Windows 8: Hands on with the final build

Microsoft has released the full, final version of Windows 8 to MSDN and TechNet subscribers, and a free 90-day trial to everyone else. The 90-day trial brings you almost exactly to October 26, which is when Windows 8 (and various Windows 8 and Windows RT devices) will go on sale to the public.

If you’re already running the Windows 8 Release Preview, be aware that you cannot upgrade to the final RTM — you have to perform a clean installation. If you’d rather virtuali e it in VirtualBox, just grab the ISO and follow our guide.

With that said, read on for our hands-on impressions of Windows 8 on Samsung Series 7 touchscreen tablet. If you can’t watch the video below, check out the gallery of photos/screenshots at the end of the story.

Changes

If you’ve used Release Preview, you’ve used the final version of Windows 8. Except for lots of under-the-hood tweaks, very little has changed between the RP and RTM. The only changes that you will notice off the bat are:

• 
  The installation process now includes a tutorial. The tutorial is a bit crappy, though — it tells you about swiping the side of the screen, and the mouse hot corners, but it doesn’t actually walk you through it, or tell you what each of the actions actually does.


• 
  Lots more personali ation options.There are some new Lock screen pictures to choose from, and lots of Start screen designs and color schemes.


• 
  A few icon/cosmetic changes. SkyDrive and Windows Store have new icons on the Start screen, and Desktop apps pinned to the Start screen now appear in a much more sensible/attractive way (pics below).


• The Desktop’s Aero interface has finally been killed. As promised by Microsoft, the “dated and cheesy” translucent Aero UI has finally been removed. In its place there’s a flat, square, solid-color UI that does a better job of linking together the two very disparate Metro and Desktop experiences. By default, the color of this UI automatically mirrors the most predominant color of your desktop wallpaper, but you can set it manually if you prefer.

Windows 8 Start screen. Check out the Screenpresso and Synergy desktop app tiles.

What hasn’t changed

Despite the flatter, squarer Desktop interface, there’s still no getting around the fact that switching between it and the Start screen is incredibly jarring. The good news, though, is that the transition is very quick — and given time the Desktop does begin to feel like just another app. I should also stress that, as a desktop PC user, you really won’t see the Metro interface very often — as long as you make judicious use of the task bar, anyway.

On the other hand, though, you will always see the Start screen after logging in — and it will always appear on your primary display, even if you’d rather have it default to your secondary display. The Metro interface is still confined to just one display. Microsoft still hasn’t made the Start screen any easier to manipulate with mouse and keyboard. There still isn’t an easy keyboard combo to shut down/restart the computer.

Windows 8: Hands on with the final build