Take a look at Windows 7's touch-screen features

Windows 7 is now available as a 'release candidate' which means that anybody can download it and see how it's going to work.

One of the most interesting features of the new operating system is that users can control it without having to use a keyboard or a mouse. It makes full use of the touch-sensitive screens that are becoming more common on both laptops and desktops so that Windows can be controlled by simply touching a finger to the screen and moving it.

That's not all: it supports what's called multi-touch, which means you can use more than one finger to make 'gestures' on the screen to perform certain tasks. For instance, making a pinching gesture and moving your fingers apart will zoom in on a web page or a picture. Alternatively you can rotate images by holding one finger steady and moving the other in a circular motion.

In our video we are using an HP Touchsmart TX2 laptop with a touch-sensitive screen to demonstrate some of the features.

The release candidate is a fully functioning version of Windows, although it's not the final one, so it will differ from the one that will be released in October.

While anyone can download and use this version it is effectively a trial edition so it will expire and cannot be used after the full version has been released.

Take a look at our earlier preview video for Windows 7.