Monday, November 12, 2012

Microsoft's Windows 8 Worth The Hype?



Microsoft's Windows 8  Worth The Hype?

Windows 8 is finally here and it brings several changes to the table. Some cool new features, unexpected disappointments and some of the great new hardware designs on offer

5 Great New Features

The Ribbon The Explorer menu bar uses the 'Ribbon' interface that was first introduced with Office 2007. The 'Ribbon' only shows relevant tools depending upon your menu selection, making it easy to access various functions.

Windows To Go

This feature lets you make a copy of your Windows 8 PC (settings, files, apps and so on) on a USB drive. Connect the USB drive to any Windows 8 PC and it will boot up with your personalised settings and show all your files/apps — as if it was your own computer.
Touch Optimised

Microsoft has done a wonderful job with the touch optimisation of the user interface. The large tiles, gesture support and full screen apps make Windows 8 great to use with a touchscreen.

Charms
'Charms' appear on the right side of the desktop. Using these, you can access all your connected devices, settings as well as search or share quickly from anywhere in the computer.

Live Syncing
You can login to your Windows 8 desktop using your Windows Live ID. If you login to any other Windows 8 computer or tablet, all personalisation settings will automatically be synced. 5

Unforseen Disappointments


No Start Menu

As the start menu is replaced with the Metro styled Start screen with Live Tiles, it requires a slight learning curve. People used to the start menu from so many years of PC usage might not like that its gone.

Hidden Shutdown
 To shut down, you have to open the Charms bar and go to settings to access the power options for Shutdown or restart - a pain compared to Windows 7's two-step shutdown process.

Limited Start Screen Multitasking
start screen offers a feature called snap that lets you place two apps side by side on a single screen. However, many users will feel limited with just two apps side-by-side.
Multiple Control Panels

Controls are spread across the OS in WIndows 8. You have the classic control panel, then a settings screen for the start screen and a separate control panel on the Charms bar too.

Junk Tiles on the Start Screen
Everytime you install an app, it is automatically added to the Start Screen as a tile. This leads to a lot of junk tiles on the start screen making it cumbersome to navigate. You have the option to remove tiles, but doing so for every app/driver you install is irritating. Our Take

    Windows 8 heralds a number of changes that will impact the way you use your computer. The new touchoptimised start screen is the most visible change — it replaces the traditional start menu. On a non touch device, getting accustomed to it might take a while, but on a touch device it is a joy to use, thanks to gestures. The underlying explorer interface has undergone its share of changes too. You get the Ribbon menu bar interface, Charms bar, a new file copy progress bar, improved search and a revamped control panel. The boot and load times for Windows 8 are much faster than Windows 7 as well. Thanks to the integrated Windows Store it is easy to access various free and paid apps for your system as well as keep them updated. So should you upgrade? Yes, especially considering that all users of Windows 7 (in any state) can head to www.windowsupgradeoffer.com and get great deals on the upgrade.

Quick Tip

If you want to get the older start menu back, you can install a free app called 'Startmenu8' from http://goo.gl/lLw4h. The app puts a start button on the taskbar and allows easy switching between the start screen and desktop.


You can create your own app group on the start screen to sort apps. Just drag an app tile to an empty space on the right side and it will create a new group that you can individually name.

Windows 8 comes with a built-in tool for a clean re-installation of the OS. Open PC settings > General and select the option to 'Reset your PC and start over'. This will remove all existing data and reset your PC — you don't need to insert the installation DVD or USB
Karan BajajET121107

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