September 17, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk
Windows 8 on a laptop in-depth preview by batteryfast.co.uk Windows 8 on a laptop in-depth preview by batteryfast.co.uk
curve, if it would get in the way while we tried to go about business as usual. So how’s that working out for us? Suffice to say, we’re not in Kansas anymore, so find your most comfortable chair and meet us after the break — we’ve got oh-so many details to delve into. Windows 8 Developer Preview (user interface and settings)
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ess than 24 hours after it went live on Microsoft’s site, Steve Ballmer reported a whopping 500,000 downloads of Windows 8 Developer Preview. That’s half a million copies, if not eager Windows fans. Well, you can count us among them. Although we were treated to some private hands-on time with a tablet optimized for the OS, we hadn’t, until now, had a chance to use it on a laptop — i.e., the computing environment where we spend most of our time, and the one where we’re most used to seeing Windows, in particular.
For the past three days, we’ve been doing just that: getting acquainted with Windows 8 using the good ‘ol mouse-and-keyboard combo. And while that might read like a redundant statement (what recent version of Windows hasn’t accommodated a cursor?), Win 8 is a peculiar breed — It’s the first version of the operating system where finger input wasn’t an afterthought, but a first-class citizen. It’s clear that this time around, Windows is optimized for touch, but we had to wonder if that Windows Phone-inspired UI would present a steep learning
Return to top First off, this is not a review. It might look like one, it might even be longer than one, but it’s nevertheless not a review. Our goal here is to do a deep dive on what it’s like to use Windows 8 on a laptop — something, obviously, that we’ve never done, but have been waiting to do for quite some time. And, as much as we have to say on the topic, this won’t be the last you’ll hear from us. We’ll be following Windows 8 as it incubates, and will reserve full judgment until the final version ships — presumably, a year from now or more. Secondly, you’ll notice we were pretty thorough here. Rest assured, we didn’t do this for nitpicking’s sake, but out of respect for the fact that Windows 8 is a big deal — not least because it’s a stark departure from the Windows you’re used to. When we point out bugs or limited functionality, we don’t mean it as a “gotcha!” moment. We never expected the developer preview to have the spit and polish of a final build, and we earnestly believe Microsoft’s going to iron out many of these kinks over the next year. We’re going into gross detail because we want to do the OS justice and, well, many of you are curious about such things. So without further ado, let’s do this.
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/windows-8-on-a-laptop-in-depth-preview-by-batteryfast-co-uk/
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September 17, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk Windows 8 on a laptop in-depth preview by batteryfast.co.uk
User interface
See Also: Installation Whether you download now or wait a year for the final version to drop, you’ll enjoy a clean, in-place installation on top of Windows 7. Just know, though, that if you decide to give this early build a whirl, you’ll find that after you download the .iso file of your choice (it’s available in 32- and 64-bit flavors), you’ll need to burn that image onto a DVD or load it onto a bootable flash drive. Even over the relatively speedy network in AOL’s New York headquarters, downloading the 3.6GB file (64-bit, no developer tools) took about an hour. If you opt for the 32-bit version, expect a 2.8GB file (the 64-bit version with tools totals 4.8GB). To make things that much easier for ya, hit the source link at the bottom of this preview to survey your options.
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WIndows 8 Developer Build installation For the purposes of this preview, we tossed a 64-bit build onto an HP Pavilion dv6t, a machine configured earlier this year with a 2.3GHz Core i5-2410M processor, 6GB of RAM, a 7,200RPM hard drive and the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium. Once we got that hefty download squared away, the installation took 35 minutes, during which time our PC restarted multiple times. Before we hit the install button, we clicked through the requisite EULA, submitted to a quick compatibility check and confirmed that we did, indeed, want to preserve our user accounts and files. Once it was all over, we set up our WiFi network and skipped the part where we could have handed over our Windows Live account credentials (we ended up doing that later). After little more than half an hour, we were up and running, and had to do very little along the way to make that happen.
