Get your copy of Windows 8 before it is too late

While it’s easy to hate on Windows 8, it’s time to stop muttering about the changes and buy the upgrade before it gets way more expensive.

Windows 8 has sold more than 60 million licences to date, but Microsoft has not revealed how many of these copies have been activated. Still, these are generally good numbers, and it is keeping pace with initial Windows 7 sales. Microsoft has invested a lot of time and money into Windows 8 and will continue to update the software to make it run better.

1. The base price of Windows 8 will jump 300 percent on Feb. 1

As noted in the intro, the cost of Windows 8 goes up substantially soon. On Feb. 1, a licence of Windows 8 Pro jumps from $40 to $200. Microsoft is also offering a less feature-packed version of Windows 8 on that date for $120. So you can get the best possible version of the software now for $40, or you can pay $120 later and get fewer features.

2. You don’t have to install it now

Another compelling reason to spend that $40 now? Purchasing the Windows 8 update doesn’t mean you actually have to install it. Windows 8 is a 2GB download, and you can simply leave it on your desktop for whenever you feel like updating. But since the price jump happens on Feb. 1, you have an incentive to at least buy it now and upgrade it later after more updates are added.

3. Windows 8 will make your computer faster

Microsoft hasn’t done an amazing job of communicating this, but Windows 8 has a lot of under-the-hood improvements that will make your laptop or desktop run faster. An extensive study by PCMag indicated much faster bootup times, higher benchmark scores, and speedier web browsing. Basically, Windows 8 can make a big difference in the performance department — even on some old PCs.

4. Windows 8 is not the monster you think it is

We’ve been a little harsh on Windows 8 at times. We have a few Strange thoughts about the OS as a whole and think some average users will hate the changes. But while the OS is clearly designed with touch in mind, you can use the OS on a desktop PC or laptop as long as you mostly work out of the desktop. You can also install a Start button replacement like Pokki or RetroUI.

5. Windows 8 apps have a ton of potential

Although it might be good to avoid the Start screen much of the time and work out of the desktop, eventually Windows 8 will have lots of compelling full-screen apps. Some great apps are already in the store, and more will be coming down the pipeline as more people use Windows 8.

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Blowfish12@2013 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R. Courtesy: PCMag

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Top 10 Email Providers 2013

Electronic mail, commonly referred to as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients.

Lets see a list of top 10 email providers of the year 2013

• Gmail


• Yahoo! Mail


• Windows Live Mail


• Rediff.com India Ltd


• GMX


• Mail.com


• Care2


• iVillage


• Fastmail


• canada.com

“Ranking powered by alexa.com”

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Blowfish12@2012-13 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R.

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[Shortcuts] List of Shortcuts on Windows 8

Press this	To do this
Windows logo key‌ +start typing	Search your PC
Ctrl+plus (+) or Ctrl+minus (-)	Zoom in or out of a large number of items, like apps pinned to the Start screen
Ctrl+scroll wheel	Zoom in or out of a large number of items, like apps pinned to the Start screen
Windows logo key‌ +C	Open the charms
Windows logo key‌ +F	Open the Search charm to search files
Windows logo key‌ +H	Open the Share charm
Windows logo key‌ +I	Open the Settings charm
Windows logo key‌ +J	Switch the main app and snapped app
Windows logo key‌ +K	Open the Devices charm
Windows logo key‌ +O	Lock the screen orientation (portrait or landscape)
Windows logo key‌ +Q	Open the Search charm to search apps
Windows logo key‌ +W	Open the Search charm to search settings
Windows logo key‌ +Z	Show the commands available in the app
Windows logo key‌ +spacebar	Switch input language and keyboard layout
Windows logo key‌ +Ctrl+spacebar	Change to a previously selected input
Windows logo key‌ +Tab	Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps)
Windows logo key‌ +Ctrl+Tab	Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps) and snap them as they are cycled
Windows logo key‌ +Shift+Tab	Cycle through open apps (except desktop apps) in reverse order
Windows logo key‌ +PgUp	Move the Start screen and apps to the monitor on the left (Apps in the desktop won’t change monitors)
Windows logo key‌ +PgDown	Move the Start screen and apps to the monitor on the right (apps in the desktop won’t change monitors)
Windows logo key‌ +Shift+period (.)	Snaps an app to the left
Windows logo key‌ +period (.)	Snaps an app to the right

