Windows 8 First Glance Offered by Microsoft - Mobile and Wireless - News & Reviews - eWeek.com

Tiles

Tiles
Jun 2, 2011
1 minute read
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Tiles

Will the Learning Curve Be Steep?

Windows 8 features tiles that display more information than traditional icons.


Start Screen

2

Windows 8s start screen offers a variety of quick-glance information, including (at least, based on this screen) time and date, and emails and conversations.


Touch-Sensitive

3

Microsoft plans to port Windows 8 onto a variety of devices, including the tablet and PC form factors.


Apps

4

Microsoft offered a glimpse of a few new applications at work, including this News one.


Horizontal

5

As with Windows Phone, the Windows 8 interface seems to emphasize a horizontal format, with the ability to scroll left or right to see new information.


Mouse and Keyboard

6

Windows 8s user interface is also navigable with the traditional mouse-and-keyboard configuration.


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Swiping

7

Here is a shot of Windows 8 finger-swiping in action.


Multitasking

8

Windows 8 offers the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously.


Snap

9

Like Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows 8 lets the user snap content to the sides of the screen—in this case, a secondary application running alongside the main one.


Apps

10

Here is an image of two Windows 8 applications running concurrently.


Web Cruising

11

In this shot, Internet Explorer 10 is operating on Windows 8 on a tablet.


Virtual Keyboard

12

Here is an image of Windows 8s virtual keyboard (for tablets).


Ergonomic

13

For tablets, Windows 8s virtual keyboard can be configured into an ergonomic, thumbs-optimized format.


Existing Apps

14

Windows 8 will also run existing Windows applications.


File System

15

Despite the new tile-centric format, Windows 8 will also offer a robust file system.

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