows 8 — surprise, surprise — and someone leaked documents to an Italian enthusiast site.

Among the nuggets disclosed is a slide talking about the emphasis on hardware, scoping out potential Windows 8 touchscreen machines with at least five points of contact on screens ranging from 17 to 30 inches.

It also suggests Kinect-like features will be supported by the new OS coming in a few years, including facial recognition systems to identify users and infrared proximity sensors to wake a PC when someone approaches. The sensor would also put the system to sleep when the user leaves the area.

The documents say that tablet-like slate PCs will be a “center of gravity” form factor that will be targeted with Windows 8, along with laptops and all-in-one PCs.

Here’s one of the slides via MSFTKitchen.com: