Innovative Tile-based Touch Screen Interface

A brand new tile-based grid interface, called Metro UI, is the first thing you see after logging into Windows 8. The grid is fully customizable, apps can be added and placed wherever you need them. The coolest feature of the new interface is that the apps will be able to display real-time information without even going into them. For example, if you want to monitor the weather, you could log into Windows 8 and without having to click on anything, you would instantly know the current weather conditions just by looking at your Metro UI.

Windows 8 - Top 5 Reasons To Upgrade

Easy and Improved Windows 8 Updates

Windows 8 is designed to receive updates just like many other mobile operating systems do. You can receive app updates, operating system (OS) updates and other new features directly to your Windows 8 device. Also, Windows has greatly improved the way it handles OS updates. One major improvement is not having to restart the computer nearly as much and bundling multiple updates into one day, which Windows is calling patch Tuesday, instead of getting sporadic updates throughout the week.

Improved Power Management and Fast Startup

Windows 8 powered PCs are designed to boot up faster than any other OS and you can easily manage your startup configuration by simply opening the task manager. Better power management in Windows 8 allows it to consume much less power compared to earlier versions of Windows, which means more up-time for mobile devices and less power consumption for desktops.

Windows Store Apps

Windows 8 metro apps work just like the mobile phone apps but are more fully featured, taking advantage of more advanced desktop computer hardware. Windows 8 is the only operating system that can be used on both your mobile device and your PC.

Windows 8 Charms

A very handy new feature, and my personal favorite, is Windows 8 Charms. The Charms bar gives you easy access to the most important things you need while working with Windows 8 such as search, share, start, devices and PC settings. All you have to do to access the Charms bar is drag the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen on a traditional PC or on a touch-enabled PC you can swipe from the right side of the screen. Regardless of what program or app you are in, you have easy access to all of your settings and devices at any time you need them.

Windows Phone

When you think about it, it was only going to be a matter of time until the tech titan of Washington climbed down from the mountain and entered the smartphone arena – and with the new Windows Phone platform, Microsoft has done it in a big way.

While the iPhone, Android, and even Blackberry platforms have been dominating the space like few others have been capable of and Microsoft has tried to the play the phone game before, this time it feels much, much different – the early Windows Phones reviews have been incredible and almost unanimous in their praise. More known for the software and solutions they provide than their hardware, this new push of high tech Windows Phone products has been remarkable for a couple of different reasons.

The smart phone world has exploded in the past couple of years – what makes the Windows Phone such a good platform?

“Dumb phones” have been a dying breed in the past couple of years, and it is always a bit of a shocker when someone pulls one out to make a call on them – the smartphone world has literally blown up in popularity and accounts for (by some reports) almost 75% of the mobile phone world now. Mobile computing has become the obvious wave of the future, and it would be hard to conceive of a reason for the current computing giant in Microsoft to not jump down into the fray. And while their first foray into the market was met with some serious resistance (a couple of years ago there were Windows Mobile phones – and they were terrible), this new range of high tech solutions are getting high praise indeed.

Windows Phones reviews are all in agreement that time and care has gone into every little detail of the phones – from the software that drives them being intuitive and smartly designed (as well as incredibly responsive and snappy) to the hardware that has been built to their exacting specifications, these products are getting high marks across the board. The jury may still be out for the most part, but many believe that within the next couple of years the Windows Phone platform will have a significant share of the marketplace.

As a relatively newcomer to the smartphone landscape, can I expect the same kind of power and flexibility from Windows Phone applications as other platforms?

HTC Windows Phone 8

One of the biggest driver of the smartphone revolution has been the advent of apps – lightweight and mobile optimized programs that work on phones and tablets. And while the Windows Phone platform takes advantage of apps, the Windows Phone applications marketplace is not as big as some of the other ones. But more and more apps are being developed every single day, and it won’t be long until the Windows Phone applications is rivaling those of the other “Big Three” – iOS, Android, and Blackberry. Plus you have the built in skills and experience of the Microsoft team behind you, and it’s not stretch to believe that all of the popular Windows apps will be ported over into Windows Phone applications.

Windows Phone Apps Directory

Windows 8 – Top 5 Reasons To Upgrade

Windows Phone Applications – New Share In Apps Marketplaces!

Windows Phone

The smart phone world has exploded in the past couple of years – what makes the Windows Phone such a good platform?

As a relatively newcomer to the smartphone landscape, can I expect the same kind of power and flexibility from Windows Phone applications as other platforms?