The first time we caught a glimpse of Windows 8, we were as blown away as any of you by how pretty it was. So many of us had been aching to see something resembling Windows Phone come to life on a larger screen, and here it was, this tablet-friendly OS that might just help Microsoft narrow the tablet gap with the likes of Apple and Google. And yet, we always imagined that when it came to laptops, the traditional desktop — not the Metro-style UI — would anchor the experience. That we could shoo away the live tiles when we felt like getting real work done, using the apps we’ve grown used to. As it turns out, even on a laptop the user experience is rooted in that Metro-inspired layout, and ignoring it isn’t an option. We first realized this when we clicked the Start Menu, wanting to search for some app or file. Instead, clicking Start whisks you straight into Metro-land. We can’t overstate how huge this is. We avail ourselves of the search bar in Windows 7 about as often as we Google miscellaneous tidbits. It’s something we do unconsciously at this point, and while we did start to master the learning curve after just a few hours of hands-on time, we felt ourselves making a concerted effort to circumvent the problem using keyboard shortcuts. In fact, this might be a good time to mention that you’ll be using shortcuts a lot in Windows 8 — so-
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/windows-8-on-a-laptop-in-depth-preview-by-batteryfast-co-uk/
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September 17, 2011
batteryfast.co.uk Windows 8 on a laptop in-depth preview by batteryfast.co.uk
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metimes out of necessity, and sometimes to compensate for what would otherwise be a tedious ordeal of leaping from the desktop to lives tiles and back. After sampling several shortcuts, we decided our favorite way to search for something is to click the Start button and then, once you’re inside the Metro UI, simply start typing. You don’t need to start typing inside a search field, mind you, but once you start writing you’ll see one appear on the right side of the screen. Other ways to circumvent the search conundrum include pressing Ctrl-F or (a more circuitous option) hitting Ctrl-C to bring up the settings menu on the desktop, where you’ll find system search, among other things. In other scenarios, too, the OS feels shockingly unfamiliar. It’s not obvious enough how to shut down the PC or put it to sleep. You can’t press the Escape key to exit programs, although you can use it to leave the Start screen and return to the app you were last using. To leave an app, you have to press the Start button — a process not unlike tapping the home button on a phone to minimize what ever app you have open. Funny how something that’s become second nature for us on the mobile side feels so unnatural when we try it on a desktop. And yet, as alien as Windows 8 seemed at times, we often felt charmed. There’s the inviting lock screen, for one — customizable to your heart’s delight. The log-in page has gotten a face lift, as have the simplified Control Panel, Task Manager, Windows Explorer and even the onscreen volume bar that appears if you press your laptop’s volume or mute buttons. In particular, we loved seeing our home screen grow more and more personal as we began to configure Twitter, our RSS feed, Facebook and our preferred weather location. It’s precisely this slick UI and personalization that’s left so many of us Engadget editors enchanted by Windows Phone, and despite Windows 8s steep learning curve, we’re glad these things made a cameo in Windows.
Web browsing
This early build comes with a preview of IE10. Though it looks glossier on the Metro side and more like Internet Explorer’s old self on the desktop, it’s the same version. (However! Only the desktop version will support Flash, Adobe confirmed to us.) In our tests, we found they loaded webpages at a comparable pace. You could, in theory, have IE open on both the desktop and Metro-inspired side, and each instance of the browser would have its own open tabs. The two don’t talk to each other so if you migrated from the desktop to tiles and then opened IE, the blog post you left open on the desktop side wouldn’t follow you. What’s more, IE looks and feels slightly different on each side, which means the shortcuts aren’t identical either. For instance, pressing Start-Z brings up a list of open tabs on the Metro side, but that’s obviously not necessary on the desktop, we’re all of your tabs are already visible. What we’re getting at here is that this is another instance where migrating back and forth between two different interfaces can feel disorienting. CloudTag: Windows 8 , laptop , in-depth , samsung SB-LSM80 battery , sony NP-FH100 battery , JVC BNVF707 battery , Sony np-f960 battery
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/windows-8-on-a-laptop-in-depth-preview-by-batteryfast-co-uk/
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batteryfast.co.uk
September 17, 2011
Windows 8 on a laptop in-depth preview by batteryfast.co.uk
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