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Blowfish12@2012 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R. Courtesy By: Windows

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Death to widgets: Microsoft could kill desktop gadgets in Windows 8

There was a time when desktop widgets were supposed to be the next big thing. Fortunately, in our post-PC world, those times are long gone.

Microsoft, too, is catching up with our anti-widget times with its plan to nix desktop gadgets in Windows 8, according to Win8china, which says that the latest build of the operating system lacks the functionality.

Desktop widget are designed to offer users a variety of information— weather, the time, photos galleries — in a dedicated, desktop-pinned space. The problem is that the functionality tends to take up a lot of invaluable desktop space, even when the software isn’t hogging a computer’s processor.

That Microsoft would remove the feature isn’t surprising in the slightest. For one, desktop widgets are about as far from the anti-desktop Metro interface as you can get, a reality Microsoft no doubt realizes.

The company, however, isn’t commenting either way on the report. ”We currently do not have any more to share about this topic,” a Microsoft spokesperson

Microsoft’s reluctance to spill the beans on the move is a bit strange, seeing as how the company hasn’t been shy so far about removing features from Windows that don’t fit with its new Metro-fied philosophy. Another recent high-profile removal is the Start button, which Microsoft killed because so few Windows users have been running applications from it. Clearly, no Windows feature is safe.

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Blowfish12@2012 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R.

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• Unless Microsoft pulls an Apple, they won't bet the company on Windows 8 - ZDNet (blog) (zdnet.com)


• Will Microsoft redefine the industry with Windows 8 and the Surface Pro? (gizmag.com)


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The other Windows 8 hits some snags

Microsoft knew that the RT version of Windows 8 was going to face higher hurdles than the tried-and-true Intel version.

Don't be surprised if the other version of Windows 8 -- you know, the one that doesn't run on Intel chips -- stumbles out of the gate.

We got a taste of this on Friday when Hewlett-Packard confirmed that it won't offer a Windows RT tablet this year.

I heard about these issues in May when a little birdie told me about problems with RT and Qualcomm and Texas Instruments at PC makers. And I wrote at the time (May 15) that HP's Qualcomm-chip based tablet "may not happen this year."

(So, just to be clear. The RT version of Windows 8 runs on ARM chips from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments and will not have the backward compatibility of Intel-based Windows 8.)

Whether these issues are PC company-specific or chipmaker-specific or RT-specific or a combination of all three isn't clear.

But Patrick Moorhead, president of Moor Insights & Strategy, told me this week that one ARM chipmaker is making more progress than the others.

Nvidia -- which by no coincidence is in Microsoft's RT Surface tablet -- is ahead of the other two ARM guys because it has a long history of working with Windows drivers, among other reasons, according to Moorhead.

There are broader issues too, though. Microsoft, by design, is wading slowly into new Windows waters: RT is the first mainstream version of Windows to run on ARM chips.

How cautious is Microsoft? As I wrote in May, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments were initially assigned two "slots" each for devices. "ARM is restricted to two designs each, meaning six total initial designs," said a source at the time.

One of those slots was for the Qualcomm-based HP device, referenced above.

So, Microsoft is obviously worried about quality control, which means issues, possibly major ones, are inevitable.

A best-case scenario is a staggered release of RT tablets, laptops, and hybrids. With some versions, e.g., those based on Nvidia chips, probably appearing earlier than others.

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Blowfish12@2012 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R.

