How good or necessary (or not) was the Start Screen and the move away from Start Orb was for the future of Windows as an operating system, is a rather different debate, but ground reality is that it has been done. It’s out there now, and you can either take it or leave it, but it won’t change. Now, there is a number of tools that will bring back the good old Start Orb and menu for you under Windows 8, and some of them are completely free, too, but if you start using the new Modern UI screen, it begins to grow on you. While it remains a matter of personal aesthetics, it can’t be denied that there is always room for improvement in almost everything, and in that sense, the Metro Start Screen isn’t perfect. That’s what the Start Menu Modifier application aims to target.
The Windows 8 umbrella of products are definitely promising, but one thing that has been quite clearly lacking thus far is number and selection of apps. The interface itself is generally lauded by those using it, but apps have been a nagging issue, and as the world still waits for a Windows 8 Facebook app, one third-party developer has given a little false-hope, if you will. Windows 8 and Windows RT owners have been pining for official Facebook support, and while neither Microsoft nor Facebook seem to be offering any straight answers, an app entitled "Facebook" made an impromptu entry to the Windows Store today. Unfortunately, despite looking every bit the real deal, it has turned out to be the brainchild of Pearl Apps LLC.
I personally like Windows 8 a lot. The missing Start Orb doesn’t bother me, since I have pretty smoothly adapted to the new Start Screen (I find it more convenient, in fact), and even if some of the features have been buried down deep within the operating system, that actually piques up the geek inside me, making it more challenging to use the operating system with as much ease as its earlier variants. However, that nowhere implies that everyone is a power user, and for casual ones, some of these hidden items are downright annoying. Take the ability to turn your laptop into a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, for instance; it was all too easy under Windows 7 thanks to the ad hoc network support. With Windows 8, things have become more complicated.
Our computers, notebooks, tablets and smartphones are like mystical libraries of endless possibility, enabling us to carry out almost any task with ease. Despite offering a wealth of information and communication, we often call upon our personal gadgets and machines for the simplest of queries. Whether it be a calculator to perform a basic sum, a clock to tell us what time it is, or a weather update to plan a perfect picnic, we get much of this information from those aforementioned entities.
Perhaps no version of Microsoft Windows received as much hatred from both the users and experts alike, as Windows 8. There had been faux pas from the Redmond giant earlier – I , for one, haven’t forgotten Windows ME, or Windows Vista – but the funny thing was, Windows 8 wasn’t either of those. The general negative sentiment towards it usually stems from the fact that Microsoft opted to ‘force’ the users out of their comfort zone for the sake of a better, updated and modernized look. Well, hate it or love it, that’s what we got now.
Mozilla's popular Firefox brings a new release almost every month, and following the October release of Firefox 16 and the subsequent Firefox 17 beta, the latest version has crept out of beta stage and is ready to rock. Available on the official download page, those keen to get the update as soon as possible can grab it right now via 17 Mozilla’s FTP servers - download details at the bottom of the page.
Windows 8 has now been out for a couple of weeks, and although many Metro-fied apps were ready for the big launch on the 26th of last month, the big applications from the biggest names are still being released by the hour. Video streaming outlet Vimeo is the latest to join the likes of Skype and The Weather Channel for Windows 8, and the new app allows users to carry out a range of functions with apparent ease.
Getting apps onto an Android device just got a little easier, with a free Windows app being released that makes installing APKs as easy as dragging and dropping them.
Earlier this week, we covered in vague detail, the Skype app for Windows 8, and with Microsoft having promised it would be delivered in time for the October 26th launch of Windows 8, the Redmond-based software maker has delivered it ahead of schedule. As of now, anybody running a preview version of Windows 8 can download Skype from the Windows Store, and those planning to upgrade on Friday will also be able to resume Skyping immediately.
Privacy and security is one of the main concerns of most people browsing the web on a regular basis, and if it isn't to you, well, it really ought to be. E-mailing is something we all wind up doing at one point or another, and although our e-mail accounts can be protected by a password, that doesn't mean to say our privacy is at its optimal level. Many main e-mail providers ensure one types in a substantial secret character collective when choosing a password - with most asking for a letter, number, and and special symbol - but more can certainly be done in order to keep e-mails as private as intended.
