Good morning, this is my first tech review in quite some time, so I will try to be as in depth as possible, but this is my initial impression after working with Windows 8 for the past 8 hours. I have already been using certain aspects of Windows 8 for quite some time - Office 2013 (Powerpoint, Word and Excel), but I will include that in a separate review.
Please note that this review is solely based on my experience with my computer. My computer is only 5 months old, with mid to top specs - 17" Dell, Intel i5 Dual Core, 8GB ram, Blu-Ray player, etc, running Windows 7 Pro. I feel that this OS (Operating system) has rendered my PC obsolete, without the screen touch capabilities many of the actions are very tedious. However, even if I had a touch screen, there are so many bugs that I would recommend a later iteration of the OS.
Also note, I am a previous Windows 7 and 7.5 user, having owned and used HTC HD7, Dell Venue Pro (one of my favorite phones of all time - though it was bulky),
I'm going to break this review up into various sections...
INSTALLATION
Surprisingly, this is the easiest installation of an OS, I've ever performed (of course, back up your entire system before performing any time of operating system upgrade). I opted for the online download, which was $39.99. After downloading the application, it will perform an upgrade check to inform you of various applications which are compatible and which will require to be removed, updated, etc. Nearly all of my applications were able to be transported over without any issues.
START
Using Windows 8, you'll be given different options on how to log-in. You will be given an option to use LIVE log in (Note, you can use your Gmail as a LIVE account - make sure you sign up for a LIVE account prior to installation, if you want to use your Gmail account). You can also use a standard password or a PIN (a 4 digit code) to quickly log online).
OS
The Operating system itself is gorgeous, modern, sleek, with clean lines. However, the utility of the applications can be somewhat frustrating. I'll break down my current frustrations into separate applications:
PEOPLE
This is one of the reasons I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Windows 7 and 7.5 phone operating system. Basically the process is you log onto to you accounts: gmail, hotmail, twitter, facebook, linkedin, outlook (whatever accounts you have) and basically you can "LINK" a persons information together, so under one contact - you can see their twitter account, address, phone number, skype account, birthday, etc. and you can PIN this person to your home page, so whenever this person sends you a message via any type of communication, you will receive a notification and access it directly from the LIVETILE - without ever opening the application.
With all of the things I love about PEOPLE, these features are missing from Windows 8 - the lack of LINKING as well as creating GROUPS is super frustrating and hopefully these will be addressed soon.
SKYPE
Skype is beautiful - streamlined and made just for Windows 8 - but
1) THERE IS NO SIGN-OUT BUTTON
2) Lack of integration with all my contacts - If I'm going to MERGE my accounts - why aren't all my contacts here?!
While the operating system is clean, streamlined, simple things; such as uninstalling an application is no longer readily accessible - due to the fact that the control panel has been removed and there is no START button.
I really want to love Windows 8, like I wanted to love Windows 7 and 7.5 (which lacks basic applications like What's app and RunKeeper, and Yelp - a must for me!) I think Windows 8 is best on a tablet, but who knows, like most things there is a leaning curve and I'll post another update next week.
Mahalo for reading.
Until next time.
