Okay Windows 8 is here, reviews are mixed between must have and do not get. This reviewer is planning on giving his most objective opinion as possible, but we know if a reviewer likes a program that maybe some times next to impossible. So let’s go into the review.
First of all here are the stats of the Tablet PC it was run on:
- HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC
- 2 gigabyte (GB) of Ram
- 60 gigabytes (GB) HD
- 1.2 gigahertz (GHz) Intel Processor
- On-board Intel Graphics
Now here are the requirements that the Windows 8 download site recommended:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
- Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device or higher
- To use touch, you need a tablet or monitor that supports multitouch
- To access Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
- To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768
When I prepared to install it on this PC I found that it was easy to put it on an USB stick to install it on the Tablet PC, when I did a digital purchase of Windows 8 I received an iso this is great if you have an extra dvd, or your computer you are putting it on has a dvd drive. But never fear there are tutorials out there that show how to boot Windows 8 install off of an usb stick, follow those and you too can install Windows 8 on a laptop without a dvd drive. I installed the 32-bit version due to having only 2 gigs of ram. The install was just as easy to go through. I did have a few problems installing but re-downloading the Image again solved that problem. The install was similar to any other windows install, it asks you a few question you answer it. As well like Windows 7 it detected all my devices connected to the Tablet PC right off the bat.
After the install I was greeted with a new feature, it was a picture that coved the login screen because it was a Tablet PC, I just used the pen and slide the picture up and was greeted with a semi-familiar login screen. I put in my username and password, and there it was the new Metro style screen. It took a few seconds to get use to it but it wasn’t hard to find everything. You had your Internet Explorer, mail, windows app store, as well as Xbox connect applications. The Xbox connection feature only worked for me to look at my Xbox games as well as a remote for my Xbox. While this feature was cool and would give some insights into playing some games, it basically turned your tablet into a giant remote control.
Let’s talk about the touch aspects of Windows 8. To get access to the rest of your programs I had to move my pen to the bottom of the screen and a scroll bar appeared, moving it left or right allowed me to view the rest of my installed programs. Double tapping the icon starts the program. When I went to swipe from the outer right edge of the screen inward, I came up with options to look for applications installed on my computer, as well as options to view settings. Clicking on these allowed for me to choose these options. Finally swiping from the outer left inward I was greeted with a program switcher although the alt-tab function is still enabled. When I clicked on the preview icons of each programs obviously it switched between the different programs. As well I found that the writing recognition was great, and being a Japanese Language student, the writing recognition was really good.
Lastly is the performance of Windows 8. I was really surprised about the performance using this Windows version. While I don’t have exact bench marks while running Windows 8, I do have what I have experienced with it. While Windows 7 ran on this PC, it was slow and other programs ran slow due to the limited ram and CPU speed and it took up a lot of space on my hard drive. Windows 8 not only took up less space on my hard drive but I noticed a performance increase with it. Programs started a little faster or so it seemed, and the boot up and shutdown times seemed faster as well.
The problem I foresaw with Windows 8 defaulting into the Metro theme was unfounded when I did use the Release Candidate version. When entering the metro theme, you have the option right there to go directly into desktop, and while the start menu key will bring you back into the metro theme, the Metro theme, while made for people with touch, is very easy to use with a mouse and keyboard. There were a few issues with sensitivity of the touch screen, this could be contributed to the older tablet pc, but other than that it was great.
Personally I would recommend Windows 8 as an operating system, while it is not the most innovative touch operating system out there, it does breathe life into lower end systems that may have problems running Vista or Windows 7.