OK, start abusing me about the Browns, but we lifelong fans are committed! Or something like that. Once you tell the app the teams that you like, it delivers news and updates about your teams, and populates the live tiles with updates. Here is my current front page.
Note the update about the current record (37 wins 32 losses) and standings (1st place in the AL Central…hoo-ahh!). At a glance, I know that my Tribe is in first place. Nice! And if for some reason, you are a fan of the Yankees or White Sox, choose those teams and the Sports app will tailor its updates to your teams. This is a fairly normal capability for anyone used to iOS, but the live tiles really help to bring these updates to you effortlessly. Other apps, like the XE one for currency rates and the Stocks one for well stocks, also leverage data based on your customizations and deliver it to the live tile for you. Nicely done!
Overall Impressions
Windows 8 is a real break from Windows 7 and all that came before. On the one hand, I like the new Metro desktop with live tiles. I love the fast boot times. For full Windows 8 machines, the availability of the legacy desktop will be useful for some time to come. However, it will be a jarring experience for those with some familiarity with Windows 7 or earlier versions of Windows. There will be a productivity loss until people figure out how to use the new system, and the lack of a start button on the legacy side is downright confusing. I can see how this would be a great system for a tablet or touch-centric all-in-one, but for a standard business laptop or desktop, there will need to be a substantial breaking-in period. Overall, I look forward to using Windows 8 and I’ll continue to bring you articles and information about it; stay tuned!
Use charm bar (win+c) to search in store app
Thanks for the tip…still think they need to have a Bing Search link in the store app as most folks won’t want to use a keystroke combo, especially in a touch scenario.
While I like the underlying platform of Win8, the current state of Metro Apps is pretty abysmal. There are also some significant gotchas in the fact that the Win 8 environment and the Photo App don’t play nicely with WHS.
See http://gcoupe.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/whats-not-to-like-in-windows-8/ for more bugs, quirks and WTFs.
I also find it somewhat ironic that I had to post this comment using Google Chrome running in Win8. The Win8 desktop IE10 doesn’t work properly with Disqus.
Wow Geoff did not see that Disqus is not working. Another issue is that the FX app in Win8 may not be bringing in the right data…these are beta apps and those holes need to be closed.
I think there will be plenty of people who sit out this upgrade cycle. Personally, if they do a good job on the Surface, I’ll take the plunge. I can’t see most businesses going with this version though.
Overall, I like the Metro interface, and really expect it to play well with touch…but your point on unresolved issues with apps is a good one.