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Why Microsoft killed start button on Windows 8

Do you use the Start button in Windows? If not, then you're supposedly the reason Microsoft got rid of it in Windows 8.

Chaitanya Sareen, principal program manager at Microsoft, told U.K. computer publication PC Pro that data indicated a decrease in the use of the Start button. Citing "telemetry" obtained by the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program, Sareen said the company found more users relying on the Windows taskbar for pinning and accessing their favorite software instead of going through the Start menu.

As a result of the reportedly dramatic drop in Start menu usage, Microsoft felt the time was ripe to do something with the old-fashioned menu -- "to revive it, to give it some new identity, give it some new power."

So apparently, Microsoft cooked up the new Metro Start screen, feeling it would provide that sense of power. Of course, the Start screen has proved to be perhaps the most controversial and debated feature of Windows 8. For people who choose to steer clear of the Metro screen, Sareen seems to feel the taskbar can do all the work.

"So I'm a desktop user, I pin the browser, Explorer, whatever my apps are," Sareen told PC Pro. "I don't go [to] the Start menu as often. If you're going to the Start screen now, we're going to unlock a whole new set of scenarios, or you can choose not to go there, stay in the desktop, and it's still fast. You can't beat the taskbar."

Sareen also played up the keyboard, claiming that Windows 8 users are opening apps via keyboard shortcuts as an alternative to the old Start menu. And amid complaints that Windows 8 is geared more for touch-screen tablets than PCs, Sareen says the OS "really works well with the mouse and keyboard."

Hmm, where do I start? Microsoft clearly continues to feel pressure to justify its decision to kill off the Start button. The company has received a lot of feedback via its Building Windows 8 blogand other resources, a fair amount from PC users unhappy over the changes.

But based on the comments from Sareen, Microsoft just seems to be out of touch with its users.

First, I agree that the taskbar is a great way to access your favorite software. I pin about 10 of my most frequently used programs on the taskbar. There's space for several more. But I don't want to crowd it with too many icons, otherwise I won't have enough room to switch between open applications.

So, what happens when I need to launch other programs, the ones I don't use as often? I've installed dozens and dozens of applications in Windows, and there are many I use once or twice a week or a few times a month. The most convenient way for me to open those is through the Start menu.

Second, the Start screen may be fine for Metro apps. But it's inefficient for launching desktop programs if you're primarily working in the desktop. Here are two scenarios: one under Windows 7 and one under Windows 8.

Windows 7: I'm working in the desktop and want to launch Adobe Photoshop, a program I use only occasionally. I click on the Start button, open the folder for Adobe Suite, and select the shortcut for Photoshop. Clean, simple, and quick.

Windows 8: I'm working in the desktop and want to launch Adobe Photoshop. Since I use it only occasionally, I don't have it set up as a desktop or taskbar icon. I press the Windows key or click the thumbnail in the lower right hot corner to launch the Metro Start screen. I hunt for the tile for Photoshop, assuming I decided to keep it on the Start screen. If not, then I have to open the Apps screen to locate the software. Finally, I find and click on its tile. Windows then brings me back to the desktop to launch Photoshop. Huh? How is that more efficient or more powerful?

So my choices are either to keep bouncing between the Start screen and the desktop each time I want to open an infrequently used desktop program, or set up dozens and dozens of shortcuts on my desktop for virtually every program I use.

Finally, there's something about Microsoft basing its decisions on "telemetry" that bothers me.

How many users participate in the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program? And who are they? Average users? Power users? Using data to help make decisions is fine. But at some point, you have trust your own instincts and listen to the direct feedback from users, even if they disagree with you.

To me, it wouldn't seem like a big deal if Microsoft were to reinstate the traditional Start button in Windows 8. It's certainly technically doable, and it would help users feel more comfortable with the new operating system. But if the company keeps relying on its telemetry, then the chances of that happening are probably slim at best.

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Blowfish12@2012 blowfish12.tk Author: Sudharsun. P. R.

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