Microsoft has opened up the Windows Store to app submissions from developers in 120 ‘markets’ before the general availability of Windows 8 on October 26.

Microsoft has more than doubled the number of countries where developers are able to submit applications to the Windows Store.

According to a post on the Windows Store for developers blog, Microsoft has added markets at every major Windows 8 development milestone, and a further 82 markets have now been added to the list of supported countries and regions in the Windows Store consumer markets.

Microsoft has also announced some extra benefits for MSDN and DreamSpark subscribers. All eligible MSDN subscribers will now receive a free, one-year Windows Store developer account as part of their MSDN benefits.

Subscribers to Microsoft’s DreamSpark program for students also have the subscription fee waived.

You can find out more here: https://appdev.microsoft.com/StorePortals/

There is also the small matter of what to call such apps.

Microsoft is still silent on what term we are supposed to use for WinRT apps now that the Metro name is being removed from history. If you look at the documentation then you will find them referred to as "Modern Apps" but the Windows Store refers to them as "Windows Store Apps". Perhaps Modern Apps are just WinRT apps and Windows Store Apps are anything that you can sell in the Windows Store - logical but lacking clarity.