Windows 8, Fully Formed
The new Windows is here. Windows 8 is a
dramatic departure from Windows 7, blowing up the Start menu into a
vibrant Start Screen that's electric with activity and well suited for
touch devices like tablets. Despite some inconsistencies (particularly
with the traditional desktop, which still exists), the new interface is
powerful, fast and convenient.
Charms
Wherever you are in the system, you can always
call up the "Charms" from the right side -- a set of top-level commands
that include Start, Search, Share, Devices and Settings.
Sharing
Microsoft re-defined how apps communicate with
each other, letting you share from any app that enables it. This is how
sharing from the Netflix app looks, but the same functionality exists
in most other apps with shareable content, calling up a similar list of
sharing services.
Snap View
Snap is kind of the new minimize, letting you
put two apps side by side with one of them shrunk to a vertical column.
It's useful when the app is well suited to a scrolling list, like Bing.
Desktop Oddities
Although the desktop still exists in Windows
8, the new UI is ever-present. It makes for some odd mash-ups, like this
modern-looking Wi-Fi settings menu. Other functions call up traditional
dialogs.
Windows Store
The Windows Store has the same clean look and feel as other modern-UI apps, although it could use more big-name apps.
New York Times App
The New York Times app mirrors the look
of Microsoft's news apps, with a horizontal scroll of stories you can
naturally swipe through. The swiping works much better with a
touchscreen, since on a touchpad swipe tends to take you too far ahead
or back.
Rowi Twitter Client
Here's how a Twitter client looks in Windows 8. Twitter has said it's working on its own Windows 8 app.
Syncing Via the Cloud
One powerful feature of Windows 8 is your
identity is portable -- if you have a Microsoft ID, you can log in to
another Windows 8 PC, and it'll import your settings via the cloud,
effectively becoming your PC. You can even download your own apps to the
new machine once you authorize it.
